05/11/22
Art and Ecology Podcast.
Studio Time with an assistant!
08/11/22
Painting in RUA has SOLD!
11/11/22
It all adds up.
12/11/22
“You know in the back of your own mind if criticism holds any merit for yourself.”
drawing
“You know in the back of your own mind if criticism holds any merit for yourself.”
Studio Shot: 15/10/22
“Give an image the benefit of the doubt… there is a danger in certainty.”
William Kentridge.
Sketchbook work.
“Cherish your own emotions and never under value them”
Robert Henri
“I think using a limited palette gives you more freedom.”
L.I.V.
Detail of “A Lovers’ Harvest”
“Dog Woman” Paula Rego 1994 Pastel on Canvas
C.C.
Cockchafer beetle
“Distill expression down to it’s pourest form.”
Patrick Graham
One of the above is going to Boyle!
Lenny II is here!
Sketchbook work.
So pleased to have been asked to contribute in the latest issue of Visual Artists Ireland News Sheet.
New work in progress.
“Violence will always be a part of the human experience.”
Mary Beard
“An Ode Study”
Studio Wall: 19/02/22
“Black Dog”
ogham chair in the snow
Detail of “A New Normal” in progress
The Chameleon lays in wait,
Knuckles pressed white on the oak armrests.
There you’ll find an empty place at the table.
Under the fire’s amber glow,
Home is where the hearth is.
“Portraiture exposes the gap between the interior and exterior selves.”
-unknown-
Priming is all today amounted to.
Several pieces sketched up today.
Detail of “The Doctor will See you Now”
“The Doctor will See you Now” Oil and Charcoal on Canvas 150cm x 100cm
Some sketchbook studies tonight.
Detail of “Lady of the Manor”.
Day trip to Belfast to deliver “Saint and Sinner” for Platform Arts group show.
As it’s the season for it, here’s a golden oldie from 2003. This photo was taken for a GCSE Art project where my cousin Aidan dressed as the grim reaper holding a very rusty scythe. Our cat then walked along the tin roof behind him, jumped on his shoulders and then proceeded to stroll across the top of the blade. It all happened purely by chance and made for a great photo.
Detail of work in progress - “The Doctor Will See You Now”.
Acetate transfers onto canvas.
Good bit of progress to “Rex Aegypti Penultimus”.
Night Sky
Sketched up new canvases.
“An archive of emotions”
Dr. Kate McLean
Sketchbook Studies
Ballyliffen
Listening to ‘Jo’s Art History Podcast’ in the studio.
Rearranging storage space.
Internal shot of Ciara McMullan’s art studio / exhibition space project.
My display for Firstsite’s “Great Big Art Exhibition”.
Blessings this morning.
…it’s not animals.
Parcel from Trebuchet
Good sketchbook work tonight.
Some paint down but not much.
Trip to the Derry Vaccine Centre.
Sketchbook work this evening.
Fingers crossed.
Rookie mistake so sketchbook work instead.
Less doodle and more noodle.
Great news!
Need to make a point of getting into the studio tomorrow.
A lot of scraping and pushing around paint to “Washing of Hands” piece. It may be, for right now, I’m forcing works that are stagnating. As solid as they may be compositionally I feel at a loss with where to go next. Could be why I’m drawing a hell of a lot more lately - looking for other avenues?
In any case it felt great to move paint about for the first time in a while.
Fully intended - FROZE - self-doubt.
Self actualisation - making real of the inner self.
Back to work!
…little more interactive.
…collapsed. Postural hypotension.
HBKA!!!
“Titles are an extra brushstroke”
Clarification
Poor … way too much going on at the one time.
Reading round is back! So happy to see those faces!
Little bit of self-doubt still here. If I try to force it, the doubt seems to grow roots. Flip side of that is that you can the self-doubt can stagnate and you can then avoid going into the studio all together.
Bleached out several canvases on a spur of the moment this evening. I think starting again / fresh thinking is the best option. Out with the old.
Well, completely cleared the window piece. Aiming to start Spring with a spring in step so I’ve drawn up few pieces and see where they lead.
‘sub cruce salus’
… too simplistic or is it hard to get ideas across?
Need to leave site.
Elevator pitch: use personal and found imagery to explore notions of trauma, memory and experience. (13 words, 83 characters)
imagery with personal connection - greater impact?
large scale drawings = link between sketchbook and canvas.
FORM —> CONTENT —> FORM —> CONTENT …
Can you distil the feeling of an image?
Play with gesture.
…adding just for the sake doesn’t cut it. Integrate if it adds to a message.
Hillsborough
Growing uncertainty in other areas is just leading to this “deer in headlights” feeling.
Lists are all well and good but to get making again ; that’s what it’s all about.
“Shock” looking good thus far.
Passionate about painting / drawing and interplay between the mark-making of both processes… juxtaposing imagery. How do they sit together?
Still have to show though.
Detail of “Shock” - finished today - Oil and Charcoal on Canvas
Sketchbook work: 13/01/21
A little slow to get in today but four canvas pieces off the starting block which makes up for it.
…in a jar for the day.
Forgetown Bridge
Sketchbook work
Not one but two zooms this evening.
Some surprising paint down today. Loosely does it.
Detail of work in progress.
Cold.
Sketchbook work this evening,
…wrapping
Ars longa, vita brevis.
‘A Brush with… Ragnar Kjartansson’ podcast
“Art is a shelter from a storm” - Ragnar Kjartansson
“Raking It In” Pen on Paper
An opportunistic pitch to pat themselves on the back.
“Soaking Up The Sun” Pen and Marker on Paper
NT - how you might approach and on what grounds.
“Norwegian” notes: warmer flesh tones? Texture in sand (sawdust?)
“Swivel Study” Pen on Paper
Some really good sketchbook work done tonight.
“Just This Once” Pen on Paper
Thought I had destroyed “Norwegian Stance” a few times today but it’s a stubborn git. In any case it was good to get paint down.
…some sketching work tonight but not much.
One minute I think the painting is finished and then a wee niggly bit pops up.
“Norwegian Stance” all but finished.
Sketchbook work … but I’m distracted a little.
Belfast. Three months on…
“La Loge” in the Ulster Museum. Absolutely stunning to see in the flesh
Seeing “Hotel ‘78” with the name tag beside it made it all the more real. Great to see around the RUA.
Jaunt to the Golden Thread Gallery. Absolutely stunning show “Put It To The People” by Joy Gerrard. I’ve seen similar small scale works before but the larger canvases are amazing! Real gestural mark making at it’s finest.
The Peter Liversidge show in the MAC is at such an epic scale. Uplifting messages and cool to see the workstation tucked away at the back. The “In a Rainbow of Coalitions” show in the MAC was colourful, fun and poignant.
What’s been lacking recently is the idea of structure. Lists are missing. I love lists. I think this happens around this time every year.
… large scaled drawings - add a link between the pen drawings and paintings…
“Pacing in Isolation” Pen and Marker on Paper
Conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn
Tidying loose ends.
Doing these semi-traditional write ups at this time of year helps to take stock of what’s been happening. Hopefully subliminal pointers of where to possibly go next have been planted for the time ahead.