by Taylor Collins • photos by Nia Martin

If you have ever seen the film What Dreams May Come starring the legendary Robin Williams, then you’ll know the scene in which Williams’ character is rolling around with his dog in a field of paint. It’s a moment of awe in experiencing the color and beauty surrounding him. Standing in Cormac McCarthy’s Whidbey Island art gallery is akin to finding yourself in that field of paint—immersed in a world of vibrant color and moods, city and natural landscapes, all while in the presence of an amiable Irishman. 

McCarthy paints scenes which transport us to majestic underwater worlds filled with seals, take us on autumnal evening walks down lit lanes, and lead us to fields of flowers in which we can experience for just a moment the expansiveness and beauty of our planet. McCarthy is a painter who creates moments—moments that inspire joy, gratitude, and reflection. 

McCarthy spent his childhood in County Kerry, Ireland surrounded by a large family, the Atlantic Ocean, and a love of anything creative. “I was interested in just creating. It wasn’t just painting. It was clay, it was collage, it was whatever I could get my hands on. At a very young age, I could sit down and spend hours tinkering away and drawing and coloring. It was my solace, my quiet time, my peace.” 

He said it would take me 15 years before I would be selling my artwork, and if I was one of the lucky few, over 20 years before I started making a small amount of money as a painter.

He followed this passion to the Limerick School of Art and Design where he wanted to experience painting, fashion, sculpture, ceramics, and print making, all of the disciplines offered during that first year of art college. However, when it came time to choose his discipline of study, his college advisor encouraged McCarthy in a different direction. “He sat me down and said, ‘Cormac, would you like a car when you’re older? Would you like nice clothes? Would you like a house?’ I said, ‘yes.’ He told me I needed to do graphic design. He said it would take me 15 years before I would be selling my artwork, and if I was one of the lucky few, over 20 years before I started making a small amount of money as a painter. So, I pursued a degree in graphic design, marketing, and advertising.” 

Upon entering the workforce after graduation, McCarthy soon discovered the world of graphic design did not align with his desire to spend more time on each piece of art and create something beautiful and meaningful. He knew instantly this wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life. He’d spent summers teaching students at the local elementary school where his father was the principal, and his father encouraged him to go back to school to get his masters degree in elementary and middle school education. After attending Hibernia College in Dublin for his teaching degree, McCarthy proceeded to spend the next 15 years in the classroom. 

It was during those teaching years that McCarthy met his wife Sarah—simply by chance one day at a beach in Nice, France—falling in love with the Whidbey-ite and returning with her to the states. They eventually settled on Whidbey Island in 2000, with Sarah, a local attorney, giving birth to their three daughters, and McCarthy continuing to teach while using paint and art as his therapy. “When the pressures and stresses of what is an incredibly difficult job got to me, I would paint. When painting, nothing else existed in the world except me and that canvas and the music in my ears. The stresses, the pressures, the anxieties just didn’t exist, and I wanted to make that my life.” In 2019, McCarthy became a resident artist at the Clinton gallery of Whidbey Island painter Louie Rochon, with Rochon becoming McCarthy’s mentor shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic began. With the need for social distancing, McCarthy moved his painting and work into a small space in his home, rising each day at 4 a.m., eager to create moments on canvas. 

“I love color contrast. I love creating joyful pieces. I love painting nature, the contradiction of painting cityscapes versus the organic world, and the vanishing points and perspective. I love creating beautiful compositions while testing myself and doing things I am uncomfortable doing.” For McCarthy, this includes putting down the paintbrush and trying his hand at the palette knife. “I didn’t even know what it was. I barely knew its name, but that was a huge change in my career. I was good with paint brushes, but there seemed to be something special when I picked up a palette knife.” 

“When I paint, I’m right there. I’m in those places. That’s why I can create the mood, because I feel it. It’s a massive comfort for me to be in those spaces… It’s so beautiful.”

Even while small businesses were struggling and job loss was abundant during the pandemic, McCarthy’s career began to flourish. “People were home and in their houses, and everyone wanted to renovate, so people all over started renovating and all of a sudden they had blank walls.” Serendipitously, the space where McCarthy’s current gallery stands suddenly became available for rent—directly across the road from Rochon’s own gallery. With two months’ rent in his pocket, McCarthy signed a two-year lease and hung twelve paintings in his gallery. During his grand opening, 11 pieces sold, almost emptying his gallery. “It was like a message from God, the universe, or whatever—a little pat on the back saying, ‘yes, I’m doing this. This might actually work.’” 

McCarthy’s career continues to thrive not only locally, but nationally and globally as well. So does his love for creating moments in his work. “When I paint, I’m right there. I’m in those places. That’s why I can create the mood, because I feel it. It’s a massive comfort for me to be in those spaces. My aim is to show those moments in time when you walk around the bend, and you capture that absolute beauty of nature. It catches your breath in your mouth. It’s so beautiful.”

McCarthy recognizes the importance of encouraging others to pursue a creative path and is always willing to support and advise younger artists, helping them explore their talent and learn about the complexities of the art business. Viewers interested in seeing McCarthy’s art on display can visit his Clinton gallery as well as his website, which showcases many of his current paintings, www.cormacpaints.art. He also documents his artistic process and his work on his social media accounts: Instagram @cormac.mccarthy.art, Facebook Cormac McCarthy Fine Arts, and Pinterest Cormac McCarthy Fine Art.