Archive of Author | Michael Geddis

About Michael Geddis

Born in 1960 in Belfast, Michael Geddis worked for over 25 years as a veterinary surgeon before ill health retirement. In 2013, he graduated from the Ulster University’s Belfast School of Art with a First-Class Honours in Fine Art. He was awarded the James White National Prize for Drawing for his degree show work at the RDS Annual Student Award. Immediately after graduating, Geddis was selected as a resident artist for Bangor’s Project24 and spent nearly a year in a seaside open studio as part of an urban regeneration project. He concurrently benefitted from a membership award and bursary from Belfast Print Workshop and this enabled him to explore printmaking using his drawing skills. Since then, he has been working on an Arts Council funded project to make very finely detailed drawings using micro-surgeons magnifying loupes. He delights in the elegance of natural forms and finds tiny microscopic structures particularly inspirational. As an emerging artist, his artistic development has benefitted greatly from several generous bursaries, grants and residencies awarded to him. He has also enthusiastically embraced opportunities to exhibit right across Ireland and beyond. Later this year, some of his prints will be exhibited in a group exhibition of Northern Irish printmakers’ work in Washington, USA

Born in 1960 in Belfast, Michael Geddis worked for over 25 years as a veterinary surgeon before ill health retirement. In 2013, he graduated from the Ulster University’s Belfast School of Art with a First-Class Honours in Fine Art.    He was awarded the James White National Prize for Drawing for his degree show work at the RDS Annual Student Award.

Immediately after graduating, Geddis was selected as a resident artist for Bangor’s Project24 and spent nearly a year in a seaside open studio as part of an urban regeneration project. He concurrently benefitted from a membership award and bursary from Belfast Print Workshop and this enabled him to explore printmaking using his drawing skills.

Since then, he has been working on an Arts Council funded project to make very finely detailed drawings using micro-surgeons magnifying loupes. He delights in the elegance of natural forms and finds tiny microscopic structures particularly inspirational. As an emerging artist, his artistic development has benefitted greatly from several generous bursaries, grants and residencies awarded to him.  He has also enthusiastically embraced opportunities to exhibit right across Ireland and beyond. Later this year, some of his prints will be exhibited in a group exhibition of Northern Irish printmakers’ work in Washington, USA.

www.michaelgeddisart.co.uk

 

Solo Exhibitions:

2016 “Symphonic Creations” Ulster Hospital, Belfast

2016 “Small Wonder” Market Place Arts Centre, Armagh

2015 “van Leeuwenhoek’s Legacy” Ulster Hospital, Belfast

2015 “Crouching in Newton’s Shadow” Signal Studio, Bray

2013 “Awesome Wonder” Georgian Gallery, Newtownards        

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2016 “Symbiosis” Cultural Centre Vanlu Paukla, Finland

2016 “RUA 135th Annual Exhibition” Ulster Museum, Belfast

2016 “Phases” Mossley Mill, Newtownabbey

2015 “RUA 134th Annual Exhibition” Ulster Museum, Belfast

2015 “New Voices of Ireland” Institute of Design, Dublin

2015 “Galway Fringe Festival” Galway City Gallery, Galway

2015 “Dwindling Abundance” Georgian Gallery, Newtownards

2014 “RUA 133rd Annual Exhibition” Ulster Museum, Belfast

2014 “Graphite” Ulster Hall, Belfast

2014 “NSPCC Art Auction” MAC, Belfas

2014 “BPW Members Show” Belfast Print Workshop, Belfast

2013 “2013 Draftsman Award Shortlist Show” Steambox, Dublin

2013 “RDS Travelling Exhibition” Luan Gallery, Athlone

2013 “RDS Annual Student Awards” RDS, Dublin

2013 “Russian Dolls” Golden Thread, Belfast

Awards/Bursaries:

2016 New Voices of Ireland Selected Artist (Centre for Creative Practice, Dublin)

2015 Ards and North Down Borough Council Ballinglen Artist Residency Bursary

2014 Lord Dunleath Memorial Bursary

2013 James White National Award for Drawing at RDS Annual Student Awards

2013 Belfast Print Workshop Bursary and Membership Award

2013 Runner-up Draftsmanship Award from Avenue Road Gallery, Dublin

2010 SERC Community Education Student of the Year (Painting)

Grants:

2017 Interreg Funding (through Creative Edge for attendance Creative Hotspot, Finland)

2016 and 2015 Ards and North Down Borough Council Individual Artist Grant

2015 and 2014 Arts Council SIAP General Funding 

Artist Residencies:

2016 Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Mayo

2015 Heinrich Böll Cottage, Achill Island

2015 Cill Rialaig, Kerry

2015 Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Monaghan

2013/14 Project24, Bangor

2012 Northern Irish Aquarium, Portaferry 

Fellowships:

2016 Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship

1993 Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship (Scandinavia)

Memberships:

2013 – present  Artists Network

1994 – present Royal Society of Biology

1983 – present Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons 

Continuing Professional Development:

2016/17 South Eastern Regional College – Photoshop for Beginners

2016 Seacourt Print Workshop – training in woodcutting and wood engraving

2015 Jessops Academy – Level I and II Photography

2014/15 Golden Thread Gallery – Career Enhancement Scheme for Emerging Artists

2014 South Eastern Regional College – WorldHost Ambassador trained

2013/14 Project 24 – Artists’ Development Training Programme

Voluntary Work:

For over a decade, I have been making props/scenery for local amateur dramatics and drawing large paper patterns for a local tapestry group.  Since graduating from Belfast School of Art, I have assisted with a local drawing workshop to raise funds for Seal Rescue Ireland, assisted with installing donated artworks for a NSPCC fundraiser and donated my work to fundraising for local charities e.g. Veterinary Benevolent Fund, NSPCC and Assisi.  I have also given artist talks at Dublin’s Institute of Design, Ulster University, Bangor Castle and St. Louise’s Comprehensive School. I have mentored students at Ulster University and Dublin’s Institute of Design.

Collections: Ulster University, UK National Art Collection and private collections in Ireland, UK, Canada and USA.

Articles with Michael Geddis

Micro-Macro-Pattern

Michael Geddis is an emerging Northern Irish visual artist who specialises in drawing. He delights in the elegant beauty of natural forms and finds tiny microscopic structures particularly inspirational. Geddis worked as a Veterinary Surgeon for over 25 years before ill health forced his early retirement. He then enrolled at Belfast School of Art (Ulster University) and in 2013 graduated with First Class Honours in Fine Art. His degree show drawings drew acclaim at a national level when he won the James White Prize for Drawing at the RDS Annual Student Awards in Dublin. Since then, he has been developing his practice through a series of awarded artist residencies/bursaries, some collaborative projects and an Arts Council Lottery Funded project using micro-surgeons magnifying loupes to produce finely detailed drawings.

In this exclusive interview, he discusses his work and his thoughts on drawing.