Curiosity

These colourful studies of Purdy seem to get lots of atention so I've decided to do a small series. I probably won't blog them all as I know how short the ol' attention span is, but this one is slightly larger than the others at 8" x6".

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Standing on the shoulders of giants

I did this one last night before tea, but this morning's offering was a definite wiper. I need some good music, so I'm blogging and creating a new playlist at the same time. Creative multitasker me!

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Deep Dargle

Exciting day today! An art dealer has shown interest in some of my paintings for two galleries down the country, a local gallery has invited me to enter a submission for a show next year, one painting sold this week and I got a commision for another. Hey hey.

Today has however been crazy, I brought my eldest to the orthodontist where he decided to "pop" that last baby tooth out. No numbing gel, no nothing, just pulled it out with his fingers before anyone could restle him to the ground.

We're home now and recovering with icecream!

Three's a magic number

When is a pear not a pair?
Oh come on... it's not that bad. Ok it is, but frankly what do you say about a still life of three pears? 
Anyway, I'm head, tooth and claws into searching for a website theme or template that fits with my ideas for the website. I'm going with the "shoot for the stars - hit the trees" theory of web design. I want something that looks fantastic, great clean design and clear intuitive navigation. I am happy to pay (with a small p) for the right theme but of course that's like the Holy Grail. I know I will have to make major compromises by the end but right now I'm still in the shoot for the stars end of thinking and hoping I will stumble onto the perfect design. I feel another two hours in front of the computer screen coming on. What joy!

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Orange Jar

I started work on an artitst's website today. When I say started, of course I mean this in the widest possible sense. I know once I get into it, it will be fine but already knowing how long it takes and having decided to use wordpress, which is new to me, I think I'd rather go back to bed.

I have used dreamweaver before but wordpress seems a lot easier and it's also free. I am looking into free themes at the moment for artists sites but I think I may have to go with something more general and then customise it. (more fear)

So, the thing is to start right? and I did that today!



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Leaving platform one

Pearse Station late one cold evening last week.

Painted from a photo that was taken by my train photographer cousin in-law, Finny Kennedy. Thanks Finny. I came across this photo on Finny's facebook page and loved the contrast of the really dark night and the pools of warm light on the platform. I was somewhat less taken by the very boy fact that the train was a 2900 class - whatever that is!

SOLD

Three Sisters

Something about this compostition reminds me of the Three Sister star constellation. Maybe too much time alone?

You heard it here first!

Here's the word on two blogs worthy on some lurv..

So, the thing is..
written by Barb Cooper, a self confessed writer, mum and reborn knitter blessed with a witty and sometimes dark sense of humour. " Struggling to learn to live in my head, in my body and in this world, all at the same time. It's not as easy as you'd think." Well worth checking out if you are a thinking woman dealing with family life. The other is

Totalfeckineejit
In his own words " Hypocrite,Langer, Louser.Pizza manafacturer/delivery boy and part-time astronaut also a poet/photographer extraordinaire.A self-made Billionaire. I live in a large medieval castle set in 200 acres of woodland. we raise herds of wild Haggis for our exclusive EEjit pizza range.I founded and run Ireland's only eco and alien -friendly space exploration centre. I have been variously described as 'Irelands greatest poet' and 'a total tosser who couldn't write a decent poem if his life depended on it' or 'as a poet he makes a great photographer' and 'as a photographer he makes me sick' Not too hot on poetry, potograffee, grammar,punctuation, or Sunday afternoons.Me spelin is perfik dough."

So there, check them out and spread the lurv.

When it all goes pear shaped

A hundred dead people in my truck.

Half are the bodies of babies, up to 20 in one coffin. Cause of death - starvation. This, only 90 minutes from Miami. This was Haiti - before the earthquake.

I was deeply affected by a documentary shown last night on RTE about Irish people working in Haiti last year. It was called “A hundred dead people in my truck.” If you missed it it’s worth catching up on their iplayer here.

What was moving in so many ways, both then and now was the strength of spirit of the Haitians. Dr. Louise Ivers, an Irish aid worker says in the documentary “There is an old Haitian saying here, As long as your head isn't cut off, you can always dream of wearing a hat. The Haitians are very resilient."

If you haven’t already donated a few Euros here’s a link to two of my favorite charities, Goal and Oxfam. Both are in Haiti now.

Slopes of Bray Head

So I thought might paint this scene overlooking Bray and then paint the same scene after the snow was gone. With this in mind I went for a walk up there yesterday but it was so wet you could barely see the big trees in the forground. Maybe I'll wait till the sun comes back - of course with our weather one could be waiting so I'll put his one up for now.

In a bit of a Jam!

Barter Heaven.

Yesterday I bartered some of my homemade rasberry jam for some gessoed boards - this one included. What started off as a bit of a joke on facebook ended up saving me a few euros. Now, I'm not going to brag about my jam (much) but he asked for more, so Happy days! Thanks Kevin and I hope you like the jam!

It got me thinking though, lots of people and in particular artists are turning to bartering as a way of navigating this cheery time we like to call "The Recession". I know of an artist who has bartered a painting for weekends away for the family and I've heard of artists bartering for anything from dental treatment, to website optimisation services. It's really not a bad idea and I guess it it just take a little creative thinking.

So if you happen to have a villa in the south of france.... talk to me.

Looking for fishes

Here's some advice that I picked up from Celeste Bergin's post yesterday.

"Someone told me once that many bad paintings is a very positive thing! Keep going despite bad painting and eventually, because of sheer tenacity and volume, more and more the bad paintings get replaced with better ones."

And it's true, it's a case of understanding that the bad paintings are all part of the process of creating the better ones. I guess the same is true for lots of things.

Sugarloaf under Snow

The sugarloaf mountain Co. Wicklow viewed from the north during the snow.

SOLD

Watching

This is Purdy, in a mood that could go either way. On a slightly larger canvas of 8"x8" this time. I have also included a photo (below) of the tonal under painting that I started with.

SOLD

Wait up Chuck!

Back to those Chickens from Brooklodge. They're such matriarchal  busy bodies chickens, aren't they?

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Silent Walk

Don't you love that particular quality that sound takes on in the snow? It seems quiet and yet everything sounds louder or maybe sound just carries further. Anyway this was a quite moment in an otherwise mad morning at the entrance to a lane at the back of Powerscourt's East Golf Course.

Contemplative Puss

Have you read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road? It's an incredible but terrifying story of a man and his son surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. I remember reading it all through the night and into the morning because I was too frightened to go to bed before the end. Last night I watched the trailer for the movie on utube to see if I would be brave enough to go see it (which I've decided I'm not) before sitting down to painting the first of two paintings.

I had just finished the one above, another of Purdy, when all the lights went out in the area and the heat went off. The country has just ground to a halt after an embarrassingly small amount of snowfall and now with the thaw we're getting floods and water shortages both and now black outs! Hardly post apocalyptic but what’s going on? There must be someone I can write an indignant letter to?

SOLD

Brooding Trees in Snow

Obviously I’m not completely grown up yet cause when I looked out the window last night and saw rain instead of the big snow,that was forecast, my heart gave a little disappointed awwhh! Of course I'm delighted that we're not snowed in for three more days (no one going stir crazy here!) and I really can't wait to get back to normal but God was it beautiful.

Frozen Lakes and Snowy Days

Frozen lake Snow Scene

If you're thinking I've seen this one before your kinda right. It's a larger version of same lake in "Frozen Lake".
I'm scraping the barrell with supplies at the moment due to the weather. I ran out of boards to paint on and white paint! This one was painted on a canvas 8x8 board.

The rest of my time has been taken up with lots of the below....

Frozen Lake

I nearly lost a brace of kids to this lake so I have mixed feelings when I look at it myself. Snow coming down in buckets here. Plan to walk a mile to the shops then maybe paint again later! Hope you're all warm and safe!

Head Gardener's House

The snow is still here and seems to be settling in for the next little while. If you ask me I think it's in danger of overstaying it's welcome!

Tree line in snow

Picture the scene.. Me and three kids, snow as far as the eye can see, frozen lake, plastic sleighs,... and child no. 2 looses our car keys! Long story and minor frost bite injuries later I find them just as I am about to call mountain rescue! So in all the excitement not many photos taken for painting, my ulterior motive for going up there in the first place. However I did get manage a few. This is of the same line of trees from "Walk in Snow” but a little ways up the lane.

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When a painted the one below "Walk in Snow” I was in two minds about the figure and after a couple of comments about it I decide to go ahead and remove it. So here it is again without the figure. Better?

Walk in Snow

So yesterday afternoon, while out walking the dog, we found ourselves inside of one of those winter wonderland christmas cards. No joking, it was draw droppingly beautiful. Perfect you say for taking photos to paint from and before you say it, yes I had brought my camera. But a word of caution, remember when your mother in law gives your kids some cheap batteries from the pound shop, do not be tempted to use them in your camera. In the end I had to make do with my phone camera which is not the same at all. I'll try again today but snow never lasts more than a day here so I'm not too optomistic.

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Gerty

Happy New Year.

It's been a funny few days doing not a lot of much but although I haven't been posting I have been working. Three of the paintings that I've done since the last post are however not right yet. They are of two views of the Kerry mountains taken from some of Maria's photos. But I am struggling with getting the compostion right and the balance of colour. I will keep working at it and post them when I'm a little happier.

In the meantime let me introduce you to Gerty the goat and fourth the painting. Here she is in better light than the photo from last night!