art

RDH: MAY 2023

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02/05/23

First day…

Make time for practice.

03/05/23

Louise Wallace at the MAC, Belfast

04/05/23

…the drive to help.

Late Night Art Belfast. The first in a long time.

07/05/23

“Boy Soldier” - finished.

Two new little pieces started this afternoon too!

09/05/23

New EMIC piece in Belfast City Centre

13/05/23

Sent feelers out…

14/05/23

Need to tread carefully with this one.

19/05/23

Supplies!

20/05/23

A good tidy up of the studio.

21/05/23

Studio time.

Going somewhere and then damn near destroyed ‘Mugshot’ piece. Taking some time and stepping back helped save the day.

Looking is still working.

Brought it back. Relying too heavily on the charcoal mark can sometimes lead to images turning into a caricature of itself. Pared back the drawing line - focussed on the tones and limited palette that don’t stray too far from each other. Much more successful as a whole now. Bit more to go but good otherwise.

25/05/23

Luc Tuymans - surgical precision. All working out is done beforehand - composition, colours, size, materials all planned in advance so that intelligence goes from the brain (in the preparation stages) to the hand (in the making). I don’t know if that would work for me. That split second spontaneity - yes it can go wrong and often does - is needed for play with materials. Having a regimented script when painting would not work for me.

Need to catch a grip. Too easily distracted by shiny things.

27/05/23

“Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires” on Iplayer.

28/05/23

Studio.

“What fascinates you about that bastard?”

Definitely evokes a response. Is it worth it to get response based on the sources for the work rather than the work itself? A pickle. It’s not a glorification of a person’s actions. It is a study, an investigation of a portrait of evil. Aesthetic response to traumatic event.

Ethics vs Aesthetics.

In the end, I’m never speaking or working for anyone but myself.

Wee bit of progress on little prayer canvas. Could the two be companion pieces?

31/05/23

Dublin bound.

RHA show - an art overload but in the best way!

Quick stop in Temple Bar and glad I saw performance for Fanny Gicquel’s show “breathing with heels, walking with eyes”. Also popped into Project Art Centre to catch “Got Damp / Púscadh Anuas” by Avril Corroon.

RDH: APRIL 2023

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02/04/23

“…entry point into an emotional landscape.”

“…photograph is just a vehicle to then deal with those subjects that I want…”

Matthew Krishanu on “A Brush with…”

Having a crack at “Check Your Pockets” again. Going to try attacking it from a different angle.

09/04/23

Easter Sunday.

“A Brush with… Mike Nelson”.

“C.Y.P.” - let’s just get something down.

Good progress on figure today. Looks solid but… it’s not sitting right though and when I looked again after cleaning brushes, only then did i realise… the issue is the background. Compositionally it’s fine but the colour choices and tonal values are all out of whack.

11/04/23

Over the Moon!

12/04/23

Beautiful postcard came in the post from Hang Tough Contemporary for Alana Barton’s solo show in Dublin.

14/04/23

Still pinching myself. Best foot forward!

16/04/23

Seem to have went and gone the long and awkward way about it but “Check your Pockets” is finished.

Some sketchbook work to finish the day off.

20/04/23

Special letter in the post.

23/04/23

Great to hear the Ulster Museum being interviewed in The Art Newspaper’s “Week in Art” podcast.

“A shared history, not a shared memory.”

Studio time - clothing an background work on “Boy Soldier”

RDH: MARCH 2023

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01/03/23

Hunter / Gatherer Mode: Night Two

05/03/23

Studio - a long needed clean-up and great to get going with paints again.

Working on larger-than-life hands - a teacher once told us that if you can draw hands, you can draw anything. This is whirling around in my head today as I tackle these.

08/03/23

…not selected. A little disheartening but onwards and upwards.

12/03/23

Back has hindered any studio time this weekend.

…well Sunday night took a turn for the weird. Trip in ambulance to hospital. Struggled to breathe. Long story short: X-Ray clear, CT Scan clear but blood tests abnormal.

A few days rest needed.

15/03/23

Sketchbook work.

Want to utilise time better.

18/03/23

GRAND SLAM!

19/03/23

Some really substantial progress today on “Boy Soldier”. A balancing act as always.

27/03/23

What a year it’s been! Happy Birthday to our little girl, Imogen.

29/03/23

List of drawings that have ‘slipped’ through the net…

20+ images that have popped out this time around. There’s potential for further progress here. Strange how on another day of sifting through past work a separate set of images could jump out.

The brain is an odd critter.

RDH: NOVEMBER 2022

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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.”

13/11/22

Studio time - short but sweet stint today. Good progress on three pieces. A little too on the nose in some areas but very productive otherwise.

17/11/22

VAI Get Together day 2. Highlight was listening to Samir Mahmood talk about his practice.

19/11/22

Progress on “Feeling Stretched” and “Red Lines”. Getting there. Colour choices needing a tweak though.

20/11/22

Belfast trip with the family. Ulster Museum - Renaissance to Romanticism. Brueghel the Younger pieces very good and the Goya portrait on display is a special painting.

Great to get up with Jan and Imogen to see the RUA again.

26/11/22

Shocked and saddened to hear of Hugh O’Donnell’s passing. I got to know Hugh in applying for funding in 2018 and again in the run up to my solo show in Atypical in 2020.

Hugh was always so kind with his time - having a studio visit beforehand and his feedback and insight during the install was a dream. Hugh was a real presence and his life blessed all who spent time with him. Rest in Piece Hugh.

30/11/22

Priorities shifted about.

RDH: OCTOBER 2022

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02/10/22

#Mousegate

Strange events

08/10/22

…notes complete. Need refined for easy consumption.

13/10/22

Royal Ulster Academy opening. Craig Donald won an award for best portrait! A great night all round and chuffed to see my little painting up on the wall with some wonderful artists.

14/10/22

Early start. Perhaps the X in X4 stands for extra-long.

Talk in the Hugh Lane couldn’t have gone any better. Pleased with the reaction and feedback from everyone and profoundly grateful to Basic Space for the opportunity to speak.

15/10/22

Studio Shot: 15/10/22

‘A Brush With… William Kentridge’.

charcoal - the indeterminacy of the point.

… at the edge of meaning.

“Give an image the benefit of the doubt… there is a danger in certainty.”

William Kentridge.

21/10/22

NB: Melancholic apostle image interesting.

22/10/22

World of proximities.

23/10/22

26/10/22

Sketchbook work.

David Lynch “The Art Life” - documentary

27/10/22

“The Art Spirit” by Robert Henri

30/10/22

“Cherish your own emotions and never under value them”

Robert Henri

RDH: SEPTEMBER 2022

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03/09/22

Sketchbook work

06/09/22

A rough few days culminating in both houses testing positive for covid.

13/09/22

17/09/22

Still positive. Studio time but not feeling great to stay too long but it’s important to be in.

18/09/22

Weird. Lack of drive. Putting elements of practice off too easily - by the same token I may be a little too harsh on myself as I’m still getting over being sick.

Life and Art are (hopefully) a long game.

24/09/22

Surprise purchase.

Studio time. “Four of Five” finished.

RDH: AUGUST 2022

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02/08/22

Getting a little anxious as word gets closer…

03/08/22

“Girl with Red Hair” has been preselected!

07/08/22

Work dropped off to the RUA.

Visit to the MAC for Ron Mueck exhibition.

14/08/22

15/08/22

Can’t just be sitting around waiting…

Some sketchbook work started.

16/08/22

Drawings finished up from yesterday. Studio time now and some painting with the niece.

GOT INTO THE RUA SHOW!

17/08/22

‘A Brush With … Lina Iris Viktor’

“I think using a limited palette gives you more freedom.”

L.I.V.

Another layer on ‘lovers’ piece and a clean palette needed.

18/08/22

One Year!

20/08/22

Studio. Bit of burning on “Catherine Study”.

21/08/22

Good progress on “A Lovers’ Harvest”… man’s face works and doesn’t at the same time. Need to come back with fresh eyes.

There are aspects about “A.L.H.” I need to jot down:

  • Fracture

  • Loss vs Hope

  • Memento Mori / Passing of the Seasons

27/08/22

Adam Pendelton on “A Brush With…”: “Masks conceal and evoke.”

Studio time: Grass - too much? Go lighter? Lovers - more sculpting? Background - more solidity?

A lot more questions than answers at the minute. Less writing, more doing. Retrospective analysis is much more succinct and compelling (?)

PTO…

Although, in hindsight, creating a short, concise list of things to look at, attempt / rectify seems to pay off more often than not.

“A Lovers’ Harvest” finished.

Detail of “A Lovers’ Harvest”

31/08/22

Submitted… finger’s crossed.

Never far from thoughts.

RDH: JULY 2022

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02/07/22

Studio - moth wings getting there. .. dusty. Struggling with top colour. Tried green and purple. White is too close to the magpie moth tones.

03/07/22

In my own head yet again. This time it feels vastly different. Other concerns are taking precedent and pushing issues into the background. This is never a final solution I know but it is positive that mindset has altered accordingly.

More progress to ‘Mothman’ this evening.

08/07/22

“The artist has to put before the eyes of the public forms and poses which has existed previously in the darkness and confusion of an irrational mind, or one which is beset by uncontrolled passion.”

Goya

10/07/22

13/07/22

Sad to be missing the opening of the Boyle Arts festival tonight.

Sketchbook work instead.

14/07/22

Asked to give a talk. Delighted.

16/07/22

Nearly fell asleep. Not a good start.

Studio - at a bit of a crossroads. This along with paints needing freshening up is why I’ll focus on drawing up new canvas / boards.

17/07/22

Studio again.

It’s so strange. Things are so good at the moment. Just… negative voices. Popping in and wearing down. Keep active mentally. Support system. Breathe.

18/07/22

When a lead weight is released, you float and rise. Getting there.

‘Mothman’ finished. Trying to stick to the less is more philosophy.

19/07/22

D.T.M.

20/07/22

Sketchbook work.

21/07/22

Short but very sweet stint in the studio. A good start on three pieces.

22/07/22

Ulster Museum trip with my girls!

Stuart Calvin’s show in Atypical is excellent and heartfelt. The Alexandra Lethbridge exhibition in the GoldenThread is worth seeing.

23/07/22

Small progress in the studio. Hair in little portrait piece turned out way better than I thought it would. Best off leaving it alone!

30/07/22

‘Who Threw That?’ finished.

I think sometimes taking a risk can be as simple as not putting a mark down at all.

31/07/22

Compliments can’t be the ‘be all and end all’.

RDH: MAY 2022

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05/05/22

… a week of lists.

07/05/22

Sign and date everything!

Studio - listening to a Philip Guston podcast takes its toll.

19/05/22

Cockchafer beetle

21/05/22

“I.t.P.” - some areas making progress, others are regressing. Background is quieter but the figure in the water still has a lot to be desired. Over-worked in parts and too illustrative.

“Distill expression down to it’s pourest form.”

Patrick Graham

23/05/22

Applied.

26/05/22

One of the above is going to Boyle!

Selected to be a part of the 2022 Boyle Arts Festival.

27/05/22

Lenny II is here!

28/05/22

Today took a turn. So Scary.

31/05/22

Sketchbook work.

Bugs, parasites, critters - incorporation?

RDH: MARCH 2022

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01/03/22

So pleased to have been asked to contribute in the latest issue of Visual Artists Ireland News Sheet.

Meteorological Spring is here.

Nice to catch up with the Ogham crew again.

02/03/22

Loose drawing in response to J.A.’s prompt and RMc’s drawings.

03/03/22

…done now…

05/03/22

Belfast. ‘Don’t Look’ piece is done I think.

  • Smooth out the dog / red?

  • New piece / Loosey Goosey

* LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE SPACE! *

Nearly ruined ‘Ode’ piece with a flood of red. Hopefully brought it back.

06/03/22

Didn’t stray too far.

07/03/22

Really good chat with writer for ‘Ogham’.

08/03/22

It’s never going to be finished!

12/03/22

Final day of ‘Ogham’ residency.

Painted me wee heart out, finishing two larger pieces and having some fun with the smaller study of Stephanie Tanney’s casts.

Wet walk home.

13/03/22

A slight onset of melancholia creeping up now that the residency is over. But, the show is still to come!

15/03/22

A process of threads?

All of this is temporary?

A pause in the process?

Settling of the sands?

THIS IS NOT THE END

17/03/22

Exhibition open to the public today.

20/03/22

Louise Bourgeois - “A spider creates from it’s own body.”

Pregnant with atmosphere, enigma.

New work in progress.

Great to get painting in garage today and get palette cleaned up.

27/03/22

Imogen Rhonda Kielt, born in the early hours of Mother’s Day. 7lbs 6oz. Perfect and everyone well.

Can see so many loved ones’ faces in this tiny new one. It’s just incredible.

29/03/22

Working to find a rhythm.

31/03/22

Belfast Bound. Helped add some chalk to Joy’s Entry for Rachel Macmanus’ superb performance. So good to see the show in the flesh blown and all involved in the project at Catalyst Arts.

It’s been a great experience at a time I will never forget.

RDH: JANUARY 2022

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03/01/22

Paranoic Critical Method - Dalí

08/01/22

Studio.

Starting two pieces. Smoky feel in a cold studio.

16/01/22

Short but interesting stint in the studio. Peaks and troughs with little P.P.E. piece.

Detail of “A New Normal” in progress

Heaven is a half pipe.

22/01/22

Another Saturday not in the studio but will make up for it tomorrow.

Serial Works: Paintings in a series - leaves out imagination?

23/01/22

“A New Normal” finished.

Different disciplinary artists working together! It’s happening!

24/01/22

Head is buzzing with ideas. Renewal.

25/01/22

Home / Displacement

Urgency

27/01/22

Some fun reacting to S.T.’s drawings.

29/01/22

The Loup. Kept in the…

30/01/22

Day and Date. A dark day remembered.

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.

31/01/22

H.B.A. You are always missed.

Felt good to get some sketchbook work done tonight.

2021 in Pictures

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January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

RDH: NOVEMBER 2021

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03/11/21

Some good sketchbook work today.

04/11/21

National Common Sense Day. “Portrait of NI: Neither an elegy nor a manifesto” in the Golden Thread Gallery. Interesting layout, gathering work of a similar ilk throughout the decades together.

Anne Tallentire’s “But this material…” in the MAC; great use of spatial interaction with the work and the gallery space. Some really strong work in “The presence of Absence” exhibition from the MFA 2019 cohort group show in QSS.

Really enjoyed the opening of the “Salonathon Show 2021” in Platform - seeing my work alongside some great artists and meeting up with familiar faces!

05/11/21

Wincing the odd time.

06/11/21

“Portraiture exposes the gap between the interior and exterior selves.”

-unknown-

Priming is all today amounted to.

08/11/21

Didn’t realise the gravity…

11/11/21

What was thought to be a dud - must have turned out alright!

12/11/21

Several pieces sketched up today.

13/11/21

Detail of “The Doctor will See you Now”

Really good day in the studio. “The Doctor will see you Now” finished! This new philosophy of keeping it loose, not striving for a realistic perfection, which is ultimately unattainable anyway, seems to be working.

I have a tendency of focussing on niggles to the point when the paintings get tight and the imagery too self aware. Learning to let go and step back a stage or two sooner seems to work for me.

“The Doctor will See you Now” Oil and Charcoal on Canvas 150cm x 100cm

16/11/21

Didn’t get accepted but that’s OK. Sketchbook work tonight to get brain working.

17/11/21

Very quick trip up to Derry to see “Tilt [At Windmills]” with work by Jarkko Räsänen, Fionnuala Doran, Paul Moore and Robin Price in CCA and “The Shrinking Universe” by Eva Rothschild in VOID.

20/11/21

Blocking in and working out logistics on three pieces today.

29/11/21

Nervous but that’s pretty much down to the unknown factor.

RDH: SEPTEMBER 2021

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02/09/21

Organised ‘used imagery’ away into respective folders.

04/09/21

Acetate transfers onto canvas.

Acetate transfers onto canvas.

05/09/21

King Farouk onto pyramids? … GREEN LIGHT!

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Quitting while ahead today but so far so good.

06/09/21

Scanning.

07/09/21

Such a mover! Beyond happy and proud and excited for things to come.

08/09/21

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Some good groundwork done on the two smaller pieces.

09/09/21

Sketchbook work.

11/09/21

Tidy and apply sort of a day.

12/09/21

“Painting as an act of assembling different references.” - Ralph Rugoff

Finished “Saint and Sinner”.

13/09/21

Excited for VAI Get Together ‘21.

14/09/21

A long night of scans, and resizing drawing works.

15/09/21

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Layers and layers, back and forth. Named due to facial expression.

18/09/21

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Long shift in the studio but finished “Unimpressed”. Front hand is rough but if there was more done, it could ruin the whole piece.

22/09/21

… relished in the relationship between the paint mark and the drawn line - their harmonious and, at times, antagonistic tendencies.

Good bit of progress to “Rex Aegypti Penultimus”.

Good bit of progress to “Rex Aegypti Penultimus”.

Applied and a waiting on.

25/09/21

<— This will be tough!

A nice couple of hours in the studio today. Pushing and pulling on “R.A.P.”.

r.a.p.detail.jpg

26/09/21

Really good live chat with Clinton Kirkpatrick on Instagram. Nervous but thought it went alright.

28/09/21

Sketchbook work.

Huge congratulations to Array Collective for opening their Turner Prize exhibition. Everything is crossed!

30/09/21

Wake me up…

RDH: JULY 2021

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01/07/21

…sent up envelope so will pop stuff over. Prep is just taking over.

07/07/21

Eleven days since being in the studio. Lifetime. Happy to be taking this day in the garage though. Lots of putting on and scraping off paint to ‘Galamseyer’.

Didn’t get selected for the next stage.

10/07/21

Detail of ‘Galamseyer’ - painting in progress

Detail of ‘Galamseyer’ - painting in progress

Pool, Soldier in the Hedge - 1995, Trapped in treehouse, Black binbags, First solo trip to Foyleside.

14/07/21

Stop - Go to Start - Stop - Stop at the minute. Frustrating but no other way round it. Difficult to get a rhythm. Trying to set aside time.

I think what’s really halting things at the minute in ‘Galamseyer’ is that I’m really not sure how or where I want to take it. Crossroads.

Still early stages for ‘Life is But a Dream’.

17/07/21

strawberry-balloon.jpg

Life Changing.

22/07/21

Thirty-Four. The last one for several reasons. This heat is stifling.

23/07/21

Slieve Gallion

Slieve Gallion

24/07/21

H back over for the weekend. Reading round taking a break for the month of August.

‘Galamseyer’ finished!

Didn’t think it would happen but was closer to an end result than I thought.

Something brought up at the Reading Group that I hope comes up again. The artist scale.

Not just where you sit on this scale but, in terms of how you position your work to others and how it is perceived by viewers. Tough, but tough questions need to be asked.

25/07/21

Talk Art: Rachel Feinstein.

“Relax - stop putting up obstacles and you will float.”

“The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula K. Le Guin

27/07/21

Aiming for…. NEARLY.

30/07/21

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Double Jabbed!

31/07/21

Great day with the best people.

RDH: MAY 2021

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01/05/21

NB: Take a little more time…

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"History Repeating”: Good Start!

02/05/21

Admin all day long!

03/05/21

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Sketchbook work with snooker on in the background. Not a bad combination

04/05/21

passing-time.org : great concept for a website showcasing work.

05/05/21

Submission unsuccessful.

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Studio time eventually… come the weekend I will probably try and figure out a way to block out the planes so that I can paint the red container background in one motion. Right now its all a little scrappy and stop/start.

07/05/21

Belfast bound. When walking around the town I hear ARRAY have been nominated for the Turner Prize! Amazing news and thoroughly well deserved! This feels like it could be a huge boost to Belfast / NI art community going forward.

08/05/21

Rodin’s “Gates of Hell”

…has to reflect your own practice. We all think and experience the world differently.

Weekend screening of ‘Painting After Postmodernism with Barbara Rose’ courtesy of The Brooklyn Rail.

… permit the accident and then aim to control it afterwards.

Concept of space - innovation of contemporary painting regardless of abstract or figurative work.

09/05/21

Initially didn’t feel in form for studio today but it really does pay off to just do it and go in regardless.

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Masked planes and now I’m fairly content with the more solid / rusted container in the background.

10/05/21

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Sketchbook work.

12/05/21

The over-thinking / perfectionist side is in overdrive.

Perhaps it’s the large scale that is showing up it’s flaws. Embrace the flaws? Easier said than done - however I do seem to appreciate other artist’s little oddities in their work that could be seen as inaccurate. One person’s poor areas are another person’s highlights I guess.

There’s a lot to be said for confidence in the work and/or the process. Here’s to letting go.

13/05/21

Finally bit the bullet in some respects. “T.H.T.H” sold!

14/05/21

Memory is so imperfect.

15/05/21

A lot of doodles and not much substance.

Joan of Arc will be the elephant in the room today.

Figurative -> Genre

Abstract -> Colour / Editing

Perfectionism is stifling “History Repeating” It’s getting there but extremely slow and frustrating. Straddling between realistic and looser motifs. In two minds when in the thick of it all.

Listening to ‘Jo’s Art History Podcast’ in the studio.

Listening to ‘Jo’s Art History Podcast’ in the studio.

16/05/21

Rearranging storage space.

Rearranging storage space.

17/05/21

OFFSITE from Catalyst Arts. Peer Support / crit group was excellent and definitely well worth expanding on.

Patterns of People.

The act of Keening / Post-memory.

18/05/21

Paint the fence.

19/05/21

That ‘I want to be on my own’ kind of feeling.

“H.R.” - truly, these planes are the bane of my life at the minute. Whatever the case, regardless of how they are (in my eyes) I’ll want to push on and be done with this canvas by the weekend….

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…are they finished? Dare to hope.

IMMA talk with Chantal Joffe and Katy Hessel - ‘The Artist’s Mother’.

‘Attempting the impossible’ - the best definition of portraiture and painting.

Just submitted “Shock” and “Gathering Thoughts”.

20/05/21

sketchbook-20-05-21

21/05/21

‘The Training of Memory in Art and the education of the Artist’ by Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran.

Cart and standing figures worked on today. Trying to strike a balance between the light tones of the ground, the bodies and the cart.

22/05/21

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25/05/21

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Work and yard work.

26/05/21

history-repeating

“History Repeating” finished!

28/05/21

Saltz v Scully.

Started putting paint down on one of the smaller pieces and just decided to call it. Whether the smaller works are tripping me up on where to go next or they’re just not exciting me enough to push on. I’m not sure.

30/05/21

When asked if I would be willing to help Ciara McMullan, an architecture student with a project, I was happy to fill out a questionnaire and make some small works on canvas and glass to include in a study model of a studio / exhibition space. I was blown away to see the final results of the project. Some fantastic ideas.

Internal shot of Ciara McMullan’s art studio / exhibition space project.

Internal shot of Ciara McMullan’s art studio / exhibition space project.

31/05/21

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Late night sketching to finish off the month. The past few weeks has seen an unusually singular focus / pandering to one specific canvas. Typically I jump from one work to another with usually three on the go at once. I always thought this helped keep the head and the eyes fresh. I wonder if this may explain May.

Slight sense of fatigue creeping in. At least there are avenues to explore in terms of going about fixing it.

RDH: APRIL 2021

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01/04/21

“A Brush With… Ali Banisadr” - audio-visual synesthesia.

02/04/21

Palette is cleaned and managed to get some good work on “On Gilded Steps”.

OGS-detail.jpg

03/04/21

Added some gold aerosol for the edges of the steps. So close to finishing it up. Very frustrating as last week one of the figures that was working the best is now the last piece of the puzzle yet to fit.

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05/04/21

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“On Gilded Steps” finished!

09/04/21

…apparently it was coming but it was a jolt and now a growing sense of uncertainty.

10/04/21

“Seven Types of Ambiguity” by William Empson.

Ambiguity has to be purposeful, holding multiple elements in suspension - that’s when the ambiguity works and has a function.

11/04/21

Such a leap from what was happening last year.

12/04/21

Catch up on webinars. Is ‘brand’ a dirty word?

13/04/21

Episode 27 of “Jo’s Art History Podcast” is live! Always strange to listen to yourself back but I really did enjoy the chat with Jo.

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Some good sketchbook work tonight.

14/04/21

Re-watching Rego Documentary.

“Gathering Thoughts” gathering momentum.

16/04/21

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Quick run to Belfast to lift “Hotel ‘78” from the RUA.

17/04/21

Studio work: less will be more with “G.T.”. Progress made but very slowly. I could have ploughed on this evening but I thought it was best to quit for the day while I was ahead.

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19/04/21

“Leonardo" on Prime. Fast and loose with facts but still fun to watch.

22/04/21

Yesterday saw a long overdue clear-out of the office and the start of a fresh lick of paint.

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25/04/21

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I think I’ve taken “Gathering Thoughts” as far as I can go.

27/04/21

A solemn anniversary.

28/04/21

Submissions made. Fingers crossed. Primed large canvas today which took several coats. Barrow + woman with dogs / butcher?

Starting to get excited by a piece that hasn’t even been started yet.

29/04/21

Decided against ‘woman with dogs’ and ‘butcher’ imagery and opted instead for early biplanes of the RAF. This way I can instead swap scale instead of orientation and hopefully not overcrowd the composition. The red container behind the medics should be kept and then adding the planes using tonal differences / slightly different register. There and not there. Pillers - might be best to paint them out. There will probably be remnants of them as layers are added.

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30/04/21

A broken up sort of day.

RDH: MARCH 2021

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04/03/21

It’s been a full on week - trying to ease myself in slowly and find my footing again and knowing my limits.

Evenings = questions

05/03/21

UPDATES

06/03/21

Handwriting is a microcosm of the personality.

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A good start to “The Infamy of Crete”. Muddy palette so far but for now it’s working.

11/03/21

SorT? tech-check. Target -> 1488 (done).

Bullet points for a smooth six minutes.

Could easily fall into the trap of not doing anything this weekend but I know how it would make me feel if nothing was to happen. Try your best - productive variables.

12/03/21

Good God this text is heavy!

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Taking time in the studio. The little pieces of canvas / glass that I’ve been asked to put something on for a student’s project was actually a really good loosening / warming up exercise. I have plenty of little strands laying around and could put paint down / play / experiment / make mistakes for twenty minutes before moving onto wall works. Not a bad idea.

Gold Leaf for step edges possibly?

13/03/21

Some really solid background work to “On Gilded Steps” - a lot of blending work. The scratching around the figures - lets try and keep some of that!

15/03/21

Scanning.

16/03/21

Having to go up above to finish online work just sucks.

18/03/21

Waking up at 4am - chocking. Not good.

WHAT Panel talk

Miriam O’Connor: different coping mechanisms - access to the studio so important - adaptability key to productivity - art to navigate trauma in life - art practice is tool for survival

Austin Ivers: teetering between the two poles of anxiety and boredom.

19/03/21

Really enjoyed taking part in the panel talk yesterday and the podcast is out today. So happy it was recorded before my voice left me completely.

Some more work to “On Gilded Steps” today.

Some more work to “On Gilded Steps” today.

20/03/21

Darkness in control.

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“O.G.S.” - Steps are really annoying me. In hindsight I probably would have set the steps differently. now, however, with the background nearly prefect as it is, it could be a disaster to try and adjust the steps and lose that backdrop. I have this painting by Rembrandt rolling around in my head at the minute.

“The Conspiracy of the Batavians under Claudius Civilis” - Rembrandt - 1661/1662

“The Conspiracy of the Batavians under Claudius Civilis” - Rembrandt - 1661/1662

What a game!

21/03/21

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Should the bull’s head go black? - went a little too far with it today but it’s fixable.

25/03/21

Scaling sketches down in scanner is probably a good move. A few good drawings of old family photos tonight.

26/03/21

“T.I.O.C.” looks more like an etching at the minute.

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Loose! Emphasis on LOOSE!

27/03/21

Last night was a total nightmare. Floating, panic and chased by a hooded killer. Once caught a falling sensation would wake me up but once I dozed of I was straight back into the nightmare and repeated this process around four or five times.

‘Create and curate your own archive’.

Farewell Fernand.

28/03/21

Marta Dyezkowska Talk

memory / identity / trauma

We should be able to close the door on loss.

Standing with back to camera, an act of defiance against process. Mix memory with current state.

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Really enjoyed this talk today! Watching and listening in made me really nostalgic about LOFT. We should be proud of what we were able to achieve with that space.

29/03/21

“The infamy of Crete” - finished. Not perfect but pretty solid.

30/03/21

Little bit of “T.I.O.C.” was really bugging me so I crept into the studio and fixed it last night.

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Today was a case of drawing up a few smaller works and putting down basic paint layers. A promising start.

31/03/21

A quick up and down trip to Belfast for an appointment.

Surviving or THRIVING? - Panel Two Podcast!

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On Thursday 18th March, I took part in a panel exchange regarding support and wellbeing in the visual art sector in Ireland. This was the second panel talk of which there will be a total of six - each one focussing on different areas of the creative sector in Ireland. Host by Dr Maureen Gaffney the other artists on the panel were Miriam O’Connor and Austin Ivers. Click below to listen to the podcast!

Surviving or Thriving? was created by the Waterford Healing Arts Trust with the Arts Council of Ireland and I would like to thank them for inviting me to speak and to Visual Artists Ireland for providing support for this panel.

It was great to get to know Miriam and Austin in the lead up and wonderful to hear their thoughts on being an artist during what’s been a rough twelve months.

The other Surviving or Thriving? events run up until the 1st April 2020 and more information about upcoming talks and workshops can be found here.