Artists Biography
Mark O'Neill
Mark O’Neill was born of Irish parents in Lancashire in 1963. He studied at Kingston College of Art, London where he graduated with First Class Honours. His early working life was spent as a very successful illustrator. His clients included Harrods, Guinness, Southern Comfort and Royal Mail. He also designed several movie posters for Warner Brothers.
Mark’s illustration work has also appeared on many book jacket covers for Catherine Cookson. His work has also featured on the cover of books by such authors as James Herroit, Frederick Raphael, Noel Virtue and many others.
He moved home to Ireland in the late eighties and has had many sell-out shows around the country. He won many awards at prominent exhibitions including the Arnotts National Portrait Exhibition, Dublin and as far back as 1991 his talent was recognised by the Auctioneers, James Adam and Sons when he won their “Artist for Future Appreciation Award” at the annual Royal Hibernian Academy Exhibition. Six of Mark’s pictures were included in an exhibition of Irish art in New York, “Ireland: Crossing Borders” at Gallery Revel (Sept/Oct 1998) where he was very well received and all his paintings sold. Of late, paintings by Mark have surfaced for sale through some of the major auction houses these paintings have constantly exceeded their estimates, sometimes threefold.
