All about us

Majella O'Neill Collins (left) and Cora Collins

Majella O’Neill Collins

Born in West Cork in 1964, Majella studied at the Limerick School of Art and Design and lives and works on Sherkin Island, West Cork.

Her recent exhibitions include Galeria Safia, Barcelona, 2009; West Cork Arts Centre, 2008; Limetree Gallery, Suffolk, England, 2008; the Waring Gallery, Moira, Northern Ireland in 2006, and 2005; the Warren Gallery, Castletownshend, Co. Cork in 2004 and 2003; the Hunt Museum, Limerick and the Florelli Gallery, Rome in 2002; the Rose Gallery, Paddington, Australia and the Davous Art Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland in 2001 and the Fuller Building, New York in 2000.

Her work is represented in many private and public collections, including the collections of the Office of Public Works, Allied Irish Banks, Hennessy Foundation, Washington, Cork University Hospital and University College Cork.

“Majella has consistently drawn inspiration from her native West Cork as she continues her exploration of the islands, coastline and the sea which represents a deeply personal reflection. Her work is rooted in her own personal history and her own direct experience. Irish Arts Review hotly tipped Majella for the investment artist to watch. Her work shows high investment potential and her paintings are highly sought after whenever they come up for sale.” -- excerpt from Business Limerick Magazine, 2010

Majella O’Neill Collins is on the board of West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, and is facilitator on the BA in Visual Art, Sherkin Island.

Majella and her friend Cora run summer workshops for artists who come to sherkin with a common interest in art. Her passion for colour and paint soon infects her students as she inspires them to make art together.

Cora Collins

Interior designer, trainer, colour consultant, decorative artist and muralist are a few of the job descriptions that Cora Collins can use as she has divided her eggs into several baskets!

“I am very lucky to be able to work at something I love and with such diversity. Today I might be choosing upholstery fabrics for a design project and tomorrow I might be in overall’s painting an aged effect on a pub wall.”

Growing up in an artistic family, Cora learned to paint when she was very young. She attended Limerick School of Art and Design in the eighties and accredits her in-depth understanding of colour to her ability to mix paints and see colours in a true form. Over the years she moved from canvas to walls and many other surfaces and has created murals and decorative paint finishes in a variety of styles and locations.

Cora is an expert in colour and interior design with more than 20 years’ industry experience. A highly skilled communicator, she is responsible for Dulux colour training within the industry to a wide variety of commercial users from professional decorators to architects.

Working as the Dulux Colour Consultant, Cora has recently worked on more than 200 colour schemes for the town of Charleville for RTE’s “Dirty Old Town’s” programme with Diarmuid Gavin.

Cora also created colour schemes for the town of Moneygall for the recent visit of President Barak Obama. “It was an honour to be asked to lead such a project and the icing on the cake was receiving an invitation to the President’s visit and being there on that unforgettable day.”

Her vast knowledge and expertise continues to inspire those in the interiors industry who use colour as the foundation of successful design. Cora is a dedicated trend-watcher and responsible for the introduction of new colours in Dulux Interior and exterior catalogues on an annual basis.

Cork to run Sherkin Island Art Workshops with her friend artist Majella O Neill Collins. This is the highlight of her year as she gets to meet amazing people who share an interest in art and beautiful island landscape.

Website. www.coracollins.com