Collection: Desmond O'Hagan

Desmond O'Hagan was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, and was raised in the United States. He has been professionally painting for 30 years and resides in Denver, Colorado, where he devotes his time to his art in oils and pastels and traveling throughout the world. His time visiting Charleston inspired a series of beautiful paintings reflecting the charm of the historic city.

His paintings have been the subject of feature articles in numerous national and international magazines including American Art Collector, Southwest Art, The Artist Magazine, International Artist, American Artist, United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine, Artists and Illustrators (England), International Artist (Australia), and Gekkan Bijyutsu (Japan). He is also represented in five books. O’Hagan’s art is in public and private collections and museums in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Japan, and China, including the Denver Public Library, Robert and Judi Newman Collection, Museum of Pastel Art (Suzhou, China), Loveland Museum (Loveland, CO), Museum of Saint-Aulaye (France), U.S. Marine Corp (Denver, CO), and Ballard Spahr LLP, (Denver, CO). He teaches workshops nationally and internationally and is represented by galleries in Santa Fe, NM, Denver, CO, and Charleston, SC.

“All art is a form of storytelling, and mine tells the story of interpreting light – a constant element in my paintings. Whether it is the subtle colors of dusk, or a simple stream of light in a dimly lit interior, all these effects motivate me to capture the image on canvas of paper. Throughout the years, I've worked in watercolor, acrylics, charcoal, pen & ink, and monotypes, but my primary focus is oils and pastels. With oils, I enjoy the expressive brush strokes and the way paint can be manipulated on canvas or paper. With pastels, I love the texture, the explosive color, and the bold strokes I can achieve.”  -Desmond O’Hagan