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Poppy Melia
[edit]Poppy Melia | |
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| Born | 9 March 1966 Dublin, Ireland |
| Education | National College of Art and Design, Dublin (NCAD) |
| Known for | Gouache paintings of Irish flora and fauna |
Poppy Melia (born 1966) is an Irish visual artist based in County Kerry.[1] Known for her intricate gouache paintings of wildlife, flora and landscapes, her work draws inspiration from the Kerry countryside[2] and international travels. She is the daughter of artist Pauline Bewick [3] and psychiatrist Pat Melia, who met while studying at Trinity College Dublin. Through her maternal lineage, Melia is connected to the Bewick ancestral home at Cherryburn, making her a descendant of the English engraver Thomas Bewick.[4]
Early life
[edit]Melia was born in Dublin in 1966 to artist Pauline Bewick and Dr. Pat Melia. During her early childhood, the family moved to Caragh Lake, near Killorglin, County Kerry. She was raised alongside her sister, Holly, in an artistic household surrounded by local wildlife and natural vegetation.[5]
Prior to her formal degree studies, her early artistic development was shaped by accompanying her family on creative retreats across Ireland and abroad.[6] In 1989, she graduated from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin with a First Class Honours Degree in Printed Textile Design.[7]
Career
[edit]Following graduation in 1989, Melia spent a year painting in Polynesia alongside her mother and sister.[8] Upon returning, she held debut solo exhibitions at the Rubicon Gallery in Dublin (1990)[9] and the Catto Gallery in London (1991). Reviewing her exhibition for The Irish Times, art critic Desmond MacAvock noted her "clear observation" and "exact and sensitive drawing."[10]
Melia works primarily in gouache on paper, producing detailed botanical and wildlife compositions. Her subjects frequently feature native Irish fauna - including herons, egrets, puffins, and dragonflies - alongside motifs influenced by travels in Asia, Europe and Oceania.[8]
Her work is held in private and public collections internationally and appears in secondary art auction records in Ireland.[11] Following a 2004 solo show at the Frank Lewis Gallery, her focus shifted predominantly toward private commissions. In 2025, she appeared alongside her mother in the documentary film A Mother's Legacy.[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Poppy Melia Biography & Auction Records". askART. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ "Holding the keys to the Kingdom in my deserted, watery bolthole". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ "Pauline Bewick Archive Profile". RTÉ Archives. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ Bewick, Pauline (2015). 80: A Memoir. Arlen House. ISBN 1851310800.
- ↑ "Kingdom of heaven". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ Lynch, Donal (24 August 2015). "Pauline Bewick's wild mythological life". Irish Independent.
- ↑ "Artist Profile: Poppy Melia". Visual Artists Ireland Directory. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Poppy Melia Gallery Feature". Resurgence & Ecologist. No. 319. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ Arnold, Bruce (1990). "Exhibition Highlights". Irish Independent.
- ↑ MacAvock, Desmond (1990). "Art Review: Dublin Exhibitions". The Irish Times.
- ↑ "Fale and Passion Fruit (1991) by Poppy Melia". Whyte's Fine Art Auctioneers. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ "A Mother's Legacy: Pauline Bewick and Poppy Melia". The Kerryman. October 2025.