Obviously Seán couldn’t build a time machine and watch each of the Keane fouls as they happened (a man can dream), so it involved a lot of him mining clips for inspiration, watching back the incident and the moments that built up to it while capturing reference images. But, Seán admits that his process “is probably 80 per cent self-doubt and 20 per cent art”, so he can often spend a lot more time musing on a piece before he actually gets started. That is, before it’s time for colour. “Once I pick up the oil pastels, everything changes,” Seán says. “At that point I give myself over to the process and whatever happens, happens. I don’t plan too much because it never turns out the way I imagined anyway, so I just enjoy the process and make decisions in the moment.” The precisely smudged oil strokes of Seán’s pieces give each one a brilliant sense of motion and sporting savagery. If it weren’t for the football strips, crowds and bright green grass, the works could easily be stills from an action flick, freezing Keane mid slap, punch, stomp and dramatic exit from the pitch, as if nonchalantly escaping an explosion.
Now, Seán can officially be summarised as, in his own words, “a 36-year-old man colouring footballers!”. And, to be honest, he couldn’t be happier about it, and for all the people who now have the chance to see his works in person at Hen’s Teeth in September. “Football already means so much to people, so maybe it can be a gateway into art for football fans who might not normally visit an art exhibition,” ends the artist. “I’d love to see more football and art crossing over in Ireland, and if this helps in some small way, that would be brilliant.”
Sent Off will open at Hen’s Teeth, Dublin on 3 September 2026.