Terry Bradley
Encyclopedia
Terry Bradley is an artist from Northern Ireland
.His early life was spent growing up just off the notorious Shankill Road where his mother tried to keep him inside and away from the “Troubles”
outside their front door. Bradley found a form of escapism reading Herge’s Adventures of Tin Tin
and his work is still influenced by the black lines of the vivid drawings that illustrated the collection of books that he gradually acquired. He also spent hours in the attic room of his house listening to the then new pirate radio station Radio Luxembourg
and imagined his travels and the exotic world beyond the realities of Belfast
in the 1970’s. From an early age Bradley discovered that drawing calmed his nerves and that he could lose himself in the complexities of observing people and then recreating them on paper.After he moved out of Belfast in the late 70’s, Bradley entered a large comprehensive secondary school and was instantly an outsider. Art
and English
were his best subjects and the rest of his time was spent staying out of trouble. Art was never mentioned to him as a possible career, and his next move was to one of the large factories on Belfast’s outskirts. Bradley knew that this was not for him, and with absolutely no experience or history between them, Terry and his two brothers set up and ran a factory of their own. They manufactured and exported full lead mouth blown crystal and set out to compete with the leading crystal manufacturers of the day. With orders coming thick and fast the young Bradleys were doing extremely well until a combination of cash flow, high rent and wages meant the company had to close its doors after four years. Terry then turned to his interest in art and fashion
. Always having an eye for the aesthetic, Terry opened his own clothes shop in the trendy university area of the city. Called “Retro” the shop was soon a leader in fashion for the clothes conscious of Belfast. Terry’s was the first shop to stock Red or Dead
shoes and he had a regular Saturday DJ playing in the tiny outlet. He sold hand painted jeans and one-off shirts and jackets that he imported from all over the world.A few years later and Terry needed a new direction, the shop was not fulfilling the creative side of him and he moved to Dublin in 1989. Bradley initially started modelling
clothes for friends to make ends meet. During this time however, he was busy painting and drawing in his spare time. He found it was how he relaxed, and how he escaped from the pressures of his everyday life. A chance conversation with John Reynolds, the owner of the famous POD club in Dublin, lead to Bradley’s first solo art exhibition
. The night was a huge success and Terry started to make some money from the one thing that had stayed with him all his life.During the following years he has gradually become more comfortable with the title of “artist”
and his work has gone from strength to strength. He now exhibits in Dublin, Belfast
, London
and Spain
and is planning his first solo exhibition for the USA
later this year. His natural aversion to the establishment has made it difficult for him to fit into a typical art gallery
mould, and he still likes to exhibit in the bars and clubs that he feels most at home in. He sells his work all around the world and his art has been used by Nokia
for the cover of a limited edition mobile phone.Bradley has now reached a place in his life that he is comfortable with. He is able to paint full time and explore the voyeuristic side of his nature that he first discovered as a child observing the dangerous world around him. His work mostly centres on strong women and ex-models from Dublin, and more recently Paris
. His latest work is inspired by the era of the Belle Époque
in France
and the contrasts and similarities with the Burlesque
dancers of New York. He has also recently started exploring the colourful characters from the Belfast dockland area known as Sailortown. At its heyday 100 years ago, the dock workers were famous around the world for their hard drinking and hard working attitude. Bradley finds that these paintings now balance the world of burlesque women that he paints.
Bradley is married with three children and lives and works in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.His early life was spent growing up just off the notorious Shankill Road where his mother tried to keep him inside and away from the “Troubles”
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
outside their front door. Bradley found a form of escapism reading Herge’s Adventures of Tin Tin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
and his work is still influenced by the black lines of the vivid drawings that illustrated the collection of books that he gradually acquired. He also spent hours in the attic room of his house listening to the then new pirate radio station Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
and imagined his travels and the exotic world beyond the realities of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in the 1970’s. From an early age Bradley discovered that drawing calmed his nerves and that he could lose himself in the complexities of observing people and then recreating them on paper.After he moved out of Belfast in the late 70’s, Bradley entered a large comprehensive secondary school and was instantly an outsider. Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
were his best subjects and the rest of his time was spent staying out of trouble. Art was never mentioned to him as a possible career, and his next move was to one of the large factories on Belfast’s outskirts. Bradley knew that this was not for him, and with absolutely no experience or history between them, Terry and his two brothers set up and ran a factory of their own. They manufactured and exported full lead mouth blown crystal and set out to compete with the leading crystal manufacturers of the day. With orders coming thick and fast the young Bradleys were doing extremely well until a combination of cash flow, high rent and wages meant the company had to close its doors after four years. Terry then turned to his interest in art and fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
. Always having an eye for the aesthetic, Terry opened his own clothes shop in the trendy university area of the city. Called “Retro” the shop was soon a leader in fashion for the clothes conscious of Belfast. Terry’s was the first shop to stock Red or Dead
Red or Dead
Red or Dead is a fashion designer and manufacturer, started in London in 1982 by Wayne Hemingway and his wife Geraldine Hemingway. They manufacture products such as shoes, spectacles, bags and watches.- Brand name :...
shoes and he had a regular Saturday DJ playing in the tiny outlet. He sold hand painted jeans and one-off shirts and jackets that he imported from all over the world.A few years later and Terry needed a new direction, the shop was not fulfilling the creative side of him and he moved to Dublin in 1989. Bradley initially started modelling
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
clothes for friends to make ends meet. During this time however, he was busy painting and drawing in his spare time. He found it was how he relaxed, and how he escaped from the pressures of his everyday life. A chance conversation with John Reynolds, the owner of the famous POD club in Dublin, lead to Bradley’s first solo art exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
. The night was a huge success and Terry started to make some money from the one thing that had stayed with him all his life.During the following years he has gradually become more comfortable with the title of “artist”
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and his work has gone from strength to strength. He now exhibits in Dublin, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and is planning his first solo exhibition for the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
later this year. His natural aversion to the establishment has made it difficult for him to fit into a typical art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
mould, and he still likes to exhibit in the bars and clubs that he feels most at home in. He sells his work all around the world and his art has been used by Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
for the cover of a limited edition mobile phone.Bradley has now reached a place in his life that he is comfortable with. He is able to paint full time and explore the voyeuristic side of his nature that he first discovered as a child observing the dangerous world around him. His work mostly centres on strong women and ex-models from Dublin, and more recently Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His latest work is inspired by the era of the Belle Époque
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the contrasts and similarities with the Burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
dancers of New York. He has also recently started exploring the colourful characters from the Belfast dockland area known as Sailortown. At its heyday 100 years ago, the dock workers were famous around the world for their hard drinking and hard working attitude. Bradley finds that these paintings now balance the world of burlesque women that he paints.
Bradley is married with three children and lives and works in Northern Ireland.