Iwona Nartowska O'Reilly was born in Poland in 1974. She graduated from Stanislaw Wyspianski School for Fine Arts in Jaroslaw, Poland. She lives in Carlow, Ireland with her husband and two daughters.


"The encaustic medium allowed me to discover new possibilities in art and added texture and depth to my works. Having been brought up in rural Poland, I feel drawn towards robust, chunky and textured quality of wax. Also, as I started to make my own paints, the whole painting process became substantially more personal and the use of wax added an organic quality to it".



Selected Solo Exhibitions:

2011 Eigse Carlow Arts Festival "Children's Songs". Exhibition of paintings

2009 The Vault Gallery, Adare, Co. Limerick. Exhibition of paintings

2008 Eigse Carlow Arts Festival. Exhibition of paintings

2007 "Familiar & Foreign", The Bridge Gallery, Dublin Exhibition of paintings

2006 Eigse Carlow Arts Festival "Portrait of a Cousin" Exhibition of paintings

2005 The Bridge Gallery, Dublin Exhibition of paintings

2004 "Daily Bread" Exhibition of paintings in the Polish Social & Cultural Association, Dublin

2002 Wexford Opera Festival. Exhibition of paintings

2001 Eigse Carlow Arts Festival Exhibition of paintings

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2011 Wexford Opera Festival Exhibition of paintings in the Greenacres Gallery, Wexford

2009 International Art Fair, Genoa, Italy 2008 Art Forms Gallery Christmas Show, Carlow, Ireland

2008 Spring Art Show, Patrick Street Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland