Though J.P. Donleavy is best known for novels such as The Ginger Man, the acclaimed Irish-American author has also put vibrant watercolors to paper, a skill he’ll be displaying at an upcoming show in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Donleavy’s works have been compared to Raoul Dufy and Matisse and he considers both expressions to be an important part of who he is. “I have always done both,” the artist told Vanity Fair as he prepares for his show at the Pierre Menard Gallery. After being inspired by the rule-breaking explosive work of Jack Yeats while studying at Trinity College Dublin, Donleavy first picked up a paintbrush and has since fallen in love with watercolors. “They allow me to execute the paintings more quickly,” he says of the material. “I do everything with a degree of speed. I write quickly and so I paint quickly.”
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