Laura Jane Phelan is an Irish artist with over a decade of experience across art direction, animation, publishing and graphic design. Before focusing fully on her own practice, she worked with well known names including BBC, Disney, and Warhammer, building a strong foundation in storytelling, colour, and visual communication.

Her background in animation sparked a lifelong love of colour, mood, and visual storytelling, something that continues to shape the creative direction of LJ Phelan Artshop today. Her work reimagines Irish skylines and coastlines in a bold, uplifting way, creating prints that feel familiar, comforting, and full of atmosphere.

As the newest Artist in Residence at Ardgillan Castle, Laura Jane is stepping outside her digital comfort zone and into traditional acrylic painting. Her digital work still plays a big role in how she responds to new places, often acting as a first step to block out and plan a piece before moving into paint. To mark the beginning of her residency, she created a new Ardgillan inspired print titled ‘Take a Seat’, a piece that sets the tone for the work ahead.

She is currently developing a new body of work for her first solo exhibition, which will run in the gallery at Ardgillan Castle for the full month of May 2026. The exhibition brings her bold digital style off screen and onto canvas, keeping the colour, atmosphere, and graphic simplicity she’s known for, just in paint!