Conor Matthew McCreedy: The Young Prodigy

"All forms of art excite me - creation is my life, I look deep into what I am painting, it's what I feel. I was born to create artworks."

Conor Matthew McCreedy was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 11th, 1987. As a young child, McCreedy was (and still is) known for his natural curiosity and adventurous spirit, resulting in broad interests ranging from golf to animals to art. While attending Hilton College, a boarding school for high school boy in KwaZulu-Natal, McCreedy was rewarded the Kennith Beghin Memorial Prize for Art and took 1st place in the University of Natal Arts Competition, although he was still a high school student.

 After graduating from Hilton College, McCreedy attended school in North Carolina, of all places, on a golf scholarship. However, he quickly realized that his heart didn't lie in the swing of a club, but in the stroke of a paintbrush. In 2007, McCreedy moved to New York City to attend the Pratt Institute of Art Design. At Pratt, McCreedy was able to study under many renowned artists, but this path also proved to be the wrong choice. He eventually dropped out of school, opting instead to sell his art on the streets of New York Union Square. Multiple times McCreedy would go without making a single sale, and was often forced to sleep outside overnight to secure a place to sell before busy mornings. It was during these hard times that McCreedy's business and entrepreneurial skills truly came into play. "By starting on the streets, I was able to surround myself with the right people, people who could open doors,” he once said. “I became friends with college guys who were highly educated but knew little about the real world. We were able to learn different things from each other."


McCreedy is very understanding of the fact that it takes more than simple talent to make it as an artist in the real world. Often without sufficient funds, he would offer a local art store blue-pen sketches in exchange for the supplies he needed (the bartering system worked well for our ancestors, why not take advantage of it?). A chance meeting with an unverified person eventually led to McCreedy's "discovery". His artwork was a big hit, and McCreedy soon became the youngest artist in history to display a solo exhibition at New York's prestigious National Arts Club.

McCreedy feels a very deep connection with South Africa, and likes to portray the country of his birth through his artwork. He spends much of his time exploring South African landscapes, especially rural locations in Botswana. By combining this with inspiration taken from observing the streets of Manhattan, McCreedy is able to combine influences from both cultures into his artwork. McCreedy also uses his artwork to comment on traditional societal beliefs of racial, social, and especially sexual identity. These aspects of life were rigidly cemented into South Africa under apartheid, and McCreedy challenges these beliefs through vivid and fluid paintings.

Artist Conor Matthew McCreedy, age 26

"Walking with the Lions"

"Untitled"

"Blue Secret Angel"

Nelson Mandela portrait

As you can see, various shades of blue dominate McCreedy's paintings. These particular works are from his "African Oceans" exhibit. McCreedy has said that "the raw power and mysterious void of the ocean" is his inspiration for this particular collection. The blue pigment, according to the young artist, conveys a sense of ambiguity.

I personally am very fond of McCreedy's paintings. His "African Ocean" collection is teeming with flowing lines and haunting images hidden within folds of blue. In some of his more abstract paintings, many of the brush strokes seem accidental, yet they come together to form beautifully detailed images. My favorite of his painting is "Blue Secret Angel", posted above. Another great, and more popular work, titled "Falling Angel", can be found online through various web searches. A website dedicated to McCreedy and his work is currently under construction at www.conormccreedy.com. In the future, this website will be available to view multitudes of McCreedy's creations, which are some of the most exclusive and sought-after pieces of art in the world. Also note that the picture featured on the home page of McCreedy's website is "Falling Angel", mentioned above. I highly recommend committing some further research into this rising star, as I'm sure Conor McCreedy will become very significant in the next few years.


"Conor Mccreedy." – Artist, Entrepreneur, and Conservationist – Amazers. Amazers, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

Verduyn, Monique. "Conor Mccreedy." Entrepreneur South Africa. Entrepreneur Magazine, 14 Jan.
2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"Faces of Hope Foundation." Conor McCreedy. Faces of Hope Foundation, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013. <http://facesofhope.co.za/celebrity-support/conor-mccreedy/>.

Genuske, Amber. "Conor Mccreedy's 'African Ocean' Opens In New York (PHOTOS)."The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

Emma Jaynes
Honors English, 2A