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Patrick O’Connor was born in 1940 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It was an indifferent little town nestling south of Naval Hill. There is a white horse carved on its slope and the famous Southern Sky Observatory stands on a plateau where only scorpions live. For Patrick, the most important building in town was the museum, and the most important section within, was the prehistoric room, filled with large mammal fossils and dusty dioramas of an imagined, ancient Africa. Beyond the town stretched the flat African Veldt, dust, thorns and enormous, magnificent skies.

After his father’s death in 1953 in Durban, Patrick moved to Johannesburg where he matriculated in 1959. He studied Fine Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and graduated in 1963. 



His University years were the most profoundly valuable years of his life. He grew from insular ignorance to an excited awareness of the wider world. His tutors Giuseppe Cattaneo and Cecily Sash were a profound influence and remained friends ever since. Heather Martienssen, the first female Professor in South Africa, gave him a love of Art History.

He was appointed Lecturer in Fine Arts in 1964 at the University of Durban-Westville, a University catering specifically for the Indian population. The Head of Department was Jack Grossert, he encouraged Patrick and his colleague Andrew Verster to develop both as educators and creative artists. The three of them made a vibrant team. 



In 1971 Patrick applied for the Senior Lectureship in Painting at the Natal Technicon, Durban. His colleague, Andrew Verster also moved to the same College. They were fortunate to work under Head of School, Bailie-Searle who was an enthusiastic and forward looking leader. In 1974 Patrick was appointed Head of the Painting Department.

Patrick enjoyed the challenge of teaching and this academic background allowed for both study leave and sabbatical leave. During these breaks from academia he visited Galleries in Europe and America and finally Ireland and South America. Inevitably these visits fostered creative growth and Patrick’s work began to take on larger creative issues of technique and subject. 



Patrick was emerging as one of South Africa's foremost artists. In 1975 he represented South Africa at the Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil.

Patrick O’Connor, his wife Marika (nee François) and their sons Marc Alex and Donovan Pat left Durban in South Africa during July 1977.



From 1978 to 1979 Patrick was a Part Time Lecturer at the School of Art and Design, Dun Laoghaire. A full time post at Dublin Institute of Technology followed.  He resigned his full-time post in 1986 and moved to London.

In 1993 he returned to Ireland. He taught for brief periods in the College of Marketing and Design in 1994, 1995 and finally 1997 to 1999. During this time Patrick had two Residencies at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in 1996 and 1998.



Moving to Kilkenny in 1999, Patrick devoted his final years toward painting and drawing as part of the Endangered Studios.  He exhibited every year from 2004 onward.  In 2011 he was diagnosed with cancer, he worked tirelessly during his last year and presented his final one man show in 2012, two weeks before his passing.

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