A work in progress.. Clontarf

These first two images are photos of the sea-front in Clontarf. They are in effect part of my referrences. The first painted image can be seen to follow the first photograph quite closely. (this is because the photo was framed to follow my main plan for the work) The second image is of the Cordyline foliage in beds along the front, and the third image is of other beds with palms, which suffered badly last winter.

The next three images are of the work in progress. I started by blocking in the old power station, and the foliage, along with a lamp-post. The background has been built up with layers of thick oil paint, and the white rings have been painted over the red of the chimneys. I added spirals into the foliage of the tree on the left. After ruminating for a while, mainly when the paint was curing, I decided the foliage needed to be less heavy. I made it much more stylised, allowing the sky to come through. I continued the same effect in the lower foliage, and brought the low sea-front wall into the painting. The third image has more work done both in the foreground, and on the lampost.

I don't think I am nearly finished yet, but the newer layers need to dry. While this happens I will study the work further and re-work it my imagination.

October light, Clontarf.

'October light, Clontarf.' oil on canvas; 30" by 15"

I have just finished a commissioned painting. Now I can go back to work to finish another for a group exhibition in North Dublin next month. I need to send my list of works in next week, so I'll need to have it finished, or nearly so, before then.

The painting illustrated is an earlier work, which I am sending to the same exhibition. It is a Plein air view of Howth Head from Clontarf, executed in oil paints with a painting knife. I want to combine it with my sea-bass painting (shown earlier) and the view of the pigeon-house that I am currently working on. I will endeavour to post the third work after the weekend, or if all goes well, before it.

Some landscape painting again..

My fish painting has come to a stop for a while. I have completed a couple of small landscape works this week for one of my galleries. They seem to be popular with some buyers at the moment. Possibly because they are small and affordable, they are only small studies so their price-point is lower than more finished and complicated pieces. I enjoy painting them at times, it is nice to be able to just paint what is in front of you, and by the time you start looking for the little details they are finished. Most of them are only 10" by 8", and sometimes I paint them 12" by 10". These sizes leave very little room for detail, so I can work quite loosely and freely. I have mislaid my camera so I have no images of the current work, these are two of an earlier trip... my phone cannot capture such small works, it doesn't have a facility for close-ups. I think I may have to invest in a new camera, unless we left it up in Sligo it seems to have vanished into thin air..???

These are painted with a knife which suits small works of large spaces. I'm off to Sligo this afternoon, for a final look for the aforementioned camera in the cottage and caravan. If I don't have any luck there it will be off to the camera shop I think.

Finn Eces' salmon revisited.

I have used this theme before in my work, relatively recently in both paint (both in 2008) and a lino-cut print

still available. This newest creation is more abstracted. It is a painting following on from my two recent works, with use of thick impasto planes. I have used the prehistoric symbol for water across the top, (as in my award winning "Danube" Ex-Libris, and the most recent trout painting) and the background plane is built up within spirals and chevrons, all decorative elements of prehistoric artifacts. This built up layer is then carved with slashes in the paint naming the piece (for the true scholars out there, I know the ogham should read in the opposite direction.) Bradán Feasa, the Salmon of Knowledge. The Salmon itself originally was blocked in using similar colours to the background, silver/blue/green. I changed my mind however after considering the image for a while. As an angler I know that salmon turn dark red and brown after a period in the river. This salmon had eaten nine hazel-nuts from the tree of knowledge, therefor it would be autumn and the salmon would be dark red. I have left my thumb-print in the paint on the fishes gill-plate in reference to Fionn Mac Cumhaill's burn thumb. The colour of the fish can also be representative of the cooking process so a thumbprint would not be out of place in the narative.

Further work on my two fish paintings

Well, I reworked the water in this one a little. I think I may leave it now.

The second work has been reworked extensively, without the silver foil though. I am quite happy with this one as it is, and I have even signed off on it. Always a sign that I know I have done enough.

I am going off to lough Sheelin tomorrow, hopefully I'll catch another trout to use for further pieces along the lines of this one. That's my excuse anyway. ;)

Playtime in the studio... anything to get out of the clean-up.

I started a studio clear-out with interesting results. Those that know me will know I hate tidying.

I reworked an old landscape/seascape study I had laying around in the studio. I painted a sea-bass over part of the seascape, turning the work into a painting of a fish rather than the original intended work. I then painted the remaining sections with thick impasto colour, applied with a knife as a flat surface. The landscape/seascape was too weak to make a good painting, but it made an interesting back-drop for the Bass painting. I may still rework the foreground area, I feel it needs to be flattened more (It is actually flatter in colour and tone than the photograph).

I also reworked a quick trout study with the same thick flat paint technique, carving the prehistoric symbols for water through the paint. This is still experimental. I am going to rework this, in blue and steel grey rather than the green and earth tones. I have used these to give me a contrasting background before building up another layer or two, in which I intend to allow some under painting to bleed through.

These are canvases that I did not intend to continue with, so I can happily experiment with them. I am going to look for some silver foil for the second piece, to work into the surface, I have gold leaf in the studio but no silver. I will happily play with this one for a while. Why not? I'm having some fun... ...but it will have to wait unti Monday.

A Virtual Art Exhibition.

Our virtual exhibition via facebook is now on. See it here You will probably recognise Dubh..

I am now home from my fishing duties, tired but ready to paint, I started painting today but had to give up and tidy up the studio a bit first, the chaos was getting to me. It is still not finished but I'm getting there.

Early September, Autumn is here.

September has arrived. I will be absent for much of this month, I am just back from the lakes of Killarney where I fished as part of the Leinster team in the Interprovincial fly fishing championships. While I failed to make the top ten anglers I did do better than most, managing to weigh in four fish over the size limit. I had a pleasant day fishing though, much thanks to my boat partner Terence Keane, and our boatman/gillie Tommy O'Loughlin, who, coincidently, is a brother of my Autumn International team-mate Seamus, both of whom kept up witty banter all day. I managed to whitewash Terence (who was on his home water) 4-0 which makes me look a little better too. (Sorry Terence) Lough Leane (lower lake, Killarney) is a beautiful lake, surrounded by Killarney National Park. We set off for the day from under Ross Castle and much of the time it was hard to concentrate on the fishing instead of the scenery.

I travel to Grafham water in 12 days time so painting will be out between now and then. I need to finish a few jobs and ensure everything that should be done before I go is done, business wise. I also need to finish my fly-tying and other research and make sure I have every eventuality covered including spares of all important items for the trip itself.

two black babies...

What is Dubh waiting for? Could it be next months Virtual Exhibition on Facebook? I have just finished the painting I was working on for the show.

Or is She looking at Eoin's new baby (car)? Which has managed to sneek into the photo, while my van is relegated to on-street parking.

I took Eoin out in his car this afternoon, or should I say he took me (He needs a qualified driver with him until he passes his test) Now instead of being Dad's Taxi, I am Eoin's passenger... whether he needs to get from A to B or not, he needs driving practice.

Dubh is not amused. Dog's are not allowed in Eoin's car so she gets left behind, even though she is the same colour and believes it is tailor made for her.

Fishing, Painting, Building and Buying... and Blogging

I have been very busy recently. I've done a little bit of painting, but mainly some more work on the cottage in Sligo. Along with that I have been organising bits and pieces for next month. I have the Interprovincial championships (& Ireland team qualifier) in Killarney this weekend. So I have been tying up a few troutflies.
I hope be going to the opening of the AITO exhibition in Enniscorthy next week, then I travel to Cambridgeshire in England for the International trout fly competition as part of the Irish team.
Because of this my blog has been a little neglected.. sorry. On the other front I have had a couple of sales recently, so I'm a little happier with the costs of all my fishing trips. I bought my son Eoin a car for his birthday this week, it's not new but it is a car I know and it is well looked after with little mileage. I also managed to get a reasonable quote on his first years insurance... well there is no point buying him a car without insuring it for him ;) Students don't have a lot of money to spare.