A Great Winter's Day

One of our painting colleagues had a "significant" birthday on Saturday, so we decided to mark the occasion the following day with a paint-out in his honour. We were lucky to get one of those all too rare perfect winter days - not a cloud in the sky all day. But the plan involved tea, cakes and good fun at the home of another colleague followed by a portrait session at her studio. So I only managed to do one small plein air painting. Unfortunately, I gave the portrait to the guest of honour before I got a chance to take a photo of it.

Our paint-out was at the little harbour of Carne, full of small fishing boats during the summer, but practically deserted at this time of year. Since the water looked fairly uninteresting, I looked around for something entirely different and settled for this old shed which looked very striking against the strongly lit background.

Winter Sunlight, Carne
(10" x 12" Oil on Board)

I remembered to take a photo of the scene this time and include it here because it shows how I edited it somewhat to improve the composition.

Last of Autumn's Colour

A few of us decided to catch the last of the autumn colour last Sunday in beautiful Kennedy Park (US followers of this blog may be interested to know that the park is adjacent to the ancestral home of John F Kennedy, hence the name dedication).  A lot of the leaves were already gone, but some varieties, especially the numerous maple trees, were still extraordinarily colourful.

For my first painting, I was really attracted to the strong, almost abstract shadow patterns created by the low sun and the almost bare trees.

Late Autumn Shadows, Kennedy Park
(14" x 11" Oil on Board)

I could no longer resist the obvious for my second painting and painted these maple trees in all their autumnal glory. There are several varieties here, with autumn colours ranging from green-yellow to orange and the deepest reds.

Autumn Maples, Kennedy Park
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

Good weather, good company and a great location. Plein air doesn't get much better!

Another Street Scene

I painted on the street again on Wednesday. Thankfully, a much better afternoon than the previous Friday. Hopefully I caught something of the festive atmosphere, albeit against an autumnal sky.

Autumn Light, Wexford
(14" x 11 Oil on Canvas)

Beyond my Comfort Zone!

I  have an exhibition running during the annual Opera Festival in Wexford (yes, we are a cultured lot here!). But it's in a small upstairs gallery which is usually closed unless there is an exhibition and we were getting less "footfall" than venues at street level, so I decided to bite the bullet last week and paint on the street outside it (got loads of visitors too as a result!). As luck would have it, I got a cold, wet afternoon, but I got enough down in ten minutes to capture some brief fleeting sunlight. I know there are a few inconsistencies, i.e. the backlight suggests that the shadows should be aligned more to the right, but I want the shadows going to the left. I may be totally wrong, but I think having to work in such miserable conditions added something extra to the painting. A bit more expressive perhaps? OK, so bring on winter then!

Winter Approaching, Wexford
(14" x 11" Oil on Board)

Something a Little Different

I went back to Newbay Forest on Wednesday afternoon, encouraged by some breaks in the cloud. But it got even darker when I got there. I looked around for something to paint and settled on this old tree. I had to invent the  light to some extent because it was bordering on dusk down there, and I also played around with a few other things, including the shape and direction of the branches. I sort of felt that this old tree put up a fight before succumbing to the inevitable. I suppose I sensed something heroic about it, and it conjured up related images in my mind. Accordingly, the title draws from the frequent use of the word "fallen" for those lost in battle.

Fallen, Newbay Forest
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

I took a photo, but you can see that this was much more out of my imagination than my usual plein airs:-

Back to the Woods

We've had a really good couple of days in Ireland with clear blue skies and summer-like temperatures. The days are getting shorter though, so when other chores need doing, it is difficult to get more than one plein air done per day. But at least I managed that - these are from yesterday and today - both done between about 1-00 pm and 3-00 pm.


Around the Bend, Newbay
(14" x 11" Oil on Board)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 





 
 
Dappled Light, Newbay
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

A Day in the Woods

I spent a day painting with some friends in a wooded area in the grounds of a local hotel a couple of weeks back. It was cloudy and very dark but at least it remained very dry. Different from recent posts, but I feel I captured the feel of the day.

Lost in the Woods, Newbay
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

Autumn Reflections, Newbay
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

A Way Through, Newbay
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

Autumn Pond, Forth Mountain

I'd been thinking about painting this pond for a while but wanted to get one of those really clear bright mornings - usually when we get such a morning it clouds over by mid-day, but you can expect a couple of hours of fairly consistent light. I got such a morning last Friday, and true to form it clouded over after a couple of hours but I managed to get the painting finished before the light changed completely.

Autumn Pond, Forth Mountain
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

Here is a photo of the scene:-

A Blustery Day at the Seaside

It was a typical autumnal day here yesterday, cool, windy and with a constant threat of showers. Perfect plein air weather then! Especially if you're crazy enough to go to an exposed seaside location! Fortunately, there was only one shower all day, but it was very windy, particularly down at Hook Head where I started. It was bordering on being impossible to paint, but I stuck with it, because I liked this dramatic frontlit scene, even if the light kept changing every few minutes.

Showery Autumn Morning, Hook Head
(10" x 12" Oil On Canvas)

I moved up the coast a few miles where it was less windy and was really struck by the dramatic backlight on these cliffs overlooking Carnivan Bay.

Autumn Afternoon, Carnivan Bay
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

Finally, I walked to the far end of Carnivan Beach and did this "contre jour" one looking South West towards Hook Head.

Autumn Evening, Carnivan Beach
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

Here are some photos of the scenes:-

Group Paint-Out in Clohamon

One of our colleagues was kind enough yesterday to let us loose around her home and farm near Clohamon, Co Wexford. Some beautiful panaromic views around the farm and interesting plants and an ornamental pond made for some great variety of subjects. Unfortunately, the bright morning sunlight gave way to more cloudy conditions slightly after mid-day, but at least it stayed dry until evening. I managed to get three completed.

I couldn't resist the combination of reflections and shadows in the pond for my first one.

Autumn Pond
(12" x 10 Oil on Canvas)

By the time I started my second one it had become increasingly cloudy and clouded over completely after about 45 minutes, so I had to wing it a bit.

Before the Rain, Near Clohamon
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

It was totally overcast while painting my third one, so as I usually do, I looked for some colour. Not a lot left at this time of year, but these roses provided a bit of interest.

Maria's Garden
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

Here are some photos of the scenes:-

A Testing Day

A group paint-out yesterday to Cahore Harbour. A wet, windy day with a few brief breaks, just allowing enough time to get something done. It eventually came down really heavy at around 4-00 pm, just before I had finished my second one, so I had to wing it a little in the studio this morning.

Rough Seas, Cahore Point
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

High Tide, Cahore Point
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

Here are photos of  both scenes:-

Making Hay (or Waves perhaps!) While the Sun Shone!

We got some beautiful weather here this week. So I made the best of it and did a good few marine plein air paintings. These are my favourites from the week.

Evening Glow, Carnivan Bay
(10" x 12" Oil On Canvas)

Sun and Surf, Hook Head

(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

Hazy Morning, Hook Head
(10" x 12" Oil On Canvas)

Cliff Shadows, Hook Head
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

Here are some photos of the scenes:-

Morning Shadows, Carnivan Beach

I got out early this morning to catch the brilliant clear sunlight, suspecting that it was one of those days that would cloud over as the day progressed. As expected, it clouded over completely after about an hour and a half, but I was almost finished by then.

Morning Shadows, Carnivan Beach
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

I took this photo of the scene before I started:-

Low Tide, Ballyhack

Painted at a group paint-out last Sunday, once again we were blessed with a beautiful day despite ominous weather forecasts. I was immediately drawn to the combination of shadows and reflections in the mud, but I also wanted to draw the eye up the hill behind the castle.

Low Tide, Ballyhack
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

I took this photo of the scene before I started:-

A Beautiful Day

Some of our plein air group decided to go for a paint-out to the picturesque little village of Screen yesterday. And we got really lucky with the weather, warm and sunny all day! We've had few enough of those here for a couple of months now. I managed to complete three paintings.

I liked the shadow patterns on the road in the morning sunlight:-

Morning Shadows, Screen
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

By midday it had become quite warm so I sought refuge under a tree near my car and found myself drawn to the strong "contre jour" light on the headstones in the old cemetery across the road. Hardly likely to sell though, but at least it proves I don't always "play to tthe gallery"!

The Old Cemetery, Screen
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

After a quick lunch I returned and did this one in the late afternoon in a field just outside the village:-

Hay Bales, Near Screen

(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

 

Here are some photos of the scenes:-

More from Art in the Open 2010

I finally got around to photographing the rest of the stuff from our annual plein air festival, Art in the Open. The first two were both done at a paint-out in historic Tintern Abbey. A great spot for painting if sunny, but unfortunately it remained overcast all day. It was, however, quite a bright and relatively warm day.

Reflections, Tintern Abbey
(12" x 10" Oil on Board)

Low Tide, Tintern Abbey

(10" x 12" Oil on Board)

Off to Johnstown Castle gardens the following day for another paint-out. Due to other commitments, I could only stay for the morning, but managed to finish this one of the glasshouse in the walled garden. Another overcast but fairly bright day.

The Glasshouse, Johnstown Castle

(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

The last one here was done around midday on the Sunday of the competition proper. I don't usually do street scenes, so decided to push myself right out of my comfort zone by finding the most public place possible!

Cloudy Morning, South Main Street, Wexford
(12" x 10 Oil on Canvas)

Here are some photos of the scenes:-