memories of Mayo
so much material to work from
must get rid of this cold and get back into the studio!
Category Archives: nature
cold wax workshop mayo
I am on a weeks workshop with artist Rebecca Crowell at Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ballycastle County Mayo
http://www.ballinglenartsfoundation.org/
My work this week is very influenced by a fantastic day trip we made out to Ceide Feilds
This is a huge extensive neolithic site, where a network of over 50 miles of buried stone boundary walls have been identified from a farming community living on this coastline over 5,000 years ago. The individual rocks from here and around another landmark, Benwee head, and the intriguing plan of the layout of the walls have found their way onto the surface of these paintings
update on 12 on paper
12 small works on paper
getting there slowly
several new layers of cold wax medium and oil, and a few new graphite marks
removed some of the tape so I can see where I’m at
this one is probably my favourite so far
Will take them off the boards tomorrow, then choose 3 or 4 to do some more work on, and retape those 4 to the board
High tide with grass and rocks
beetroot soup and other colours
My studio this morning and a diversion into the culinary arts!
Beetroot soup heralds the changing seasons for me. Pulling the magenta globes from the cold soil, twisting off the crinkly green and purple tops, the deep marroon of the cooking water, the use of the top of the range for the first time this year.
A frustrating morning in the studio. Managed to put a hole through a canvas I was hoping to reuse. Cleaned out the sink and rescued about 15 solidifying paint brushes. Threw away several unsalvageble ones
Will eat the soup and return to the fray with renewed vigour
beach up close and personal
I have been looking more and more closely at rocks and sand and seaweed and mussels. Have taken a plethora of photos. Have posted to Facebook and twitter and Google+ and Tumblr and interest and LinkedIn and lost my passwords again and again
I have set the dehumidifier going in the studio. I have cleared up some of the mess. I have moved paintings around.
Now is the time
Well, tomorrow anyway!
New work seeding
mussels colony update
three stages of the same painting
mussels colony 1
oil and cold wax and graphite on 80cm sq wooden panel
mussels colony progress
this one from yesterday looks like this today
and this one like this
mark making and mussels
eyes inward
oil and cold wax on panel 80cm square
sold
new abstract just finished
the last marks made were the loopy yellow oblongs and circles which bring the forms together I think
You can see the rough plastered stone wall off my studio too. Time to bring all my work inside as these walls soak up the damp like a sponge and all my canvases go mouldy!
Studio shot this morning (Tuesday 16th September 2014)
4 new panels painted together in oil and cold wax medium
Inspired by the purple mussels clinging to the rocks at low tide on a beach I walked last night
The two smaller panels, each 40cm square
other people do it much better than me
I dont usually post flower photos because I have a shaky hand, so I usually leave it to those who do it well
But the heather and montbretia / crocosmia are so vibrant just now
Magenta is a difficult colour in painting because it is so powerful, and the powder pigment that I bought in Venice seems to have got everywhere!
Our magenta rugosa roses are nearly over but they are our biggest success story, thriving inspite of our strong salt winds
We are delighted to have berries on one of our rowan trees for the first time, we planted about 20 rowans 6 years ago, and most have survived, and a few have flowered for the last 3 years, but the blossoms always get blown off before the berries set.
donegallizdoyle 