Ciara McAvoy - Biography

An illustration artist who can paint or portray any subject with equal skill and ease, Ciara McAvoy began her study and interest in art as a small child, when she exhibited extraordinary talent. She was inspired by her French grandfather, a pre-WWII portrait artist who made his name in Montmartre. Her interest in movie subject matter ignited the first time she saw a Star Wars film.

Influenced by notable movie poster artists Amsel, Drew Struzan, John Alvin, the brothers Hildebrandt, and Tom Jung, she has built her industry reputation for hand-painted, realistic concept art and pre-production art. Ciara's modus operandi: photorealism applied to movie posters.

She works almost exclusively in oils for her movie posters. However, she has built a broad repertoire of skills in other media (acrylic, watercolor, graphite, charcoal, and pastels) as well as storyboarding, animation, character design, and matte painting. She studied at L'École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, where she obtained her Diplôme Supérieur d'Art Plastique (D.S.A.P). Later, she expanded her artistic skill set to include costume design and historical fashion, which now play an integral supporting role in her posters and illustrations.

She is the top female movie illustrator in the industry, and is very successful in a business dominated by men.

Ciara McAvoy embraces the mystical, the iconic, and the archetypal from her interest and knowledge of literature and history to create one underlying visual message. She creates compelling images that inspire current and, she hopes, future moviegoers and film art fans.