The open door

the open door 40x40cm oil on canvas

Scary Monsters

So today is the day. I’ve reached my spring deadline!

20 paintings for the London Affordable Art Fair in March (tick) 14 for a joint show in at the Killarney Art Gallery at Easter (tick) and a small number spread across galleries in Ireland (tick).

The work is done now but I have a little touching up to do, lots of varnishing and then sorting and shipping.

It’s fantastic but of course, but I am as usual I’m wracked with questions of whether or not they’re any good or good enough.

But these doubts are familiar by now. This is where I have to take my courage in my hands and take a leap of faith and let them go!

Scary monsters!

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Whirly burly birds

hurly whirly birds 80x80cm oil on canvas

The Sartorialist – Lunch for 25

You know that thing that people sometimes ask? “Who would you most like to have dinner with?” People often answer with folks like Morgan freeman or Pelie or Martin Luther king?

Well, I came across this video from the Sartorialist on a lunch he held for his fashion icons in Florence. Now I’m fully aware that I wouldn’t be invited and even if I was I’d stick out like a sore thumb but, in the spirtit of that “who’d you like to have lunch with” game, I wouldn’t mind  joining joining these guys for lunch.

The Sartorialist: Lunch for 25 from The Sartorialist on Vimeo.

By the way, The Sartorialist is a guy who is a fashion photographer/people watcher/artist. I’ve bloged an amazing video about him here before and this video is full of his usual style.

Bright skies after the storm

Not doing so many wellies these days but here’s one to match the weather of the weekend.

bright shies after the storm 60cmx60cm oil on canvas

Kilkenny getaway

About 10 years ago, I decided some interesting company and chat about books might be a good plan. So 10 or so of us began to meet to read and talk about books and of course have some good food and wine. Ten years on, our lives have moved on too but I am so blessed to have this very diverse group of intelegent, interesting, creative and fun women in my life.

We spent this weekend in Kilkenny to celebrate our “first” 10 years.

Really, what’s not to love about Kilkenny town, even in the rain. Fabulous food, art galleries, great little shops.

There’s the cathedral and the castle, where we met a really interesting guy who regaled us with tales about the Butler’s portrait and painting collection, which was both important and substantial in it’s day.

and it wouldn’t have been the same without a bit of music and of course a lock-in!

or here

I’m back at the easel today, a little the worse for wear but strangely energized at the same time. Wonderful!

Shabby Chic

Shabby Chic 60x60cm oil on canvas

Poetry and Craft

You may be aware of the discussion currently going on between Damien Hirst and David Hockey. David Hockey recently said that Art is about craft and Poetry. That art school was about teaching the craft, but that it can’t teach poetry.

In the past Hirst has used his assistants or students to do the actual work of his paintings. As in the case of his dot paintings they’re not painted by him at all but bear his name all the same.

So in essence we could argue that Hirst’s dot paintings are his idea, his poetry if you like, but someone else’s craft. Hockney and others are asking the question if you don’t have the craft, ie. if you can’t paint, sculpt, draw etc. Then are you an artist?

Questions for the small hours with a good glass a whiskey me thinks.

Anyway, all this by way of preamble. I visited Oliver Sears gallery on Monday to see Joseph Walsh‘s exhibit. We’ve seen beautifully crafted pieces of furniture that transcend the furniture/art divide. These pieces however were on a different level.

To my mind this is poetry and craft.

Enigmum Chair

Barely 31, The Irish Craftsman Joseph Walsh has become one of the most sought after names in furniture, his distinctive free flowing style and sinuous curvilinear forms makes his work highly coveted by collectors and museums alike.”                                                                                                  Bespoke person, Financial Times 

Enignum Table

His wood pieces move like the wind, bend like paper, mold like clay and have the strength of bone. Yatzer

and my favourite piece

Enignum shelf

Poetry and craft indeed.

Leaving Home from Chris Kunnert on Vimeo.

fish for compliments

This little painting is one of my recent favourites.

fish for compliments 30x30cm oil on canvas

The care and feeding of your sketchbook

My good friend Kevin McSherry has just launched a fantastic little book on keeping a sketchbook. It is beautiful to look at and full of humour. If you have ever harboured a secret wish to take up drawing in a relaxed way look no further than this little book to encourage you and set you on your way. If you haven’t it, would look very impressive sitting on your coffee table, to those who do.  I really can’t recommend it enough.

To look through the preview of the book and for more info click here.

You’re a daisy if you do

I painted this a few weeks before Christmas but forgot to photograph it before sliding it, wet, into my new drying rack. Once in, I don’t like to remove them for a while incase I inadvertently scrape off half the paint on the way out.

you’re a daisy if you do,  80x80cm oil on canvas

My new drying racks

Speaking of which, here’s a photo of my new drying racks. ( I’m very proud!) They hold 10, 80x80cm paintings while drying and by the time they are full the first lot can be removed and are dry enough to be safely stored elsewhere.

Up until now my paintings have had to dry standing up against walls etc. and the frames can warp as they dry due to the uneven quantities of paint. Also, it’s hard to stop the paint getting everywhere, and I mean everywhere.

Some new wellies I came across over the last few weeks.

60x60cm oil on canvas

Both sides of the brain

I sometimes read a blog written by artist, photograher Daniel Sroka. Apart from being an amazing photographic artist, he’s the kind of guy who had one of the first apple mac’s and writes all the code for his website himself. No wordpress or blogger platforms for him.

Here his is talking about how the seemingly unhappy bedfellows of writing code for websites (which is a mathamatical language) and creating art can coesist for him.

I create my website the old fashioned way, typing the code in by hand. I often get incredulous looks from other artists about this. Why would an artist want to be messing around with something so geeky, so “not artistic”? But I don’t believe that making art and coding websites are so at odds with each other. By tapping into different parts of my brain and using separate sets of skills, these two creative skills help me maintain a creative and productive balance. Frankly, if all I did was make art all day every day, I’d go crazy. It’s just too much of the same thought process! I need to turn my artistic brain off from time to time in order to let it rest and recharge. And doing nothing doesn’t achieve this: even at rest, my artistic brain is still churning, working. I have found that I really need to switch gears, to dip my hands in some code, and force my brain to think and work in a different way. By coding my website, I allow my artistic side to quiet down and regroup. Then when the coding burns me out, I can return to making art at full force.

Alternating between art making and coding allows both processes to be better, stronger. The craft of coding informs my art, helping me logic through a problem, transforming a flash of inspiration into a workable idea. And the spontaneous expression of art making informs my website design, allowing me to see possible solutions before I even know how to make them.

I think to a greater or lesser extent it’s true of us all that we are never just one thing. But a mix of passions and skills. I met someone recently who asked me if I regretted not being a full time artist all along. But the fact that I worked in business for much of my career was not wasted time! It was both fulfilling in itself and a part of the journey to where I am now. Being an artist is being in business too. I’m self employed, something I swore I’d never do again but this time it’s different because the business side is balanced by the creative. It’s like both side of the brain can get a look in.

Adare Manor 80x80cm oil on canvas

Detours

Over Christmas we took a road trip down to Kerry to visit the new Killarney Art Gallery which opened recently. The Gallery is amazing and well worth a visit.

On the way back we took a short detour (always a good plan in my book) to stop at Adare Manor and I took some references photos. Today’s painting is of the lounge and bar. Very grand indeed.

as quiet as a mouse

from hunter’s hotel in wicklow

80cm sq oil on canvas

New prices

Those of you who know me, know this year has been a whirlwind of hard work and opportunity, of which I’ve been extremely grateful for both. But I can’t sustain the amount of work that I produced in the last 12 months. My pace has now settled to a more measured level and the hope is that my work will be the better for it. I guess I’m still pretty prolific but the bottom line is, there will be less paintings the next 12 months.

Having talked with my galleries and other advisors it’s also been decided that my work will increase in price this year. Thank you so much if you were one of the lovely people who bought one of my paintings.

We’ve agreed to keep the price increase to a moderate level and I have also pushed it out to Feb 1st to give customers time to purchase at the existing prices should they wish to do so.

New Prices

80x80cm framed €1950

60x60cm framed €1450

50x50cm framed €1195

20x20cm framed € 495

Oriental Elegance

80x80cm oil on canvas

Counting sheep and clearing the decks

Trying to clear my head and get into a routine again. My sleep patterns are up the creek without a paddle at the moment and last night I was on t’internet and FB at 3am (again). I know bringing the Ipad to bed is not necessarily conducive to encouraging good sleep paterns but it’s something to do when the minutes and hours tick by right?

One of my friends sent me this at about 3.30am

or here

But after awhile I really just wanted to hit that guy. So finally, I took another friend’s advice to get up and do something.

So here we are…

Before

After

At least I’ve a clear desk now! If only It were as easy to do the same job on my head.