Conor Mccreedy

Personal life

Mccreedy was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1987. His father is of French-Irish Ancestry, and his mother South African. Mccreedy recalls painting at age four using his mother's makeup brush and coffee grounds. Later in his youth he became a fashion model, working for fashion houses including Calvin Klein. He also attended Hilton College. In 2006, Mccreedy earned a golf scholarship to attend Barton College in North Carolina. Mccreedy dropped out of art school at the Pratt Institute in New York City to pursue an independent art career in 2007. In 2013, the SA Style Awards named Mccreedy the "Most Stylish Business Personality" in South Africa. In 2014 Mccreedy was one of the most followed South Africans on Twitter and he has been listed as one of Forbes 30 Under 30.

Career

After dropping out of college, Mccreedy began selling his artwork on the streets of Union Square in New York City. After marketing manager Mick Rock noticed Mccreedy's work in a gallery, he urged him to talk to Aldon James Jr., the President of the National Arts Club, a private club. Mccreedy held his first solo exhibition here, titled Outliers, making him the youngest artist to have had a solo exhibition at the venue. The exhibition was composed of wildlife photography that he took in South Africa and African safari influenced paintings. His one previous exhibition was at the David Brown Fine Art Gallery in Johannesburg.

In 2011, he was commissioned by Time Warner to paint a version of its logo for a launch party using his "Mccreedy Blue" color. The color, used in all of his paintings, is a secret combinations of five different blue pigments. In 2012 he produced the "African Ocean" exhibition at the Charles Bank Gallery, as a part of the Witness Hilton Arts Festival at Hilton College, and Selected Works, 2006–2012, at the Ernie Els’ Estate in Stellenbosch In 2013 he was a part of a group show at the Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg. Commissions of Mccreedy’s work include murals painted in private New York City establishments such as the Soho House Hotel and the penthouse of the Bowery Hotel. In 2014 he had a solo exhibition at Gallery Proarta.

In 2014, Bloomberg L.P. Markets TV conducted an interview and described Mccreedy as the next luxury brand.

In 2015 his new work formed the exhibition Mccreedyblue, held in Hong Kong, China at the Cat Street Gallery. He also held solo exhibitions in Zurich and Palm Beach. John Cole-Morgan of the South African stated of his Hong Kong exhibition that Mccreedy's work was "powerful, dynamic and genuinely hypnotic".

Artwork

Mccreedy’s work was described by Amber Genuske in the Huffington Post as showing "fluid motion" and "expressionistic creation." He has stated in several interviews that Pablo Picasso is one of his largest influences. Some of his pieces have been inspired by former South African president Nelson Mandela and the end of Apartheid in South Africa. In June 2013, pieces of Mccreedy's artwork were stolen from a gallery in New York City. Among the stolen pieces was a portrait of Nelson Mandela. His first Asian solo exhibition was opened in 2015. His paintings have sold for up to $150,000 USD.

Mccreedy's "Mcreedyblue" is a combination of five blue pigments. Art critics have described it as having an "unspeakable effect".

Furnishings

Mccreedy has also designed a series of bedroom furnishings called "My Blue Heaven" with Bernarda Beds, which Mccreedy describes as "Bed as Art", which feature his Mccreedy blue colors on their traditional white background. He has also produced other items, including tables. They are sold under the luxury brand (stylized as CONORMCCREEDY), a company for which Mccreedy serves as the Founder and Creative Director . Works produced by the company have included some integrated natural glow pigments, created by infusing phosphor into Mccreedy's pigments.