Bridget Galway
www.geocities.com/bkgalway

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Artist's Biography
Although born in Florida in 1954, Galway's family roots in Provincetown began in the 1940's and 50's where her father, author Steven Seley wrote "The Cradle Will Fall" and "Baxter Bernstein, A Soldier of Sorts", and her mother, Joyce Galway - co-owner of   "Sandals by Fitzgerald - often modeled for Hans Hofmann.    When Galway was three years old, her family (mother, step dad- John, and older brother Dennis) moved to the West Village in New York City.     Much of Galway's early exposure to the arts was cultivated there in the bohemian lifestyle of the 50's and 60's.    Moving with her family from New York to Hawaii, then Connecticut and New Jersey, Galway set out on her own in 1971 when she was seventeen, the same year her mother moved back to Provincetown.    The artistic Galway traveled in the United States for five years, returning to Provincetown to live in 1976. She had several short sojourns living elsewhere, including one to Ibiza Spain in 1977 where her father lived the last 18 years of his life.

Galway was already mother to a two-year old son, when she began her formal pursuit of the arts in 1983.    While at the Art Department of UMass Amherst, Galway studied with John Grillo, Lionel Gongora and Hanlyn Davis, received full merit scholarships, a Fine Arts Achievement Award, and graduated in 1989 with a BFA in Painting and Art Education.  

After college, Galway developed the El Arco Iris Youth and Community Arts Center in Holyoke, MA.   The purpose of the Center was to combat the effects of poverty on the youth and families of the four lower wards of Holyoke through art workshops and empowerment projects.   Two notable Center Projects supported through Bridget's fund raising efforts were the Holyoke Murals Project and the Positive Development Photo Project.   With the Murals Project youth interviewed the citizens of their communities to develop concepts for murals that they painted in their respective neighborhoods.   The Positive Development Photo Project taught youth college level photography skills, and gave participants the opportunity to publish their photos and stories in the a Local Spanish Paper.   These projects were close to Bridget's heart, feeling that empowerment of youth through art can not only create an awareness of beauty but a sense of pride in ones cultural identity.   She developed many projects that still continue successfully.

In 1994 Bridget returned to the Cape with her son, Blake, hoping to continue her work with Youth and the Arts however, the opportunities for such work did not materialize.   At that point she decided to again focus on her own creative development as a full time artist, regardless of the financial hardship she was facing.    Finding a year round home for herself and her son in Provincetown took several years.   An important break came in 1999 when she was fortunate enough to be selected by the Community Housing Corporation to rent one of five Affordable Apartment & Studio Units provided for artistic development of Artists in the Provincetown Community.  

Galway's recent body of work evolved from her many experiences from early childhood to present, from the early years living in the west village to returning to Provincetown. Using a variety of media - from oil to inks and collage - Galway's paintings are large in conception, conceived in memory, reflecting strong impressions of people and places that evolved from a bittersweet emotional perspective, it is an on-going resolution responding to experiences both beautiful and painful.   Her moody paintings often depict solitary figures in vivid color or black and white intensity placed on an urban-surreal backdrop.   Her use of bird images, at times symbolize possibilities beyond ones view and other times, hopes carelessly dashed without a moments recollection.

The prices of Bridget's works are available upon request.

"Barret"	"Closing time"

 

"Dias"	"Coney Island"

 

"Figurative"	"From the Garden"

 

"Birds of a Feather"

 

"Good company "	"Montagea"

 

"Mypiktor"	"Nemisis"

 

"Paula"	"Pearl to Swine "

 

"William Buroughs"	"Sonnya"

 

 

"Pauper's Mantle "

 

 

"Ritmoa"

 

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