“I like the idea of seeing nature by itself in its own form.  I feel very comfortable with nature when I take hikes and walks wherever I am visiting or residing. I’ve been to a place that’s very similar to Venice, Italy, when I went on vacation with my mom in Las Vegas. Cardiff is where I was born, and I visited that place in the late 70’s, when my family was leaving South Africa.

 

I feel more in control of my life and my emotions when I make a piece of artwork. If there is too much tension, I paint and draw while listening to natural music, sounds of the ocean, and Enya.

 

I am a learning disabled individual and have been since birth. I’ve been independent since age 14, and have been a self advocate for 15 years. I have been coming to the Center for Creative Works for five years.” – TO

 

Timothy O’Donovan (b. 1964) has worked in a variety of mediums and methods including graphite, watercolor, pen and ink, ceramics, pencil crayon, and intaglio printmaking.  He has a diverse range of image making, from geometric abstractions to representational renderings of famous architecture.  His primary focus currently is landscape, capturing both places he has traveled to and places he has heard of. O’Donovan has travelled the world many times with his family, and lived in Colorado, New Orleans, South Africa, New Zealand, and Wales.

 

Before he became an artist, O’Donovan worked at a vocational training center in New Orleans as a custodian, and at a restaurant as a cashier and dishwasher. He began working at Lower Merion Vocational Center as a clerical worker and custodian, and when LMVTC transitioned into Center for Creative Works in 2011 he started creating artwork for the first time. Starting with abstractions in pencil crayon, O’Donovan developed his rendering skills over a few years with different materials. His geometric abstractions are the result of his meticulous draftsmanship.  This exercise in image making has had a tremendous impact on his approach and execution of his architectural and landscapes renderings. O’Donovan began focusing on landscape in 2012.

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O'Donovan's work has been exhibited at Arcadia University (Gladwyne, PA), Crawford Gallery (Cork, Ireland), ArtYard (Frenchtown, NJ), Haverford College (Haverford, PA) and Moore College of Art and Design (Philadelphia, PA) 

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In 2017, O'Donovan recorded a full-length album of spoken word performances and the first four sections of his autobiography, which can be downloaded here: 

https://poppoppoprecords.bandcamp.com/album/my-personal-life-story-volume-1

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