visual art
Solo Exhibition at University of Atypical
RDH: DECEMBER 2019
01/12/19
semiotics
02/12/19
It is never wise to stand on a plug.
UNSAFE SYMBOL
In a crisis are we all destined to retract to a small amount of predetermined protocols?
It is what we do in these scenarios that characterise who we can become - but that shouldn’t be confused with a concluded definition.
03/12/19
“Gaugin - A Dangerous Life” on BBC IPlayer
“The work of a man explains that man”
- Paul Gaugin
04/12/19
Sketchbook work this evening.
07/12/19
Really didn’t get as much done as I should have. Started commission though which is good.
08/12/19
So I now own a car!
15/12/19
A very tough week. Frustration at zero creative output. Filter and breathe.
16/12/19
… so I am grateful so for many things. The positives outweigh the negatives. It is OK to have lull bits. It is still be seen as necessary time to off load while creating space for work down the line.
Read the Room.
17/12/19
Some more sketchbook working out tonight.
A very foggy night
20/12/19
The welcomed return of lists - getting things straightened out for the first time in a long time.
21/12/19
If all else fails, even just sitting in the studio is good. It can induce making…
Detail of commission in Progress
Have decided to try and switch off over the holidays. Easier said than done as I’m never more than a few steps away from RD to jot thoughts/ideas down on. Will be good to spend some time away - clear some head-space.
28/12/19
2019 has been an odd year. Rejection, award, rejection, solo show, more rejection…
Making time and adhering to a schedule of sorts has to be up there with priorities in the new year. Keeping this blog going is good. Some folks say, isn’t it odd to type out what you’ve jotted down a few weeks ago but I’ve found that in order to move forward, it’s good to have a refresher of what has just preceded and digesting this helps put aims and dangers into perspective.
29/12/19
Less Flaky Would Be Good.
31/12/19
New Year’s Eve Poker Night and Rogue isn’t having a good run of cards at all.
RDH: NOVEMBER 2019
01/11/19
… good job I checked…
Sketching today but no joy. How to move past this?
02/11/19
A good tidy up in the studio. “H” going well.
03/11/19
Helping Jan with some wire-wool spinning experiments.
11/11/19
Recording today and some solid sketchbook time. It’s so important. It is where ideas form and lay roots.
15/11/19
“Long years of secrecy have turned their faces into masks.” - not sure where I heard this from.
16/11/19
Detail of “Helen” - oil and charcoal on canvas.
“Helen” finished up.
17/11/19
Consciously hold back images.
EMPATHY
22/11/19
What am I doing?
24/11/19
Delighted to have been commended in the Moth Art Prize 2019!
29/11/19
“Real painters understand with a brush in their hand.”
Need to try and make one little hour of creative work each weekday.
30/11/19
What a difference a boiler makes!
Listen here.
Episode 8 of the Art Advocate Podcast
in art, artist, northern ireland, visual art
Delighted to have been asked to sit down and have a chat with the wonderful Fiona Stewart for episode 8 of the Art Advocate Podcast!
Huge thanks to Fiona for inviting me to her wonderful studio for a chat and definitely check out previous episodes as well as keeping an eye out future podcasts.
RDH: OCTOBER 2019
01/10/19
“A puncture - a level of emotion” - Zarina Bhimji
Mental health does not and should not define who we are.
Work is dropped off to Newtownards!
03/10/19
Umbrella destroyed by storm but the opening of “Bardo” was great. Great support from friends and a wonderful text written by Gemma Murphy.
09/10/19
“Sress is the killer of creativity” - Jamian Juliano Villani
Good sketchbook session tonight.
11/10/19
Doodles to burn.
12/10/19
‘Cooley’ is gone. Very stale so had to go. A really old image of Helen has replaced it. It’s been a long time since I attempted this image.
Mask and orchard idea. Sucker for attempting old failures.
17/10/19
Placed…
The prodigal ipod returns after nearly a year missing.
19/10/19
“Study of Helen” - image is nine years old and I’ve tried to tackle it many many times but only now does it feel like I am making any sort of headway. Difficult to describe. “No Regrets” - push and pull between the two images.
20/10/19
Conscious decision to limit the palette initially. Sometimes there can be too much choice - especially when starting a new piece. Thinking that by limiting colour in the first stages it can help focus in on tonal values and composition a little more.
“No Regrets” - Painting in progress
Weekends aren’t long enough.
24/10/19
Couple kissing under a dark sky.
Geometric lines turn from canvas folds to forks of lightning.
Portrait with slightly opened lips.
26/10/19
Very impressed with the RUA show this year. Some really strong works. Also great to check out the Ulster Museum’s new acquisition of Cornelia Parker.
‘On Refusal’ in the MAC is brilliant - especially Troy Michie’s stunning collages.
David Sherry’s ‘Philosophical Society’ in the Golden Thread Gallery was a lot of fun!
Some unexpected speed curating from VAI was good fun and great to meet up with old friends.
27/10/19
Little visit to Fiona Stewart’s fabulous studio to be recorded for an upcoming podcast.
30/10/19
Applications.
Text for "Bardo: An Unknown Country"
Below is text written by Gemma Murphy that accompanied my solo show “Bardo: An Unknown Country” in the Ards Art Centre. Huge thanks to Gemma for her kind words and research into the exhibition.
Gemma Murphy
RDH: SEPTEMBER 2019
01/09/19
More work done to “The Ferryman”. I think it’s lost any painterly charm.
02/09/19
‘Arena: Kusama Infinity’ - such a great artist!
“While the dead show dead art, living artists die.” - Yayoi Kusama
Hope springs eternal.
05/09/19
Great talk and workshop with Action Mental Health. Really positive and interesting feedback from the crowd.
Patrick Horan’s fantastic paintings in the Ards Art Centre’s Sunburst Gallery.
Called into the Ards Art Centre for a quick chat and a little look at two shows opening; Gavin McCrea’s installation and Patrick Horan’s paintings.
Yusuke Asai’s amazing installation in the Golden Thread Gallery
At Late Night Art Mark McGreevy’s ‘Flop Sweat’ in the MAC is marvellous! Brilliant use of colour. ‘Knick Knacks and Whatnots’ by Cameron Morgan in University of Atypical is excellent. Blown away by the work on display in the Golden Thread’s “Noise of Silence: Japanese Art Now’ especially Yusuke Asai’s huge mud installations.
06/09/19
“Ferryman” is unusable.
07/09/19
Finally finished the middle panel from the originally conceived “Pioneer” triptych. Think it stands on it’s own merit.
More progress to the the ‘Cooley’ piece.
11/09/19
Sketchbook work tonight.
12/09/19
Really enjoyed “Memory: The Origin of Alien” documentary.
“At the Mountains of Madness” by HP Lovecraft.
“What will humanity find when they look in the dark places?”
15/09/19
Studio work - some additions of spray paint to ‘Cooley’ piece. Walked away before digging too far.
Little panel piece, “The Horror! The Horror” Speed is it’s friend. Wooden supports are responsive to gestural work - less so with the charcoal marks - more layers needed to achieve tonal quality I’m after.
16/09/19
Wonderful article about my time up at Action Mental Health.
17/09/19
Increase in productivity lately. Could it be a confidence thing? I’m working no more or no less than the slump periods. Is it a case of a fine tuning of better judgement when more at peace with practice? Plenty to look forward to in the coming months.
19/09/19
21/09/19
Notes: immediate drawing line combined with more deliberate painterly marks. Cross pollination.
“LW” = by removing the instrument of trauma can it be viewed in a miraculous or redemptive light?
Not spelling out the narrative - Great to sit down and chat about work and ideas with GM.
Visit to PS Squared and “How the Image Echos” show.
Sea Holly Gallery is absolutely stunning and wonderful work on from the 545 pop up group show. So good to see elements of the much loved Orpheus building back in an artistic sense.
Craig Donald’s work alongside restored windows from the Orpheus building in the Sea Holly Gallery
22/09/19
Finished little panel piece.
24/09/19
Quarantined.
28/09/19
Studio work and “Dress Rehearsal Study” is getting there. It’s weird how every time I paint children they end up completely terrifying.
Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’ is utterly amazing. Beautifully filmed and will stay with me for a long time.
30/09/19
Collection of work for “Bardo” show tomorrow morning.
Action Mental Health Talk and Workshop
On Thursday 5th September I visited Action Mental Health in Newtownards to give a talk and run a drawing workshop ahead of a new solo exhibition opening in the Ards Art Centre next month. In the talk I spoke about my work and how my own experiences of mental health issues relate and continue to be drawn into my practice. The feedback and the discussion from the clients and staff there was amazing and I want to thank everyone involved on the day.
AMH has written a wonderful article about the visit here.
“Bardo: An Unknown Country” preview will be from 7pm on Thursday 3rd October in the Ards Art Centre and aims to raise funds for Action Mental Health.
This exhibition has been made possible by the iDA award from University of Atypical which is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
RDH: AUGUST 2019
01/08/19
Save mode now!
04/08/19
Clean Palette.
08/08/19
Spider skin
10/08/19
Studio…
Detail of “Bogland Sackrace” - work in progress.
Drawing is essential in practice. It’s not even the success of the outcome that’s important but the act of looking and really scrutinising an image or object. Trying to find a way in.
PERFECTION IS AN ILLUSION.
13/08/19
Wrapping process.
15/08/19
Sketchbook work.
16/08/19
For tomorrow, let loose!
I’ve been lingering long enough on small little intricacies.
It’s not the first time I’ve struggled with a figure in profile.
Need to just look!
‘Art of Spain’ documentary : Goya was deaf!?
Black paintings were done “to the brink of incoherence” (AGD).
17/08/19
‘Bogland’ completed
A really good day in the studio. Huge improvement to ‘Sackrace’. The face in the central figure could be better but that is where I’ll leave it. Back is signed so it’s official.
Studio shot: 17/08/19
Unplanned progress on ‘Ferryman’. More painterly background.
21/08/19
Getting there with the small chores.
22/08/19
24/08/19
Early stages of “The Brown Bull of Cooley”
Started a new large canvas. Took on the image of a woman in motion - her stance suggested a figure that could be in battle. After a little research I decided to add a typical Celtic sword and shield combo. So this found magazine image turns into Queen Medb of Connaught.
Once the figure was on the canvas I was unsure whether to incorporate the bull (Medb’s infamous cattle raid of Cooley as inspiration) but curiosity got the better of me and I tore on with it.
Basically blocking the image up but it is promising so far. It will be interesting to see the fight between Medb and the bull in terms of who will come out dominant where in the composition.
28/08/19
29/08/19
Material delivery!
31/08/19
Studio work and ‘Ferryman’ has stagnated. Some parts work and others flop.
At that strange limbo point where a painting you’re working on fights back and refuses to yield. When one point of grievance is adjusted, two more pop up.
Today - more so than others - has been spent reflecting on lost loved ones and parts of that has made its way onto canvas. Little nods to moments once shared with someone no longer here.
I haven’t had this level of personal attachment to a work in progress in a long time and it has made the already frustrating back and forth of a painting’s final stretch all the more agonising.
Can you paint over a memory or is knowing that these little nods once existed enough?
RDH: JUNE 2019
01/06/19
Almost a disaster. Too hung up on certain elements and it is holding the piece back. So the notion of blurring the background and having the foreground sharply in focus works. Execution at the moment is lacking sadly. Need to figure out how to fix the mesh fence but will need to redo all the good work from today. Lesson Learnt.
02/06/19
Essentially yesterday was a pure slug fest in the studio.
Action is better than inaction. Working out grid for fence work.
THE MAC VISIT:
Engine Room Gallery visit:
Solo show by John McMacken
Belfast School of Art Degree Shows were great. Some outstanding work. Nina Johnston’s tree installation on level 6 is amazing. Regardless of levels/grades that many of the graduates are embarking on that’s the really exciting part.
Looking back, I adored my time in university but detested my degree show. All but one piece has been destroyed and it was the start of a huge, and still ongoing learning curve that’s led my practice to where it is.
Meeting in the evening went really well. Some good feedback and ideas for an upcoming project.
08/06/19
Little break from the studio today to recharge from the overload of art from yesterday.
11/06/19
“Frank Bowling - What do Artists Do All Day?”
12/06/19
The beginnings of planning an exhibition layout.
“Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is a strength”
“Dana Shutz: How Do You Depict A Feeling?”
15/06/19
Detail of the removal process.
Bit of start and stop in the studio but fixative giveth and fixative taketh away!
Just spied Grace McMurray’s piece in the Royal Academy documentary.
16/06/19
“Paula Rego: Secrets and Stories” - Great way to start the day!
“Depression is like a crown of thorns”
Dander down to the river with the dogs.
More pushing back on “Sack Race” although I could have easily got sucked into working on tiny details and not looked at the whole picture.
Treat every painting as a study.
17/06/19
Glazing, Hatching, Cross Hatching, Direct, Sfumato, Painterly, Impasto, Staining, Dripping, Gestural, Broken Strokes, Dotting, A La Prima, Patches, Feathers, Scumbling, Washes, Bravara, Directional.
Sketchbook work.
19/06/19
Knowledge / Creativity / Inspiration
Beginnings / Liberation
21/06/19
Summer Solstice. Pleased with how mesh fence is coming.
22/06/19
Need to let go of aiming to get the little things perfect in the work. Ultimately its holding up the process. Obviously not saying to go full ‘Sloppy Joe’ on it but recognising when things get knit picky - take a step back and reassess time spent on something inconsequential.
Perfection is an illusion.
23/06/19
Little break day. Sophia Campbell on “Sky’s PAOTY 2019”.
24/06/19
There’s no sugar coating it. Intrusive thoughts bombarding for practically 8 straight hours.
Embarrassing, frustrating but mainly just terrifying. I don’t want them anymore.
25/06/19
It will take time to get to grips with what is going on.
27/06/19
Currently going through potential imagery. I think its good to scan through images from time to time to build up ideas.
30/06/19
Getting to grips with terms and conditions and sorting out a plan of action together.
RDH: MAY 2019
03/05/19
Painting Peer Critique hosted in CCA Derry.
Artist John Robinson with his work on the temporary stage at CCA Derry.
04/05/19
Close up of “The Lost Woods Study”
Been a while since using leaves to print on. Needs more layers but for now it solves the issue of the line… breaks the eye.
So after four months and four days I’ve finally finished a painting and broke my 2019 drought.
Detail of “Rose” - oil and charcoal on canvas.
05/05/19
First time visiting and it was like opening an old wound.
11/05/19
One very creepy window display.
12/05/19
Great Art show: “Goya: Flesh and Blood”
Started “Sack Race” (working title) and stupidly didn’t check material inventory before starting.
17/05/19
Sketching tonight. Past self was clever enough to leave certain works aside for potential events.
Study of an Uncle.
18/05/19
Really happy with how the studio went today.
19/05/19
Completed “The Lost Woods Study”.
20/05/19
Not to rely on gimmick. It has been an invaluable tool - one that I will continue to utilise - but only when the work demands it. If it is forced (like “Woman With the Dogs” and, more recently, “Ruins”) the work stagnates and imagery drowns in an unnecessarily complicated mess.
21/05/19
Should take own advice from time to time about differing paint properties.
In “Sack Race” - the looser the playing field the better. Almost tempted not to touch it at all.
A sort of closure. A temporary full stop.
22/05/19
Ran out of time. Need to keep RD by side.
23/05/19
Ring-gate.
25/05/19
“I know more. The lack of whats in the current work informs the next.” - Eva Rothschild.
More layers to “The Ferryman”. Because the face of the ferryman is so small it would be easy to fall into the familiar trap of aiming to capture all the detail and likeness of the source image. Focusing instead on light and tone - maybe even a hint of a blur? Like the figure is in the middle of turning to look at the viewer.
Surprise / Confrontation / Acknowledgement
Back and forth with “Sack Race”. Happy with certain elements, like the sky but have consequently fogged up other sections in the process. Eager to not fall into the familiar trap of muddiness and over-painting.
More progress to the sky in “Sack Race”.
27/25/19
29/05/19
Late night sketchbook work.
RDH: MARCH 2019
02/03/19
“The Ivy Crown" progress.
Struggling with “Bereft Clown”. I think it’s too contrived. Another image overlay maybe?
Adding another image automatically forces you to simplify the composition in a way so that just the essentials are left.
Loosening up on “Ruins”. Music really makes a difference in the studio for me.
The imagery may be personal but the doors are left open. Viewers bringing their own experiences / ideas to the work is paramount.
Don’t like the word ‘style’. It’s too certain of itself.
03/03/19
“Sack Race”
Bit better productivity wise.
07/03/19
“Guardian Study”
Sketchbook work tonight.
08/03/19
…has “Bereft Clown” gone the way of the dodo yet again? Is it stifling and holding me back? Even just setting it aside for a week or two could help.
09/03/19
Temporarily removed the shrub in “Ruins”.
10/03/19
Pablo the Monstera
15/03/19
Lynda Benglis doesn’t make work for other people or for specific shows but purely out of curiosity.
“The Boatman”
Attempted some sketchbook work - hit and miss - mostly miss.
16/03/19
Cake tin for the sky disc. I think it’s a good idea to get closer to the colour scheme in my head than what is on the canvas at the moment.
20/03/19
21/03/19
“Quick Call”
Sketchbook work.
23/03/19
In the studio where I’m happiest. Even if it’s not working well it’s about going through the process.
Detail of a weeping willow.
A good bit of experimentation today but heading in the right direction nonetheless.
24/03/19
Corita Kent rules:
Find a place you trust and then try trusting it for a while.
General duties of a student: Pull everything out of your teacher. Pull everything out of your fellow students.
General duties of a teacher: Pull everything out of your students.
Consider everything an experiment.
Be self disciplined. This means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self disciplined is to follow in a better way.
Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There’s only make.
The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It’s the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
Don’t try to create and analyse at the same time. They are different processes.
Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.
“We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving room for X quantities.” - John Cage.
Helpful hints: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything. It might come in handy later.
There should be new rules next week.
26/03/19
…in my thoughts today.
“If you mix your voice with others’ voices you feel as though you are caught in a hook.
Franz Kafka - “Children on the Road”
27/03/19
So in front of a warm fire and three sleeping dogs, I asked Jan to marry me.
Thankfully she said yes.
30/03/19
A little semblance of normality today: back in the studio.
Less contrast between the sun and sky?
Slowly but surely making progress on the “The Lost Woods Study”.
Detail of “The Lost Woods Study”.
31/03/19
…more work done to “Rose” today.
Detail of “Rose” - work in progress.
RDH: JANUARY 2019
01/01/19
Mountain walk with Jan and Rogue.
“I think of drawing as a way of getting information and really learning to understand imagery.” - Cecily Brown
Anna Bjerger has a corner filled with ten years of old books / magazines. There’s usually nothing new but it’s about looking at imagery time and again to see if anything jumps out.
OLD IMAGERY RECEIVING NEW CONTEXT.
You need to have a genuine feeling for an image.
02/01/19
Two large canvases. Diptych idea?
03/01/19
05/01/19
Found in a car park.
Nothing done is also nothing ruined.
06/01/19
10/01/19
If it is to be it will come again.
London is happening in April. Can’t wait!
11/01/19
Idea for a painting: “The To and Fro of Indecision”.
Sketchbook work tonight. Looking at old paintings from second year in University.
12/01/19
Boiler suit
If you look a little longer you will see things that have always been there but not in the same context as before. I’ve started looking a little closer at drawings that have been transferred onto acetate and pairing them off with others that I normally wouldn’t have previously.
13/01/19
Christening + St Lurach’s ruins. This is the biggest canvas I’ve tackled in a long time.
“Organised Forgetting”
Paint went well today - generally just blocking so it’s not too tasking. Colours - light v dark. Which elements of the image come to the fore and what fights to be heard.
15/01/19
Meaningless vote.
Chris Ofili’s “No Woman No Cry” - canvas rested on 2 heaps of elephant dung covered in a transparent resin.
Sculpture ideas - photos stacked like a house of cards. On panels?
Pyramid.
17/01/19
Trip to Newtownards and Belfast today.
The Ards Art Centre’s Georgian gallery space is stunning! So much light! Really interesting work by Katrina Cobain on show.
Stunning work by Alana Barton in the Black Box.
Great opening of Vault show in the Golden Thread Gallery’s project space.
Pauline Rowan’s photography was the stand out work for me in the latest instalment of Golden Thread’s “Dissolving Histories” series.
19/01/19
20/01/19
Really struggling to get motivated.
The act of drawing has stagnated. If you cut off the source how do you expect the river to flow?
Even working on other imagery (drawings) when painting something else is bound to have positive repercussions?
27/01/19
Took a while to get going. Not really focusing on one task but I think that’s good sometimes.
A little experiment
28/01/19
Been thinking a lot about potential sculptural ideas recently. Give it a whirl?
29/01/19
Sketchbook work
30/01/19
“Shooting the Darkness” documentary on RTÉ was fascinating insight from photojournalists who were front line witnesses to some of the most horrific atrocities during the Troubles.
RDH: 01/12/18 - 31/12/18
01/12/18
Blocked out “Bereft Clown”.
02/12/18
Found an ogham poster on North Street with an interesting translation.
Vault studios is amazing - especially EMIC’s studio space!
04/12/18
…text to coincide with next solo show…
08/12/18
Studio work today. Thought I was close to finishing ‘confessional’ but it might be further away than I imagined.
09/12/18
“You make a mistake when you explain the paintings through the war.”
Mark Stevens - on Bacon’s “Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion”
Several shooting stars.
15/12/18
Probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. Childhood hero reduced. It's a real jolt to the system.
Trauma doesn’t discriminate. It’s so subjective that it can defy explanation or description. Nightmarish.
16/12/18
Materials courtesy of the University of Atypical’s iDA award arrived to the studio today.
Need to learn to keep some things to yourself.
See it through. Stay strong and keep head up.
17/12/18
Panic attack today.
21/12/18
You never fully appreciate someone until its too late. A true legend that has shaped so many. Time with family is so important.
Resolutions < Revolutions
22/12/18
Moon-rise over Glenshane.
Thought I had a good night’s sleep but my body is telling me different. Need to draw more again.
26/12/18
Getting lost in thought about art is a joy. It’s like taking a mini vacation.
27/12/18
Some sketchbook work. Not much but it’s a start.
Look more before putting pen to paper. This is not to say to lose the immediacy during the act of drawing but to take a breath to absorb and examine what an image has to offer.
29/12/18
Finished “Confessional”. Maybe when the mind is distracted slightly it makes studio work more of an automated response? Decisions were made and action was taken.
Not saying having a completely distracted head-space works. Far from it. I’ve been there plenty of times and it’s disastrous. No. It’s more a case of - you’re in the studio and you have a clear(ish) idea of where the work will go so you follow that. The decision making dilemma is lessened due to the preoccupation of other matters going on upstairs.
30/12/18
A bit of work done to “Bereft Clown before clearing the palette and studio up for another year.
2018 in Photos
in art, drawing, painting, visual art
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
RDH: 01/11/18 - 30/11/18
02/11/18
… all but done…
03/11/18
Do I need a foreign colour? “Afore the Stoop” went in a slightly different direction than first thought. I think I had that quote by Helen Johnson still ringing in my ears about imagery possessing different surface qualities and being on different registers on the same picture plane.
The buzzard is still; hovering overhead while the still-life is in flux. Melting in on itself. To not just merge separate imagery on the one canvas but to treat them differently via technique. I’ve done this regularly in the past but never to this extent before and definitely not on this scale. There’s loads going on: blocked areas, melting, washes and burning/corroding of the surface for texture.
“Confessional” is a different beast altogether. It’s going to be a slower process - building up washes of colour, drawing elements back in followed by more washes until it comes to an end or a crossroads. So far so good. It’s not really a colliding of images. It’s the notion of what a negative of a pattern could do to another image.
Refreshing to see organisations opening doors. The model is being altered.
04/11/18
Kept hearing the shrieking of a buzzard every time I went to work on “Afore the Stoop”. When I looked it was perched on top of the tallest tree at the end of the lane and then glided off.
06/11/18
Some sketchbook work. Not a lot of time but that’s my fault.
09/11/18
HELP!
10/11/18
For studio work: cautious steps or daring leaps? Annoyingly close to finishing “ATS”.
Submission writing hurts my head.
11/11/18
Films to watch:
Finished “ATS”. Still bits that annoy but for the sake of not destroying it entirely, I don’t mind the imperfections.
Help has been indispensable.
12/11/18
Still waiting on magazine.
13/11/18
Egon Shiele Documentary - transcending the idea of the body as beauty.
15/11/18
Nothing.
16/11/18
Belfast bound for curator talks but looking forward to visiting some galleries first.
Jane McCormick’s “Not Half Right” at the University of Atypical was absolutely amazing. Insanely strong drawing and sculptural elements.
Ali Cherri in the MAC International 2018. His work was the stand out work for me.
Curator talks as part of Belfast Open Studios from Visual Artists Ireland offices. Speaking at the event: Nora Hickey from CCI in Paris, Ika Sienkiewicz-Nowacka from CCA Warsaw, Dean Brierley from Caustic Coastel in Manchester and Anna Ciabach - formally of Monopol Gallery in Warsaw.
17/11/18
Work is being used as an example to show other artists about finding your own voice. Chuffed.
…someone has been keeping an eye on my progress and that is something!
Another trip to Belfast for more galleries and then a Speed Curating event.
Gerard Carson’s “Submersible Extractions” in Platform.
Patrick Colhoun at the Golden Thread Gallery.
Still of Barbara Hammer’s work at the Golden Thread Gallery exhibition.
Layout of the ‘Speed Curating’ event by VAI held in Belfast Exposed.
18/11/18
It has been a hectic but brilliant few days. Yesterday I called into Platform to see Gerard Carson’s “Submersible Extractions” and a solo show by Dryden Wilson. I followed this up by a quick look at the Barbara Hammer exhibition and Patrick Colhoun’s project space work in the Golden Thread Gallery. Then it was time for the speed curating event at Belfast Exposed.
… do research. What artists i admire….
…Strange. Nothing negative. Just nothing.
A lot of information. A real painter?
19/11/18
“In Defence of Representation” essay by Tristan Garcia.
In western philosophy the representational object is either a copy, a sign or a duplex.
“… according to the semiotic model, there is no representation without signification, that is to say without interpretation.” - Tristan Garcia
20/11/18
“Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” - Screen (1973)
“The Victim” - Saul Bellow
21/11/18
Tried sketchbook work - failed miserably.
23/11/18
Projection onto fog screen.
24/11/18
Thunderchild?
Line of connection between viewer and work - GO’H
Ask the question: what do you see?
25/11/18
Yesterday I eventually got painting around lunchtime - back and forth with ‘Confessional’ but progress made. Great talk with GO’H about ‘the gaze’.
Leaf blowing.
27/11/18
Need to select paintings for Framewerk Christmas show.
28/11/18
“The Trouble with Painting” - ICA (YouTube)
“What you’re interested in in the world will feed back into what you are interested in as an artist.” - Alison Pilkington
…speaking about dreams, a quote from Alison Pilkington’s drawing seminar from the RHA really stuck out. I’m paraphrasing here but the guts of it is this: talking to people about why you make the work you do (or about your inspirations for that matter) is like talking to people about your dreams. People aren’t overly interested when someone else describes a dream. It’s subjective and personal and it’s all but impossible to get the experience across properly.
Sketchbook work.
29/11/18
A difficult few weeks to come.
RDH: 01/10/18 - 31/10/18
01/10/18
… of interest. Attainable small steps to reach big goals.
02/10/18
Delivery mix up.
05/10/18
Booked VAI speed curating slots for November.
…LA… fingers crossed!
06/10/18
initials in ogham
Experiment in the studio with a degree of success. When a fine layer of fixative is lit on the paintings surface, areas of the canvas that are predominantly charcoal or thin layers of colour are singed and blister - creating an interesting effect. Safety first though.
Jan is right —> the lighter background to “Pioneer” was more unsettling. Rectify.
07/10/18
Staring at “Pioneer”. I think I’m hesitant because its… I don’t know. I think the colours are too similar between light and shade. By the same token - you don’t want it to become too contrasting and cartoonish. A foreign colour introduced into the third panel may point a direction.
Flying by the seat of pants but you can’t control the spontaneous. Some detailed work today. It is getting there. Attention directed towards other matters.
… paintings and clusters of drawings - like a shotgun spread of memories. Jumbled - linked yet conflicting. Fighting for dominance.
\\\THE TRAUMA PARADOX\\\
08/10/18
Just realised a connection between “AMATGS” and the ivy crown. Oedipus plays would have been played during the festival of Dionysus - who is associated with a crown of ivy.
09/10/18
“ I gave myself permission to follow my voice and that’s what my whole career has been. I still give myself permission and no compromise. I compromised before but not when I became an artist.” Mark Bradford
10/10/18
11/10/18
13/10/18
“Into The Void Magazine” submission successful!
Sketchbook work and now watching the original ‘Suspiria’ for the first time.
14/10/18
Notes finished for presentation. Pleased with burning effect on triptych.
… was suggested something on Friday. Well it was more of a dialogue regarding “Pioneer”; the first and last sections work. They’re strong but the one that should be the strongest and the anchor, the middle piece is way behind. Changing from a triptych to a diptych? Leave it for a while - continue working on all three before abandoning the middle piece.
Using ash as a painting/drawing medium. Religious links? Why do ideas come in the final minutes of the day? Processing process.
18/10/18
On way to Dublin. Looking forward to talking about work in DLR Lexicon. Not nervous. Yet.
Just saw the most beautiful fox casually strolling across a field outside Armagh.
I’ve been skirting around issues. The ‘recall’ notion might be worth exploring again. Drawing. Painting. Video. Audio.
The DLR Lexicon is stunning. Really enjoyed the other talks - especially work of Cecilia Bullo.
19/10/18
Yesterday’s trip and talks were great. Just wish I had more time to go around some of Dublin’s galleries when I was down. Decided it was best to drop the middle canvas in “Pioneer Studies”. Finished the other two pieces and happy with the results.
20/10/18
A little tweaking to “Afore the Stoop”.
Dad suffered a bleeding eye following his operation.
22/10/18
Have been neglecting practice and methods during the week. Ards - it seems a long way off but it will fly in.
Keeping your finger on the pulse is no bad thing.
24/10/18
Personal history is a source - not the explanation. ‘imagine…’ with Tracey Emin on iPlayer was insightful. Have a new found respect for Emin’s practice and quite like a few of some of her new paintings.
27/10/18
No paints were used today but three canvases were started. The smallest piece - I don’t think will have legs. As a drawing it is strong but I feel it won’t work on canvas. I’ve drawn up “Bereft Clown” again - a different size to the previous square stretcher. Will see how it goes. The third canvas is the one I’m most excited about. It’s a merging of two images but in a slightly different way. First is an image of a German officer stationed in a concentration camp. The other is a negative of a confession screen. The idea is to project light through the lattice onto the portrait. Fright Night in the jungle was great fun!
28/10/18
Slept so much. Slow progress but progress nonetheless.
31/10/18
Spacing error.
“I’m really interested in creating moments of ‘push and pull’ in paintings and having different registers of imagery with different surface qualities - so one thing might be compositionally in the foreground but materially might be being subsumed by whats behind it.” Helen Johnson
Into The Void: Issue 10
in art, visual art, publication
I’m thrilled to have been selected as a contributor to the latest issue of Into the Void Magazine which is “an award-winning print and online literary magazine and small press publisher dedicated to providing a platform for world-class fiction, flash, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art”.
The stunning cover for Issue 10 is titled “Behind a Bush” by Hanna Ilczyszyn.
Details of my selected work can be viewed here.
Print copies of the issue can be purchased here.
Many thanks to the staff at Into the Void and especially to the editor-in-chief Philip Elliott for allowing my work on their beautiful platform.
Show and Tell: Dún Laoghaire
in visual art, art, artist, contemporary art
I was delighted to take part in VAI’s Show and Tell talks held at the stunning DLR Lexicon building in Dún Laoghaire.
I spoke about my practice and working methods along with other artists who gave insights to their work.
Speakers:
Eileen Malaniff, Des Kenny, Sheena Meagher, Melissa Ellis, Sarah Boyle, Jane Murtagh, Cecilia Bullo and Katherine Halford Greene.
Many thanks to Siobhán Mooney from VAI and DLR County Council for organising the event.