Fionnuala D'Arcy was born in Galway in 1974. Following in the tradition of semi-abstract painting pioneered by Wassily Kandinsky in the early 20th century, Fionnuala D'Arcy’s work on handmade paper and gessoed board veers between abstraction and figuration. Her landscapes, usually executed on a small scale, depict imaginary places where the sun shines and fruit trees grow amongst flowers and birds. The figuration of objects within the landscape that are sometimes scratched into the support surface is contrasted with painterly gestural marks used to describe the panoramic fields and gardens, creating a tension between line and subject.
Fionnuala D'Arcy has exhibited widely in group shows across Ireland, with recent exhibitions at Fenderesky Gallery, Belfast; Blue/Yellow Gallery, Belfast; Boyle Arts Festival, Roscommon; and Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast. Her work is included in numerous private collections and in the public collection of Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), amongst others.