Conor Walton was born in Dublin in 1970, and studied in the National College of Art and Design, from which he graduated in 1993 with a Joint Honours Degree in the History of Art and Fine Art (Painting). He received a special commendation and prize for his thesis, 'Abstraction: A Discourse on Language and Painting'.

After reading for an MA in Art History and Theory at the University of Essex, which he was awarded with distinction in 1995 (dissertation subject: 'The Battle of the Ancients and the Moderns'), he spent some time in Florence studying painting and old master techniques with Charles Cecil. He returned to Dublin in 1996, and had his first solo exhibition there in 1999.

Conor now lives and works near Ashford, Co. Wicklow. His fifth solo exhibition, 'Landscape and Still Life', will take place in Dublin at Jorgensen Fine Art in February of 2009.

Awards include:

The Taylor Prize for Painting (1993).
The Don Niccolo D'Ardia Caracciolo RHA Medal (1997).
The Keating McLoughlin Medal (awarded by the ESB, 1997).
Third Prize `Lorenzo Il Magnifico' for Painting at the Florence Biennale (1999).
Fourth Prize, BP Portrait Award 2005 at the National Portrait Gallery, London (2005).
Portrait Ireland 2005 Major Award, Newtownbarry House Gallery (2005).

He also received a scholarship from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Canada, which enabled him to study in Italy.

Works of his are held in the public collections of the Archdiocese of Dublin, the Boyle Civic Collection, Club na Muinteoirí, Dublin Dental Hospital, the Electricity Supply Board, the Irish Defence Forces, Maynooth College, the National Library of Ireland, the National Self-Portrait Collection (University of Limerick), the Office of Public Works, An Post, The Royal Dublin Society, St Patrick's College Cavan, and University College Dublin.