stones (2 canvases 100 x 80 ) stage 3

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the stones are slowly revealing themselves through the mists of time and layers wax

today I have first made some transfers of field patterns onto the touch dry surface from last nights painting. The transfer prep is like alchemy to me, mix a paste of powder pigment and nail varnish remover (!)  paint the mixture onto a sheet of tracing paper ( I dont have any, so used a thin transparent shiny paper) it dries really quickly. draw through from the back so that the marks made transfer onto the canvas.

I then rolled, transferred and squeegeed 3 or 4 different areas with 2 different greyish colours of paint and wax, then rolled and squeegeed smooth. Incidentally covering over much of the field pattern drawing in the process

With solvent revealed some more of the stone shapes that wanted to appear, blotted off with tissue. Roughly scraped and scored around and about the shapes at different angles and depths

Thinking about the community that lived in the Ceide Fields. How did they work the stones with no metal tools? They had fire to roast their cattle, what was their relationship with fire, with their animals? With the stones?

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2 x 100cm x 80cm stage 2

so here they are back in my much reorganised and spacious feeling studio
applied a few more layers using baking paper to transfer the paint with a roller
then ‘ revealed’ the beginning of a couple of forms wirh solvent, blotted with tissue
scratched a bit, smoothed a bit with a squeegee
photos are rather gloomy because its dark outside and studio lights are dim

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mounting the stones

between clearing my studio rubbish ( well actually Malachy is doing that, thank you ♥) and actually painting, I have been thinking about how I am going to display all this new work. Many of the new Ceide Fields Stones series paintings are very textured and would benefit from NOT being distanced behind glass. So I think I am goung to mount them on panels. There are 15 that Ibwant to do this way, so I might need a mortgage!
The small 6 x 8″ maplike pieces are on paper and have rather irregular edges,mm so I think they will have to be behind glass, but I am hoping to work out a simple design that doesnt overwhelm them

Here are 4 of the ones that I definitely think should be on panels

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baring my soul and sharing my process

going to take a risk here and share these works day by day, however bad they get

started this evening with 3 layers of oil and cold wax on 2 canvases each 100 x 80cm

first layer mostly lemon yellow and cadmium yellow with a bit of orange, second layer mostly alizarin red with some magenta, third layer a greenish grey ( paynes grey, lemon yellow, sap green and left over pallette scrapings with some white). All with about a third cold wax medium

I had to work on the table in the utility room because its too cold out in the studio, so it was a bit cramped

the wax was a bit stiff, so added a small bit of vegetable oil, hope that isnt a disaster, as I suppose it might not set properly!

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a peek in my journal from Ballinglen

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saturday 15th November
layering – 3 layers completely covering on top of one another

watching Rebecca rescue and excavate

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a piece of tissue with a transfer print made with the imprint of a plastic tree stencil

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another tissue paper transfer print

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Monday 17th
thinking about light and dark, white on black, lichen on rock
mushrooms before dawn

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transfer techniques

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blue powder pigment

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a charcoal sketch and another tissue paper transfer

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old lichen rubbings

ceide fields small textured works on paper

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small, textured works on paper or multi media board in oil and wax
sizes between 16 x 12cm and 25 x 16cm
all made in November at Ballinglen Arts Foundation, County Mayo
inspired by a trip to the neolithic field walls at Ceide Fields on the North Mayo Coast

I would love to mount these together and show in a small museum, library or somewhere interested in these 5 thousand year old artifacts from a community who lived and farmed in a time before the wheel and before the metal plough

If anyone is interested, from anywhere in the world, please contact me  liz-doyle@live.com

cold wax workshop mayo

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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

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/west/ceidefields/