John Shinnors facts for kids

John Shinnors is a famous Irish artist known for his paintings. His art often shows landscapes, but it has become more abstract, meaning it doesn't always look exactly like real life. He is part of a special group of Irish artists called Aosdána.

Life and Art

Early Life and Education

John Shinnors was born in Limerick, Ireland, on April 14, 1950. As a teenager, he enjoyed drawing and even took an art class. He later studied art more seriously at the Limerick School of Art & Design. He also spent some time in London, where he attended Hornsey Art School part-time.

Developing His Style

John is known for his abstract paintings. He often uses simple shapes and colors to show things like scarecrows, lighthouses, cows, and boats. He taught art part-time while starting his own career. His first big success came in 1984 when he won an award called the Guinness Peat Aviation Emerging Artists Award. This helped him become more well-known.

Artists who inspired him include Jack Donovan, Georges de La Tour, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, and Caravaggio. John Shinnors has shown his art many times at important places like the Royal Hibernian Academy. In 1997, other artists chose him to join Aosdána, a group that honors top Irish artists.

People say that John Shinnors finds ideas for his paintings everywhere around him. He focuses on how the paint, brush, and canvas work together to create his art. In 2014, John had an accident and broke his legs. His recent work has started to use more bright and colorful tones, moving away from his earlier darker colors.

His Impact and Legacy

Supporting New Artists

In 2005, John Shinnors helped create the Shinnors Scholarship for an MA in Curatorial Studies. This award helps students study art at Limerick School of Art & Design and work at the Limerick City Gallery of Art. It helps new artists learn and grow.

Art in Poetry and Film

John Shinnors's art has even inspired poets! The poet John Montague wrote a poem called Scarecrow, which was inspired by John Shinnors's paintings of scarecrows. Other poets like John Liddy and Theo Dorgan have also written poems about his work. Pat Boran wrote a haiku inspired by Shinnors's painting Lighthouse 1.

In 1997, a documentary about John Shinnors's work, called Split Image – John Shinnors, was made for RTÉ.

Personal Life and Collections

John Shinnors is married to Catherine and they have two sons. He still lives and works in Limerick City. His art is held in many important collections, both private and public. These include An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Museum, the National Self-Portrait Collection of Ireland, Irish Museum of Modern Art, and the Royal Hibernian Academy. He is also a supporter of the Irish Chamber Orchestra.