Marion O'Shea
Marion O’Shea was born in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia, in 1944.
With the exception of art taught in primary school, Marion has had no formal art training and has never attended a workshop. She began drawing and painting in watercolour at an early age, while growing up on Magnetic Island where she sold paintings of the Island to tourists.
Extensive travel, during her working life, both in Australia and overseas developed her love of the many land and seascapes she had visited and when she retired early at 54 she revisited her childhood passion to paint and continues with enthusiasm.
 Marion held her first solo exhibition at Christopher’s Gallery in 2001 with 81 individual works completed in eighteen months. It was a successful opening and Marion has now completed around 400 paintings with 85% sold.
Most of her clients have more than one of her works and they hang in private homes in every Australian state and overseas in homes in England, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, China, India, South Africa, America, Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Sweden and Mexico.
Marion has also played a part in community art. From 2001 to 2009 she guided the financial well being of the Townsville Art Society, first as treasurer and then financial advisor. She also became interested in coordinating the annual Townsville art awards held at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. She assisted in this position in 2002 and 2003. In 2005 she became the coordinator with Ron Radford, Director of the National Gallery as judge, followed by Margaret Olley AC in 2006, Elizabeth Cross in 2007 and Tony Ellwood, Director of the Queensland Art Gallery in 2008. Along with the role of Financial Advisor and Award Coordinator, Marion became the president of the Townsville Art Society in 2005 and stepped down due to a health scare in 2009.
 During this period she raised the profile of the Society and increased annual prize money for the art awards to over $20 000 from $ 10 000. She also designed the TAS Gallery at the Cat and Fiddle Centre and later the “Art on Kings” Gallery at Kings Road. As president in 2006 she gained a grant from the Federal Government and assistance from the Townsville City Council to open the Del Baldock Memorial Classroom where local artists now teach, groups meet to paint and visiting artists hold workshops.
In recognition of her passion for art in Townsville, Marion received the individual Visual Art Award in 2006 for her contribution to the cultural life of Townsville and in 2008 as president of TAS she received the Visual Art Award on behalf of the Society for the establishment of the Del Baldock Classroom.
 Marion opened the classroom by providing art lessons to Townsville’s seniors for free. She also taught Watercolour Techniques there and today continues to teach senior artists at her home. She has also been joint judge for Kith and Kin’s, disabled artist’s exhibitions in 2008 and 2009 and been a co- judge of the Townsville Wood Turners Townsville Show Exhibition in 2009. Marion has contributed works for Cancer Fund Raisers and continues to assist local artists whenever possible.
Marion paints in watercolour and oil and draws in pen and charcoal. She paints commissions and has completed 15 commissions for Townsville, Brisbane and Melbourne clients in the past 3 years.
Visitors are welcome at her private gallery “Mo's Art” and you can arrange a visit by phoning (07) 47 242 742 for an appointment.
Marion is also a partner in Gallery 6 at 203 Kings Road, Pimlico.
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