Olga McNamara

Olga McNamara

Abstract Expressionist Painter
London Art Biennale 2025
Original oil on canvas

Olga McNamara is an abstract expressionist painter working between Cyprus and Ireland. Her large-scale oil paintings explore emotional tension, transformation, and the dialogue between light and shadow.

“I paint what cannot be said — quiet tensions, inner shifts, and the light that appears when we stop searching,” she says.

Exhibited internationally — including the London Art Biennale — her work is held in private collections across Europe, the US, and Australia.

Education
• Private training under artist Miho Ebanoidze, Cyprus
• Self-taught abstract expressionism artist


Professional Memberships
• Association of Mediterranean Artists (AMA)
• Visual Artists Ireland (VAI)
• Visual Artists Association (VAA)

Selected Artist at LONDON ART BIENNALE 2025

First Place Winner Artist of the Winter Upward Gallery March 2025

First Place Winner Art Exhibition Unreal bu Upward Gallery USA May 2025

Second Place Winner Juried Art Exhibition Color, Upward Gallery, USA April 2025

First Place Winner - Fine Art, Night and Moonlight Art Exhibition, UPWARD Gallery, USA, October 2024

Finalist Award- Artist Invitational 10, International Juried Art Exhibition, Camelback Gallery, Arizona, USA, October 2024

Second Place Winner - Fine Art, Artist of the Summer, UPWARD Gallery, USA September 2024

Honourable Mention Award - Fine Art, Artist of the Summer, UPWARD Gallery, USA September 2024

Honourable Mention Award 2024 Open, Art&Colour 365 Magazine, Colorado, USA, August 2024

Merit Award - Abstract Art Competition, Fine Art,
UPWARD Gallery, USA July 2024

Second Place Winner - Fine Art, Artist of the Spring, UPWARD Gallery, USA June 2024

Finalist Award - All Abstracts 2023 International Juried Art Exhibition, Camelback Gallery, December 2023

Artist of the Month Award - December 2023 International Juried Art Exhibition, Camelback Gallery, December 2023

Artist of the Month October - International Juried Art Exhibition, Camelback Gallery, 2023

Merit Award - Best in Medium 2023, Oil Painting International Juried Art Exhibition by Camelback Gallery, October 2023

Third Place Winner - Artist of the Summer 2023, Abstract Art Competition, UPWARD Gallery, USA, August 2023

Artist of the Month - August, Award, International Juried Art Exhibition, Camelback Gallery, August 2023

Bronze Award - Artist Invitational VII, International Juried Art Exhibition, Camelback Gallery, Arizona, USA, August 2023

Second place Winner - Dreams, Juried Competition, UPWARD Gallery, USA June 2023

Bronze Award - Flower Power, International Juried Art Exhibition, Camelback Gallery, Arizona, USA, May 2023

Selected for Artists on the Rise - Auction Sale of Contemporary Investment Art, Chalkwell Auction, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom, September 2023

Silver Award - Abstracts with Red, international juried Art Exhibition Camelback Gallery, USA, Arizona 2023) March 2023

First Place Winner - artist of The Month January 2023, international juried Art Exhibition Camelback Gallery, USA, Arizona 2023) January 2023

Olga’s Art is certified by Akoun, the world leader in art market information since 1985, so her art has an Official Artist Price established by a certified Art Appraisal Expert. Now her clients are able to buy her works with more confidence and trust. There is a Publication of the artist value on AKOUN's contemporary artists values reference book
Publications & Press
Upward's Quarterly
* Interview, USA, Spring 2023
* Article on Solo Exhibition, USA, Summer 2023
* Studio Visit, USA, Autumn 2023
* Featured Artist & Published Works, Winter 2022-2023
* Featured Artist, Spring-Summer 2024
* Featured Artist, Autumn 2024
* Article about Artist, Autumn 2023
* Published Works & Article on Solo Exhibition, Winter 2023-2024
* Artwork on Front Cover & Published Works, Summer 2023
* Featured Artist, Winter 2024-2025
* Article about Artist, Winter 2024-2025

Other Publications:
• Artistcloseup Magazine, Interview, December 2023
• AAtonau Magazine, Article, Japan, February 2024
• Singulart Magazine, interview, November 2024

Olga McNamara is a resident in Art&Shock Gallery, Cyprus.
2025
• London Art Biennale, London, United Kingdom
• Art Votes Freely, Link 68 Gallery, Cyprus
• Cyprus at the Crossroads, ART.CY International Conference & Exhibition, Cyprus
• Open Doors, Art&Shock Gallery, Cyprus

2024
• Gifted – Contemporary Craft & Design Fair, Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland
• Art Source Dublin, Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland (Nov & April)
• Cyberness, Kolla Culture Factory, Cyprus (October & November)
• Dublin Horse Show, Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland (April)
• Springtime, Kyklos Gallery, Cyprus
• Now and Beyond, Association of Mediterranean Artists, Cyprus

2023
• Worldcatching International Art Exhibition, Bologna, Italy
• Art Source Dublin, Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland
• Solo exhibition, UPWORD Gallery, United States (online)

2021
• My Friends, MihoArt Gallery, Cyprus

2019–2017
• Charity and group shows in Limassol: Charity Exhibition Business Women Painting (2019), Association of Mediterranean Artists (30.05.2017), 12th Cyprus–Russian Festival (11.06.2017), ArtBazaar Vinaigret (2017), Art4All at RODI Gallery (2017)

2016
• Various regional exhibitions and festivals: Nicosia Art Gathering, Cyprus Festival, Association of Mediterranean Artists, MyFriends by Michael Ebonaidze, and others under the name Olga Karlson

My artistic journey began under the lush influence of French Impressionism, its vibrant brushwork teaching me to capture the sensory richness of nature. As I moved into abstraction, I was drawn to Jackson Pollock’s energetic action painting, Mark Rothko’s meditative color fields, and Joan Mitchell’s lyrical spontaneity. Helen Frankenthaler’s soak-stain technique introduced me to subtle washes of atmosphere, while Cecily Brown inspired me to blend expressive abstraction with psychological depth. Clyfford Still’s monumental impasto fields taught me the expressive potential of thick, dramatic color, and Alma Thomas’s mosaic-like, rhythmic patterns continue to shape my approach to vibrant structure and harmony. Together, these influences guide me toward an abstract practice that balances gesture, emotive color, and thoughtful composition.

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