CORMAC 
MCCARTHY

Cormac McCarthy is an Irish-born fine artist based on the beautiful Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound of Washington State, where he owns and operates his studio and gallery. Born in Tipperary, Ireland, Cormac has been an obsessive student of art his whole life. 

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He began his postsecondary education at the Limerick Institute of Art and Design in Limerick, Ireland, where he studied graphic design, advertising, and painting, before going on to earn a postgraduate master's degree in education from Hibernia College in Dublin. He then spent fifteen years as an elementary school classroom teacher — beginning in rural Tipperary, continuing in the San Francisco Bay Area, and finally settling on Whidbey Island — before ultimately dedicating himself fully to his first and true love: painting.

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His early years studying graphic design taught Cormac the fundamentals of creating beauty — rich color use, dynamic perspective, deep form, and creative composition — building blocks that are now interwoven throughout his paintings.

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Cormac's art is inspired by the natural world, influenced by his Irish origins and the eloquence of the Pacific Northwest. He strives to capture singular moments in time — moments of pure immersion in nature, when one stumbles across a magical scene that captures the breath, evoking a sense of wonder and majesty. An example of this can be seen in his cityscapes, where he explores the stark contrast between the fabricated world of clean lines and balanced geometry and his beloved nature scenes. 

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Cormac's work has traveled internationally — with pieces living in Portugal, Taiwan, and Ireland — as well as across many states in America. He has been featured in various newspapers, magazines, and podcasts, including the Taiwanese art magazine ARTCO and the Nationalist Newspaper in Ireland, and has shown his work in galleries such as the Yuan Ru Gallery in Bellevue, Washington.

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Cormac's gallery is located at 4777 Commercial Street, Suite A2, Clinton, WA 98236.