Background

Ronan McSorley is a visual artist based in Philadelphia, PA. He was born in the North of Ireland in the 1980s and later trained as a Clinical Psychologist in London. Over the course of his clinical career, he worked extensively with individuals whose experiences are often pathologized and rarely understood. For many years, he ran a private therapy practice, helping people heal from the wounds of childhood trauma. Although he no longer works as a therapist, his artistic practice continues to be shaped by his years of experience supporting others.

Ronan works primarily in oil on linen and linocut on paper, depicting anonymous strangers from bygone eras. His process begins with the careful selection of overlooked images such as old snapshots, historical documents and fragments of forgotten film. He distills each image to its essential elements, drawing out the psychological undercurrents embedded within. Through deliberate cropping, reimagined color and layering fragments from multiple sources, the images take on a new form. The portraits that emerge carry a deep emotional charge and often develop a haunting, almost spectral presence.

Ronan recently relocated to Philadelphia, where he has exhibited his work at Off the Wall at Dirty Frank’s and the Philadelphia Sketch Club. His work is held in private collections in Ireland, England, and throughout the United States.