Biography
Rhea O’Neill (b.1983, Reading, UK) is an oil painter whose work focuses on nature and the environment. O’Neill earned a BA in Fine Art from the University of Reading (UK) and an MA in painting from the Wimbledon College of Art (University of the Arts London).The artist has a painting in the UK Government Art Collection, currently on display in Berne, Switzerland. O’Neill has participated in exhibitions at the San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA; MOAH, Lancaster, CA; Brea Gallery, Brea, CA; BWAC, Brooklyn, New York, NY and Rollo Contemporary Art, London, UK. In 2026, O’Neill had her first solo exhibition ‘DreamLands’ in San Francisco, California, at Modern Eden Gallery. The artist currently lives and works in Scotts Valley, California.
Artist StatementI make oil paintings that elevate nature. Often modest in scale, but crammed with liveliness, my paintings focus on small environments. My work includes vibrant colors, delicate details and often complex structure.
Historically, people have viewed flora and fauna as separate from humanity. I strive to acknowledge the sentient nature of our environment. My intimate perspectives bring the viewer to the subject’s level, creating a sense of closeness and connection. My rich, dense compositions draw influence from forest floor and nature painters of previous centuries. I make a distinction between myself and artists who bring a scientific eye to these subjects. My aim as a painter is to personify my environment, allowing empathy to grow. A hectic, overstimulated existence has revealed a desire in me to focus on lives untethered from technology. Nature is filled with complexity that is barely understood. It encompasses a place of rest, reflection but also degradation of our world. I draw attention to other modes of being, as humanity becomes more focused on itself than ever before. |
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