Monday, November 30, 2015

SOLD! The magic word for artists

A contemporary abstract painting I did a couple of years ago when I was full of ambitious energy has just sold to a favourite returning customer of mine in the States. It's called "Abstract Autumn Bowl" and was created during an Easter weekend of video making. Alan and I hired the most economical camera we could find and spent the whole weekend filming demonstration paintings, with the aim of using them to promote sales online. Most of those videos still await editing! The sale of this painting - for some inexplicable reason, one of my favourites - will prompt me to quickly edit and upload the video to YouTube methinks.

I genuinely feel sad when a favourite painting jets off to a new home and I spend as much time as I can looking deep into the painting like a mournful depressive, trying to imprint every palette knife stroke into my psyche forever, before slipping it into its packaging. Sad. Sad, weird artist. But I know that the real thing is so much better in colour, texture and life than the digital image of it and that I'll never again enjoy that same feeling I get when I look at it. As I said, sad.

 "Abstract Autumn Bowl"

The same customer purchased a small oil painting on paper called "Bright at Night" - and here it is:

"Bright at Night"

As a Thank You Gift to a much-appreciated client, I enclosed a magnetised print of one of my photographs taken in Co Galway, Ireland, some years ago. I hope she likes it!

"A Roscahill Farm"

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Imagine

I was very touched by the German pianist who traveled 400 kms to take his piano to the site of the music hall in Paris where the terrorist attacks caused such devastation. He sat and played John Lennon's "Imagine" for a couple of minutes, then, feeling too emotional to continue, he packed up and left.

I've put a link to the video of him playing, below. It's great how that song has made such an impact on the world ... thanks John Lennon.

I was finishing an abstract study painting at the time I saw the story of this pianist, so decided to name the painting "Imagine" ... sigh, how original can I get! But then, I hope it adds its little bit of strength to the actions of that pianist and to the meaning in the song.

"Imagine"

I suppose I would like folk to consider the fact that, despite your political beliefs and frustrations, kindness is in everyone. You just need to use it. The political situation will be as it is, and sometimes, as an individual, you are powerless to change that .... but you're not powerless to be kind.

It is possible to separate humanitarian acts of care from political beliefs.

Click the image below to see the video of the pianist playing "Imagine"

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-pianist-perform-john-lennons-imagine-outside-paris-bataclan-20151114

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Portrait Progression and The Selador Collection

So there's been more work done on The Sunflower Wedding couple portrait ... mainly scary stuff like paint mixing and quick studies ... which sometimes make me feel more nervous than confident ... but I know that each study I do, despite the fact that all studies are challenging and explorative, I get closer to a more alive painting than if I hadn't done them.  And that really, is what I'm about ... paintings which capture essence and energy.

What bold and confident talk this is! LOL


Two extremely quick studies (less than 5 minutes spent on each)
helping me to decide whether to wield my palette knife or a brush
when working on the final painting - brush it is to be.
I call the couple of studies above "The Two Bruisers"!


Working on mixing skin tones

James, who features in the portrait, popped in this morning to hand me a very welcome envelope of money (being the mid-way payment in accordance with our agreement) ... and I must have frightened the living daylights out of him by grabbing him and dragging him into my studio, madly gazing at his eye colour and his hair colour, then plonking him down on a stool, pulling him into the position I wanted him in, and avidly taking more photographs. He had rather a terrified look on his face by the time he made it out the studio door again.

I've also been up to another bit of nonsense ... assisting my sister in setting up an online store selling Art, Vintage Clothing and Collectibles. It's called "The Selador Collection" and can be found here:


 We've also created a Facebook Page here:


Please have a look and Like her page if you do.