Liam Clancy grew up in south Tipperary, in a horsey, farming family. He always had a bit of a flair for drawing and painting, but initially regarded it only as a hobby. He is now based in Laois and hunts “pretty seriously”.
Tell us about your early art days
I used to paint model soldiers – all the little cannons and cavalry and regimental flags. 
Where did you study?
After leaving school, I did a degree in equine studies at Writtle Agricultural College in Essex and I loved every minute of it. There was plenty of money at Writtle, and I began to pick up commissions to paint my fellow students’ gundogs and hunters.
And after that?
I worked as a riding instructor in London and South Africa and had a brief but colourful career as a stunt rider. All that time I was painting and honing my craft, selling a few pieces here and there. By the time I returned to Ireland (just in time for the recession!) my painting was beginning to take over as my chief interest.
What are your passions?
I hunt fairly seriously, and I think that following a good pack of hounds is one of the great experiences this life has to offer. Every hunt comes with its own warm, welcoming community, and genuine community is something that’s becoming harder to find in the Irish countryside. I think that the people who cry to Joe Duffy about hunting might be better off sparing a thought for the isolation and depression and endemic levels of suicide that are the real problems in rural Ireland.
What are your thoughts on modern Ireland?
I have a great old grá for the land, and we hope to retire to a little farm of our own someday. When I was a boy, south Tipperary was still a patchwork of lovely old half-wild farms that were models of biodiversity before ever the term was fashionable. It depresses me to see so many of those farms consolidated into great windy, barren prairies.
Horses and women are my favourite subjects to paint (if I ever write my autobiography, I think I’ll call it Horses & Women). Nearly all my work is commissioned nowadays – lots of equestrian portraiture, big hunting and racing scenes, plus the smaller, quirkier jobs that I’m always happy to take on. I like people, and I enjoy working with the clients and getting inside their heads. I’ve acquired some good American clients in the last year or two, and I will probably be increasingly focused on that market going forward.
What is your artistic process?
I paint in two hour stretches, and go at it hammer and tongs for that time. I always take a break and do something else then before coming back to it, as I find it quite mentally draining. I would aim to sell about 50 original pieces per year.
Accessibility?
My clever wife has been developing a range of beautiful giftware based on my artwork, and although the times that are in it have prevented her from being out and about with her wares as much as she would like, they have been selling well online. I’ve had a very busy past year despite COVID-19 and am looking forward to a break at some stage.
Liam can be contacted on 086-8980 326 on Facebook and Instagram (liamclancyfineart) and a new website is on the way. Prices for commissioned pieces range from €500-€1,500, with limited-edition prints costing from €110-€190.
‘Lots of artists paint cows but I try paint them as realistic as possible’