Maria Ginnity’s figurative paintings evoke a sense of breath, a moment captured in time, a feeling of movement within the stillness. You can sense the energy that pulsates through every brushstroke as her bold and assured style brings vitality to her work.

Recently retired from the Department of Enterprise, one can sense that Maria is only now fulfilling her true passion. Her exciting first solo exhibition explores the concept of self-portraiture – considered in its broadest definition.

The mundane elements of life capture Maria’s attention – her reflection in a tap, her feet as she dries herself, the rhythmic shape of the shadow as she waits at a Vaporetto stop, the patterns formed by the paving on the Luas platform. She invites us to pause, to see the beauty in the everyday, and draws the viewer in by using cropped images and unusual perspectives. The overall result is rhythmic, bold and intriguing.

The paintings that reveal her face are merciless in their bluntness and about as far from airbrushing as it gets.  Maria observes that “I do not need to be kind to myself – I can paint what I see and feel at any moment in time”. The emphasis she has placed on hands show a depth of emotion and tell the story of a life lived. The cropped views of skin are an exciting and individual perspective on the genre of portraiture.