After a long cold winter its nice to see longer days and hopefully warmer weather… it certainly makes a difference in Merrion Square. I’ve had quite a few commissions to do during the past few months. I’m including some images of these, along with a large painting that I recently completed of The Four Courts that I’m particularly pleased with. This is one of those paintings that I probably spent too much time on, but I’m really happy with end result. Its a wonderful composition, with the bridge in the foreground, and the imposing structure of The Four Courts contrasting with the warm tones of the Georgian buildings, and the tree on the left bringing balance to the painting.

This next image was a commissioned painting of The East Pier, Dun Laoghaire. It is an area that is very familier to me as I regularly walk there with my family. I wanted to capture all of the detail in the beautiful Victorian bandstands, and I really like the strong perspective which leads you eye down the pier to the lighthouse at the end.

This next piece is a commissioned painting of St. Mary’s College, Rathmines. Aesthetically, this was a challenging subject, but I feel my treatment of it does it justice.

I’ll post some more news and images soon. I am currently working on a project with The E.S.B. to coincide with the closure of their iconic Poolbeg Power Station… in the meantime, as always,its back to the easel.

I haven’t had a chance to post any news since August, as thankfully I have been very busy. The three Stephens Green Exhibitions went really well….sales were good and I received many commissions. Then it was full steam ahead to the Art Fair in the RDS, which took place in November. I went into the show with depleted stocks and managed to sell all but one of my paintings. These exhibitions are usually busy, but this year I didn’t have great expectations, so I was surprised and delighted with the outcome.

As I am continually saying, my mantra this year is ‘quality not quantity’. Even when stocks are low, and I’m under pressure with commissions, I’ve continued to focus more and more on simply producing good work, no matter how much time is spent on each painting.

In difficult times we are all more discerning about what we spend our money on, especially when it comes to art. It is evident that a good standard of work, where the quality, beauty, and attention to detail is always apparent represents a good investment and value for money. I believe that these characteristics in my paintings have helped me to have had a successful year…and I intend to continue with this into the future.

During the past number of months as sales of my work have been good, I haven’t managed to have many paintings in stock at any given time (a great complaint). This has allowed me to produce more work to order. So, if a particular painting in the archive gallery, or elsewhere, catches your eye, it is possible for me to create a similar original painting on request.This can then be purchased on approval of the finished piece.

I’m including images of two paintings recently completed. Fitzwilliam Square and Ha’ Penny Bridge were two large pieces produced for The Art Fair, and they were the first paintings sold at the show. Its always nice to sell a couple of big ones first as it takes the pressure off.

I’ll try not to leave it so long before I post my next bit of news. I expect things to slow down a bit in the New Year, so I should have more time to increase my stock of work. I have lots of ideas for new paintings, so I’m really looking forward to creating some new and exciting pieces…watch this space.

I’ve been working away steadily as always, even with the added distraction of the kids (still on holdays) coming in to the studio now and then, I’m still producing work that I’m happy with. There are some images below of some recent watercolour seascapes that I’m particularly pleased with. These are more subtle and atmosheric compaired to the streetscenes, the simple compostions and elongated landscape format make these paintings most appealing. I hope they are well received on The Green.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour

Howth Harbour

Sandymount Strand

As the longest day of the year passed a few days ago, I began to reflect on the first half of 2009, and also give some thought to the next six months.

It has to be said that business has been somewhat erratic this year, but overall, I’m pleased as I’ve managed to keep sales ticking over and have actually found the last 4 to 6 weeks have been busier.  Let’s hope the “green shoots” that are often talked about are beginning to manifest themselves.

My philosophy as I previously stated has been to focus on producing good quality work at my own pace.  I really believe that this has paid off, and I will continue with this into the future.  I am genuinely proud of the paintings that I have produced recently, and I’ve never enjoyed my work as much as I have now.

I received some interesting commissions during the past few months, some proving to be most challenging, but definitely very rewarding.  Two commissioned paintings that I was particularly pleased with were of the Botanic Gardens (see images).  Each painting required a great deal of thought and consideration in its execution.  The painting of the Arboretum proved to be particularly difficult.  I was very pleased with both pieces when finished and thankfully so was my client.

I had the good fortune to have the magazine ‘Ireland of the Welcomes’ feature my work in a four page article.  With a readership of over 300,000, mainly in the USA, this has given a great boost to my profile, and who knows what it may lead to….I’ve always wanted to have a solo exhibition in America.

This weekend, 26th, 27th and 28th June, I will be exhibiting on the railing of St. Stephen’s Green.  These shows are always enjoyable and usually successful…..lets hope it will be so this time.  I am away on holidays then until July 17th, and I am really looking forward to some quality time with my family. 

In this latest piece I have decided to give some insight into the evolution of a painting from pencil sketch to finished ‘masterpiece’. I am including some images taken at various stages of this paintings development. The scene which I have chosen is a view of the lower end of Grafton Street, a scene that I particularly like as it provides some interesting and challenging features. I chose the Weirs building as a focal point as I love the beautiful detail of the brickwork and windows, so, much time and attention was spent in this part of the painting. I also wanted the viewers eye to be naturally drawn down the street to Trinity College by using strong perspective in the roofline of the buildings. I used a limited palette concentrating  mainly on the warm tones of the buildings brickwork and street paving stones contrasting occasionally with some primary colours. The watercolour was applied in gentle ‘washes’  allowing the rich detail of the pen & ink to be very apparent.

This painting was a work in progress during the past 4/5 weeks. It is a big piece measuring 40″ x 34″  when framed. It is available for purchase, for more details, please contact me.

From a detailed pencil sketch through to the fine pen work, it is possible to see the time and energy spent on each painting.

I am not the most organised person when it comes to things of a technical nature but I have finally managed to get my website up and running. A big thanks to fellow artist and web designer extraordinaire, Paul Flynn for all of his advice and patience. One of these days I will actually get around to having a solo exhibition….so watch this space!

I enjoy this time of year as I don’t have any shows or exhibitions, allowing me to focus on simply producing good work without deadlines. I am really pleased with the quality of my current paintings, as I have many new scenes which I ‘ve never painted before. Each piece has been completed at a pace that suits me, and I think I will try to continue with this way of working for the rest of the year. So with that in mind, its time to get back to my drawing board .

As the days are getting longer and the weather gets that bit milder Merrion Square is becoming a more  enjoyable experience, whether you are looking for a painting or just out for a stroll, pop in and say hello.

Wellington Road