Category Archives: Donegal

faves of ’17

Here are some of my favourite moments and paintings from the last 12 months

And here’s to a peaceful, healthy and creative year ahead for us all. Namaste!

4 panels, untitled, each 70 x 50cm, in my studio, made in November


‘Yesterday was red’ aka ‘Pink’

55cm sq on canvas, made in November


‘Vessels’, made in October/November

Shipped rolled up in a tube to a customer in Pennsylvania just in time for Christmas


‘Split’ a diptych, each piece around 90×70-80cm. Currently being stretched and framed by the wonderful Seamus Quinn, at Artworks in Letterkenny, County Donegal


One of a group of paintings, displayed at the Show House, designed by Collette Ward Interiors, at the Ideal Home Show in Dublin this Autumn. This one was subsequently placed with a private collector


Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary in August this year, though actually this photo was taken out our gorgeous niece Nancy’s wedding!


So thrilled with my fantastic solo show at GreenFuse Gallery, in Westport, County Mayo in May. Photo shows me and the gallerist Vincent O’Donoghue. The paintings behind us are ‘Blood and Concrete 1&2’ which were later also shown at The Model in Sligo, and one of them (the one behind Vincent) was selected by a private collector


‘Due West’, the signature piece of my solo show, of the same name, at Green Fuse Gallery. Its huge, about 150 x250cm

2016-12-30-14.40.05.jpg.jpeg

The making of ‘Ruined gables, night painting’ was a first for me! Painted in the middle of the night with very poor light in the studio, but I love it!


A view of the ruined ‘clachan’ (group of cottages close together) on Cruit which inspired the ‘Ruined gables, night painting’ above


My largest painting to date, ‘Tower’, about 1m x 3m, painted at the end of 2015 and sold to a private collector who lives on another, even tinier island off the North West coast of Donegal. Getting it delivered was quite a feat in itself

Looking forward to loads more adventures in creativity in 2018. Maybe bigger and bolder works! Looking forward to keeping in touch with you all and hearing your news and comments

Oh! And I had a new grandson in May too! Welcome to littleBryn Malachy Doyle!

available from home

This is ‘Evening walk, Cruit Island’

A large signature piece, on canvas, framed

This is an even larger piece, ‘Due West’

Approximately 150 x250 cm it will make a dramatic statement

These 2 above are ‘Stateside 1’ and ‘Stateside 2’

Each 120cm square on canvas

If you want to see more images of my work, or find out more about these shown here, including prices, payment and delivery details, please email me on liz-doyle@live.com

Thanks

Liz Doyle

You can also find some of my work at these galleries:

http://www.thedoorwaygallery.com

http://www.velveteasel.co.uk

http://www.greenfuse.ie

(cover image shows a few on Cruit Island, the starting point for many if my larger psintings)

Strokes and structure

Here are 2 of my recent large works

The top one is ‘Evening walk, Cruit’

110 x 160cm

The bottom one is ‘Ruined gables, facing West’ , 120 x 160cm

They were both painted during the same short period of a few weeks, about 4 or 5 months ago, in Winter.

They were both inspired by, and had their starting point in an evening walk at sunset, with the Western light, on the tracks around our home on Cruit

They are both unusual for me as they were mostly painted using brushes. And also the paint mixture was more liquid and had a higher proportion of oil, so the surface us more glossy than usual

Both have some strong diagonal marks as central structures to the composition.

The top piece is more balanced, with a fairly traditional compositional structure, with the mountain and horizon quite central.

The lower piece has a distorted, unbalanced structure, with a weird sloping section to the horizon on the left, and strong diagonal marks ambiguously reaching down from the pyramidal forms into the foreground

The brush marks were applied very quickly in both works. And there are dribbles and splashes

The colours in the top piece are warm and strong, but mostly complimentary and /or harmonious. Whereas the colour in the lower piece are strong and sometimes clashing, even bilious.

For me the results are very different. The top painting is comfortable, even comforting. The lower piece is unsettling, maybe anxious making.

I have never analyzed my work like this before. I almost never write any sort of artist statement. I would be very interested to hear what other people might think. About these paintings. Or about me writing about my own work. No holds barred! Please be honest. A diogue would be great. Thanks

Blood and concrete

These are ‘Blood and Concrete ‘ 1 & 2

Each piece 100 x 80cm on canvas plus frame.

They were exhibited last month at Green Fuse Gallery in Westport, County Mayo.

I have submitted them to ‘Cairde Visual’ at the Model, in Sligo for their annual juried Summer show as part of Cairde Festival. I should hear soon if they have been selected. Fingers crossed!

These pieces developed out of my response to images of destruction in Aleppo, Syria. However, I don’t see them as sad paintings, but abstract images in their own right. It’s up to the viewer to make their own interpretation. I would be interested to hear from anyone if they have a particular reaction. Thanks

planning

‘Evening walk, Cruit Island’

100 x 155cm

I’m thinking about what will hang where

Which paintings complement each other

Thinking that ‘less is more’ but also how many or how few


‘Donegal’ Pair (now framed), one is 80 x 100, second is 80cm sq

Should they go in the same room

What’s the lighting like


‘Ruined Gables, Night Painting’

98 x 150cm


And what about the Ceide Fields pieces? (100 x 80 and 80cm sq). And there’s another of these there already


And there should be some smaller ones too (‘Its Orange Outside’, pair, framed now, 50cm sq)

But of course its not up to me anyway!

On tenterhooks waiting for a studio visit from the curator

Solo show at Green Fuse Gallery, Westport, County Mayo. 29th April to 10th June

a light touch

I’m using a lot of light mixes for layering over some older works. Favouring ochres, yellows, pale blues laid over the deeper and bolder tones underneath. This is creating some depth and I’m adding further texture with light lines and scrapes using solvent followed by a palette knife