My friend the painter Jane O’Malley, who has died of cancer aged 79, was a still life painter of rare skill. Utilising a spare repertoire of daily objects, including bowls, vases, jugs and flowers, Jane could conjure up an alert, vibrant composition of colour, line and form. Recurrent backdrops were provided by St Ives in Cornwall, the stark lava fields of Lanzarote and her lush garden in Ireland.
It was in the little harbour town of St Ives, in the early 1970s, that Jane, then a student at the St Ives School of Painting, happened to meet the renowned Irish painter Tony O’Malley (who was more than 30 years her senior). Having settled there from his native Kilkenny in 1960, he was very much a part of the artistic community (though by then he was in frail health). The chemistry between the two was one of immediate and intense passion and devotion. They married in St Ives in 1973 and set up home in Seal Cottage, a few steps along from their Porthmeor studio, facing the Atlantic.
The O’Malleys worked separately but in visionary accord. They enjoyed warm local affection, with Patrick Heron and Bernard Leach notably good friends. The Isles of Scilly became a fertile location for their painting. They also began regular winter visits to Jane’s sister in the Bahamas and this dramatically enriched how they worked. Tony offered Jane endless encouragement, which led to her confidently developing a unique visual vocabulary. In turn, his art underwent an exuberant chromatic explosion.
In 1977 they bought a rundown labourer’s cottage in Physicianstown, near Callan, where Tony was born. Gradually extending the property, with a large studio, they moved back permanently to Ireland in 1990. Jane cultivated the abundant garden, with ponds, exotic plants, and a wood, into a place of serene beauty, comparable to Monet’s Giverny, on a smaller scale.
Born in Montreal, the youngest of the four children of Jordan Harris, a chemist and photographer, and Grace (nee Kinlock), as a child Jane adored drawing flowers with intricate detail. Later she grew disillusioned while studying art formally at Sir George Williams University, dropping out after a year. She travelled around the world with her brother Chris before settling in Switzerland as an au pair for three years. A renewed urge to study art, and an admiration for the work of Ben Nicholson, led her in 1969 to the St Ives School of Painting and to Tony.
After Tony’s death in 2003, Jane set about, with irrepressible energy, protecting his legacy. This included overseeing the establishment, by the Royal Irish Academy, of the Tony O’Malley Residency, a stunning conversion of Tony’s birthplace offering a living and working space for younger painters.
She also advanced her art and reputation with many exhibitions in Ireland and the UK. The Butler Gallery in Kilkenny has a permanent collection of work on show by both O’Malleys.
Jane is survived by Chris. Her two sisters predeceased her.
