Castlederg brothers on passion for painting

When it comes to portraying the familiar sites and faces of Co Tyrone and beyond, there’s no challenge too big for Castlederg-based twin brothers Brad and Barry Mulhern.

Using acrylic paints on canvas, the 24-year-old brothers have produced an incredible body of work, both individually and collectively. Having grown up together in Drumquin, Brad explained that it was their grandfather who inspired them to get creative from a young age.

“We were always quite creative in our childhood,” he explained.

“Our grandfather used to put old cereal boxes out on the kitchen table for us to draw pictures on.”

However, it wasn’t until they studied art in the Sacred Heart College in Omagh that their love of painting blossomed.

“We always loved taking photos,” said Brad. “But never picked up the paint brush until we were in school.

“Since then, we have both been passionate about painting, both working individually and together on recreating our favourite photos, or taking on a wide range of commissioned work.”

Barry further explained the influence that photography has on their work.

“For our own art, we take photos of scenery, animals and people mostly and paint them on either canvas or ply wood.

“We also advertise commissioned work on social media, offering landscapes, family portraits, anything really…

“If anyone is interested in a commission, all they have to do is supply an image or an idea. Or if it’s of a specific scene, we can go and take a photo ourselves and recreate it from there.

“We work with acrylic paint, so it dries fast and is easy to edit, allowing us to ensure that our customers are happy with the final product.”

The talented brothers also offer high quality prints of much of their work.

“Limited edition prints and commissions are good for us,” explained Barry.

“With anything between 250 and 400 copies printed at a time, we have plenty of prints for sale.”

Having always had a passion for art, it has only been in recent years that the Mulhern brothers established a business.

“We both went to University at Magee in Derry to study computer engineering,” explained Brad.

“Unfortunately, that was during Covid-19, and due to lockdown, we didn’t get to take part in our placement year.

“So we truly rediscovered our love for art again and set up a social media page to start promoting our work.”

One particular commission that the brothers took great pride in was a portrait of the late priest, Fr Kevin Mullan of Drumquin.

“Everyone in the Drumquin parish and beyond thought very highly of Fr Mullan,” said Barry.

“He carried out our First Holy Communion and Confirmation when we were at St Joseph’s Primary School, so to have his portrait donated and displayed at the chapel was a wonderful opportunity.”

The twins attended this year’s Omagh Show showcasing their work and offer potential customers a bit more insight to their art.

“It’s always nice when customers get to meet the artist face to face, and if they’re not happy with their painting, we are more than happy to carry out improvements, as no painting is ever the same.”

For more information on the Mulhern brothers work you can visit www.mulhernbrothers.com