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)