James O'Connor was born in Dublin in 1945 and studied at the National College of Art and Design from 1973 to 1976. Following his studies he moved to Munich, Germany in 1977, where he still lives and works.
James O'Connor's work is resolutely abstract, and his drawings and paintings on paper, canvas and wood panels are focused on investigating surface, line and texture. From earlier paintings on cross and T-shaped supports, often worn or torn into irregular shapes, O'Connor's paintings have become more pared-down, using linear forms to describe both man made structures and organic forms. The forest is a recurring motif in his work, often echoed in his preferred vertical format and use of stark vertical and angular marks.
James O'Connor has worked as a painting tutor at both the National College of Art and Design, Dublin and the Volkshochschule München, Germany and has exhibited his work in various group exhibitions in Ireland and internationally.
Group shows include exhibitions with EVA, Limerick; Lavit Gallery, Cork; B4A Gallery, New York; Galerie Médiart, Paris. He has also had solo exhibitions at Marquardt Ausstellungen, Munich; Galerie Epikur, Wuppertal; Galerie A.O. Müller, Cologne; and Lad Lane Gallery, Dublin. James O'Connor's work is included in the public collections of Bank of Ireland, Gordon Lambert, Boyle Civic Collection in Roscommon, MGM Media Group and Stadtsparkasse in Munich.