Toe the line 60x60cm oil on canvas

On being wind swept and interesting

Wellies! It’s rained here for weeks. Not all day every day but it seems part of every day and I’m getting rather tired of it. That said, the other morning it was misty and that kind of soft rain was falling that makes everything look like your living inside of an instagram app.

Beautiful in it’s own way and it allowed me to practice cultivating that wind swept and interesting look!

Don’t forget this weekend The Affordable Art Fair rolls into Bristol. My work will be on the Tallantyre Art Gallery’s stand.

And apropos of nothing really, here’s a little comforting nostalgia from Anais Mitchell to keep you cosy in this weather.

Anais Mitchell – Coming down

Fair and square 80cnx80cm

News of a Dublin Solo Show

I’ve just agreed dates for a solo show at the Doorway Gallery in Dublin!

The opening will take place Thursday September 20th which is the night before Culture Night. The show will feature about 13 or so new paintings and I will also be painting in the gallery on culture night.

Neither rhyme nor reason

This one was a return to a looser application of paint and fun to do!

neither rhyme nor reason oil on canvas 80x80cm

Elephants never forget

I don’t usually post this kind of thing but bear with me this time. I came across this video about Shirley, a 52 year-old disabled former circus elephant who is reunited with Jenny (20 years old) after Shirley had been sold by the circus that owned them both.

I’m just sayin’

or here

Till the cows come home 60c60cm oil on canvas

Some dates for your diary

 

The next event on the horizon for me will be the Bristol Affordable Art Fair May 18th-20th

My paintings will be on the Tallentyre stand.

Also, I have some more details for the Kerry painting course. Really, just to say that the date has been provisionally set for September 14th to 16th. A weekend of painting and plenty of craic on Valencia Island. Why ever not! More details soon.

and finally… another photo of a painting happy in it’s new home. This one a totty 10x10cm.

I’ve been trying a few new ideas this week. Nothing major just small movements forward (I hope). It has to be said nothing much has come out on canvas but there’s time….it’ll happen.

The milk of human kindness 60x60cm

The Plassy Shipwreck , Innis Oirr

I spent last weekend on Innis Oirr. Well, only just! We made the last ferry with three minutes to spare but that’s a whole other story!  The island is the smallest of the three Arran Islands off the extreme west coast of Ireland. Small enough that the girls and I cycled the whole thing in well under two hours.

During the morning, we came across a cargo vessel called the Plassy which was shipwrecked in the 1960′s. The islanders rescued the entire crew from the vessel during storm force weather without a single sailor being lost. No mean feat when you imagine the strength of a storm that could lift a ship of that size, that far onto the rocks.

That said, these Islanders are pretty amazing. I was lucky to spend a little time with some of them and they struck me as incredibly proud and sure of who they are.

I bumped into a man who’s father was a cousin of one of the men in this photo and who has himself lived in the states all his life.

They also seem to be very clever at getting the balance right between managing their history and their future. Obviously their history and way of life is what draws visitors but that’s just part of who they are. For instance they are all wi- fi’d up and their kids are getting top scores in league tables. They’re cleverness seems to be in knowing how to harness the best of what the Island has to offer outsiders without loosing the best of what it has to offer them.

Anyway, we were all fasinated by the shipwreck but the metal was what I drew me and what the sea has done to it over time. It just shows us that often, given enough time, nature can transform the most ugly, man made substance into something of beauty.

Right as ninepence

During the Easter break I popped in to my old friend Delyth’s house. I’ve already painted a series from her beautiful home and there’s still a few more in it I reckon. Thanks Delyth.

Right as ninepence 80x80cm oil on canvas

Irish Times Gloss Interiors magazine

I was happy as a lark to see the Irish Times interiors magazine featured one of my paintings last Thursday. The painting, “as quiet as a mouse”  was included in a feature on country homes and in particular Hunter’s Hotel in Co. Wicklow. I visited the Hotel last December and painted a series from their beautiful drawings rooms.

“Quiet as a mouse” 80x80cm oil on canvas. Currently available in the show in Killarney Art Gallery

On the face of it

This painting is part of the joint Show ongoing with the beautiful Amelié Gagne at the Killarney Art Gallery. It’s 80x80cm.

A Kingdom Welcome

Apart from the salient facts. Which were

1. The opening of the show went well with 4 red dots to kick it off

2. The gallery is stunning – a tourist attraction all on it’s own and the show looked great.

3. It was great to share a show with Amelié whose work was stunning “in the flesh”.

So apart from all that. I was also treated like a princess and entertained like a queen. The craic was mighty, the food amazing and I was lucky enough to get to know a fabulous bunch of people over the weekend.

I’m back to Dublin briefly before heading off on another trip, with the family this time, to Innis Oirr which is the smallest of the Arran islands. Back to real life after that!

The show will continue until the end of the month.

Here are some images from early on at the opening. We forgot about the camera after a while. There are more on Facebook on my Every Other Day Paintings page

Livin’ on the clippings of tin

Immersed in conversation with a friend, I was struck by this phrase which she used to describe an old uncle who was not longer ‘on his uppers’.  And of course I saved it.  I have a little notebook which I keep phrases and quotes and little snippets that I may or may not ever use. I am, of course,  aware that this makes me sound at best pretentious and at worst more than a little odd but there you are! I do at least try to note things down later and not in front of the person while they are speaking. That would be crossing a line, don’t ya think?

Livin’ on the clippings of tin oil on canvas 80cmx80cm

Off to Killarney

I’m off to Killarney at the weekend for the opening of a joint show with the beautiful Amélie Gagné. We each have 15 paintings on show.

Amélie is a Canadian artist living in Killarney. She paints dreamy landscapes in vibrant colour. I can’t wait to see our work hung together and I’m really looking forward to meeting up with everyone down in Killarney for the craic.

You can check out the exhibition and all the paintings from both Amélie and I on the Killarney Art Gallery’s website.

Contact Declan Mulvaney at 00 353 87 2767999 for more info on any of the paintings and remember they ship worldwide.

Shipping is something we’ve mastered over here, by first practicing on other things!

Primrose Lodge

Just finished this at 10.30 last night and enjoyed every minute. Usually I’m too tried to paint at night but sometimes I love it. Music on, everything done for the day – Perfect!

Primrose Lodge 80x80cm

Happy painting in a new home

This painting, Autumn Sun,was bought at the London Affordable Art Fair and it’s new, very kind owners sent me a photo of it  happy in it’s new spot

Thanks Phillp.

April Blossom

April Blossom 80x80cm oil on canvas

A list of note