James Brohan was born in 1952 in Dublin, Ireland. He attended Blackrock Vocational School. In 1973 he qualified as a motor mechanic and spent fifteen years in this trade. On moving to north Wicklow in 1976, Brohan began to paint.

Brohan studied painting and anatomy, under Yann Gaoulet RHA, which taught him to ‘look and observe’ and Liam Treacy, who taught him to use colour in a loose impressionistic way. He continued his studies at Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design and later at the National College of Art and Design as a pupil of Desmond Carrick RHA. His inspiration comes directly from Ireland and he is heavily influenced by the work of Irish impressionists.

Brohan’s paintings are about colour rather than tone and the e...