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.
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.