Greg Long, visual artist, Ireland

I am working on another painting from Connemara. It still needs work as I am not happy with the foreground. I am also working on another landscape, this one of the river sheen in west Cork. It is in the middle of it's fourth rework from the original plein air study.

I took time off to fish the last few days of the trout fishing season, so I am only just back into my studio today. I will, I hope, rework the foreground on the Connemara painting tomorrow and Saturday, as I am almost satisfied with the river sheen painting. I am looking at it now, I see one small adjustment to the waterfall that is needed to correct what is actually an optical illusion within angles of the fall of the water. It has taken a while to see where the 'problem' is, although I knew it was there somewhere, but it is not obvious, even to my eye.

Now as to the fishing, you will see by the photograph of lough Sheelin, conditions did not suit the fishing. However I did manage to catch a few even in the sweltering sunshine with no cloud or breeze. It was great to have such warm bright weather so late in the year too, it will shorten the winter, and we had a very relaxing couple of days on the water.... just look at Noel.....

There is more to fishing than just catching fish... and you will notice this is towards the evening by the low sun shadows and Noel wearing his coat against the coming evening chill...