Frances Donnelly Jung, a passionate painter in oil who finds inspiration in nature and landscapes of Ireland.
Biography
Frances Donnelly Jung is an Irish artist based in Dublin whose painting practice is shaped by close observation of nature and a deep connection to the Irish landscape. Born in County Down, she studied Fine Art at Belfast School of Art before completing an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art, London. In her early career, her work was exhibited extensively, including several solo and group exhibitions at the Paton Gallery in London, Subspace Gallery in Berlin, and venues throughout Ireland.
After a hiatus from painting in the 2010s, she returned to her practice with renewed energy and focus. Recently, she participated in the 2026 group shows “Falling faintly, faintly falling” at Finch Gallery, London, and ‘Cross Currents II: New York – London Abstract Painting’ at Makowski Gallery and Rosebud Contemporary, NYC. Donnelly Jung is currently planning a new exhibition at the Fumbally Exchange, Dublin, opening on October 1st.
Working primarily in oil, Donnelly Jung draws inspiration from local walks along Dublin’s Royal Canal and Phoenix Park, as well as journeys through the wider Irish landscape. Drawn to the abstract forms of Irish Neolithic petroglyphs, she weaves their deep connection to the land into a contemporary dialogue with Ireland’s ancient past. Rooted in drawing, her paintings are not representational but emerge through memory, imagination, and an emotional response to place. A tension often runs through the work, with spontaneous mark-making in sharp contrast to more rendered areas, creating a visual dissonance across the surface.
Artist Statement
“For me, the practice of painting is a process of discovering what the medium can do. I am fascinated by intertwining branches and vegetation, the play of light and dark in forests, and the reflected light bouncing off water. While memory and imagination play a large role, I am not trying to represent what I see, but rather to capture its formal essence, where line, colour, and form coalesce.
In the studio, I often begin working on the floor so the paint can flow freely and unexpectedly. Working from above creates distance and a kind of disorientation which affects the underlying drawing and overall structure. I then work back into the painting on the wall—rotating the canvas to shift perspective, removing paint to rework it, and slowly building up the surface with oil, sand, and wax over weeks or even months.
Painting is akin to walking a tightrope. You seek to lose yourself so the unexpected can happen, while exerting control and making decisive choices. A successful painting is expressive and alive with unexpected mark-making, yet retains an underlying cohesion that relates to the original subject matter.”
