Originally from Donegal, Irish artist and poet Maria Noonan-McDermott now lives and works from her studio in Kinlough, Co. Leitrim. Heavily influenced by the impressionist movement, her work focuses on the study of light and form in the Irish landscape, shaped by a lifelong love of folklore, storytelling and the rural communities that continue to inspire her.

Maria began her artistic career in Dublin in 1985 after qualifying in Fashion and Design. She later completed a certificate in visual education and further studies in Fine Art. Her first solo exhibition took place in 1990. This set her on a creative path that now spans almost four decades.

Her practice is grounded in the natural environment, from rugged coastlines and changing skies to the saturated colours and shifting atmospheres of Ireland. She draws inspiration from the storytellers of her childhood in Donegal, where neighbours and family carried local history in their voices and brought tales of place and character vividly to life. These early influences continue to shape her paintings and poetry, where land, memory and language remain closely connected.

Maria’s work continues to evolve through ecological observation, material experimentation and a sustained engagement with the stories, atmospheres and environments of rural Ireland.

Her work is represented by galleries across Ireland and is held in private and corporate collections throughout Ireland, the UK, Europe and the United States.