Barrack Hill

I can’t believe it’s a month since I have posted on my blog. The time just seems to disappear! This is my latest pen and wash, “Barrack Hill” which is in Ballycotton, where I live. At the lastmoment I decided to put the old water pump in green and I think it works as it tends to pull you  through the picture.What do you think?

Rose of Sharon 2

 

“Rose of Sharon 2” Acrylic on canvas.

I sold this painting today from the easel, I had intended to do a bit more to it but the customer wants it as is, just with the mouse finished.

So much going on in the last few weeks that I have neglected my blog. I had my students exhibition at the start of August, then exhibited my own paintings at the Kilkenny Art Festival, and as from yesterday, have an exhibition of my work, at the Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare, Co Kerry. If anybody is in the area please take a look.

On the way back from Kenmare I called in to Deborah O’Keefe at the Back Lane Gallery Artist Collective, near Scotts Hotel in Killarney. This is a great place to see art from many different artists, including some of my own, and of course Deborahs. A must see if visiting Killarney.

Of course,if you are in the vicinity of the Shanagarry Design Centre,

don’t forget to call in to my studio and say hello.

Kilkenny Art Festival

I am exhibiting at the Kilkenny Art Festival with a fellow artist Catherine Pereira Rodgers at “The High Street Mall” Kilkenny. If you  are in the area or plan to visit the Festival please call in and introduce yourself.

New Painting

I have just finished this painting, acrylic on canvas. I was suffering from artist’s block so my wife said she would set up a composition and I used her idea with a few of my own. Not sure why I put the Robin in but I think he looks ok there, what do you think? I enjoyed doing it so I think I might ask her to suggest some more ideas.

I will be at the Kilkenny Art Festival in August  and would be delighted to see anybody that’s visiting. I am sharing a shop premises with another artist, Catherine Pereira Rodgers, and  will be in the High Street Mall in the centre of Kilkenny.

Ballycotton pen & ink

Another pen and ink, this time from a reference photo of Ballycotton a long time ago, with a few additions of my own , such as the figures and the donkey and cart. This one is on  heavyweight Fabriano watercolour paper which I find a much better surface for the ink than the other papers I have used so far. I am going to take a photo from the same place and do a painting showing the scene in the present time.

Pen & ink again

 

A view of Ballycotton as you enter the village, pen & ink on Bristol board. The ink seems to dry very quickly on this paper, which sometimes results in hard edges where values meet, …..or maybe I have to learn how to use it!

LiveJournal Tags: Ballycotton,pen,ink,bristol board,village,paper

Poppies

Here’s another one ready for the Art Festival.

Cabbages and ?

I have been working towards the Kilkenny Art’s Festival, during which I will be exhibiting with a fellow Artist Catherine Rodgers. I’m trying to decide whether these giant cabbages should have a giant caterpillar or giant cabbage butterfly or to just leave them as is. Any suggestions?

I will also be exhibiting in the Kinsale Art Festival, in Engel and Volkers, Estate Agents, 71 Main St, Kinsale, from the 7th July.

Another pen & ink

This is Cloyne Cathedral, a church badly in need of maintenance. A local group has been formed to raise funds for it’s restoration and I promised a painting them to auction. I felt a pen and ink would be appropriate for an old building like this. What do you think?

WIP Finished

This is the finished version of my last post. As you can see it is framed and mounted and is now hanging on the wall of a pub called “The Inn by the harbour” which is located on the hill just above the house on the top right. Hopefully it will lead to a few sales !

As I said in my last post , I really liked the feel of the ink, so I intend doing a series of images of Ballycotton,both past and present, in black ink.

LiveJournal Tags: Ballycotton,harbour,ink,framed,mounted,pub,hill,series,images

Another work in progress

 

I have used this reference, of Ballycotton Pier long ago,  for paintings before, but I have just discovered the joy of using ink, with a pen and brush and I thought this would be an ideal subject to try it out on. So far I have not been disappointed, it is such fun to use and the results are amazing, I think I have just found my new best friend! As you can see by the original, some of the detail has to be guessed at a bit, the cottage behind the fishermen is still there, as are the houses behind the lifeboat station, which has subsequently been rebuilt.I am glad to say, for the sake of the fishermen, the boats now in the harbour are a major improvement.

Peppers (two ways)

I am working towards an exhibition in the very near future, but still can’t help myself from leaving the main work and experimenting.

I tried these peppers first with pastels (above) and then with Promarker markers, which I bought ages ago but haven’t really tried. I had trouble with them bleeding on paper and didn’t realise you could get special paper for markers, until I saw it online and got some. Any way , here is my effort, which I hope I can improve on…anyone out there using markers, I would welcome some tips.

 

I made a disaster of the green one, I found they all improved a bit when I outlined them with a black liner pen, the shadow is another disaster but is all a learning curve.

Collage

 

Thought some of you might find this interesting. Was messing with Picassa and found out you could create a collage from your photos,,, so here are some of my latest works. Makes a great screensaver!

Damaged goods 2

Reference photo for the damaged painting. As you point out Charlotte very similar  to  Van Goghs painting.

Damaged goods

 

The ref photo for this painting was taken from the back of my house. I was taken by the dark sky against the yellow of the rape field. Finished it on last Saturday  evening and on Sunday morning knocked it off the easel and ended up with two large tears in the canvas. Tried to patch it up with tape on the back and painting over the rips but didn’t really work ,so started it again on another canvas. Will post that when done,…..providing it stays in one piece.

Something a bit different

Acrylic and pen on paper.

A bit different to what I normally do. What do you think?

Bumblebee and Rose

 

 

Acrylic on mountboard.

First time I tried acrylic on mountboard, probably not the best surface to use but it worked in the end. The paint tends to skip quite a lot.

Coloured Pencils

 

Another coloured pencil effort, the inspiration came from a photo on “Wetcanvas”, so I set up my own pencils  as well as using the photo as reference. Not sure if the background works but will keep looking at it until it tells me.

Have put up a new page on Facebook, “Downstairs in Shanagarry Design Centre” .There are 3 artists including myself with working studios, 2 of us are also running classes, so its worth a look and a visit anytime you are in the area.

Sea Shells

“Seashells” Coloured pencil on cartridge paper.

This started off as drawing practice before a class.I started with the oyster shell and then got carried away , putting in the other shells and decided to add some colour. I do love coloured pencil, but it is very time consuming building up the layers.

For the birds

“Puffins”. 7”x5” Acrylic on canvas board.

For reference I used a photo from a friend of mine, DaveEdmunds, http://www.facebook.com/dave.edmunds1

I wish I was as good a photographer as him , because then I would be able to take decent photos of my paintings.

It looks like summer has arrived in Ireland as the weather today is brilliant, sun shining all day, should have got outside painting instead of being stuck in my studio, but at least I did some work.

Why is it that the paintings in your head never seem to get onto the canvas. I conjure up all these wonderful masterpieces in my imagination, but can never remember them when I need to. Hey ho!!!!!!

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