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:-

 

Kilmore Quay Paint-Out

Our "Art in the Open" plein air festival kicked off with a paint-out to the fishing harbour of Kilmore Quay. A busy, bustling place with trawlers and smaller fishing vessels coming and going (a good idea to make sure that the boat you're going to paint isn't going anywhere soon!). We had a great turn out and the weather obliged too with a beautiful sunny afternoon.

I did the first one in the overcast morning conditions. Despite the clouds there were great reflections in the water.

Reflections, Kilmore Quay
(12" x 10" Oil on Board)

I painted the second one in the afternoon, opting for this close up view, with just enough information to suggest bright afternoon sunlight.

Afternoon Sunlight, Kilmore Quay

(10" x 12" Oil on Board)

Lunch was great fun, with the best fish n' chips in Ireland (the fish only has to travel about 100 yards!)

Here are photos of both scenes:-

Art in the Open 2010

Our annual plein air festival is almost at a close for another year with just one more paint-out to spectacular Hook Head tomorrow. I managed to paint at four of our five paint-outs as well as painting for at least a couple of hours on all three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) of the festival proper. As a Steering Committee member I had other duties this year, which meant less painting time and a lot less sleep, but I'm delighted to say that the whole thing was a tremendous success. It was also my pleasure this year to have two great plein air artists, Rob Ijbema and Michael Richardson, as guests at our home for the duration of the festival - the house seems strangely quiet today - our cat even misses them despite leaving a few scratch marks on Rob one night!

These are the paintings I did in Wexford and Enniscorthy over the week-end, currently included in the exhibition in the wonderful Greenacres Gallery (http://www.greenacres.ie/). I'll post other work when I get a chance to photograph it.

I started off about 11-30am on a dull, overcast Friday, which never really turned to rain despite threatening to do so all day. I've passed by this beautiful little lane several times in the past and thought how lovely it would be to paint it, but was never brave enough until now.

Mary's Lane, Wexford
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

Off to the medieval town of Enniscorthy, some 15 miles North of Wexford on Saturday morning. I was on registration duty until lunch-time, which unfortunately co-incided with the mist turning to rain, so it took me almost three hours to complete this, following a number of hasty retreats for shelter from the weather. The arches really look that irregular IRL because of some variation in size and the double curvature of the bridge. I thought about making everything seem more uniform, but decided against it in the interest of authenticity. 

Rushing Water, Enniscorthy

(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

Despite feeling a bit deflated, I soldiered on and did this little street scene in the evening. Funny how parked cars always seem to disappear before you finish them!

Evening Light, Slaney Street, Enniscorthy

(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

I took some photos of both street scenes, but forgot the river for some reason:-

Arthurstown Paint-Out

A group paint-out to a wet and windy Arthurstown yesterday. A combination of bravado and stubborness helped me to complete two paintings despite the very difficult conditions. The rain cleared for a couple of hours but the very strong wind persisted. I did the first one between about 9-30 am and 11-00 am, the second between about 12-00 pm and 1-30 pm. A much needed sandwich and pint of Guinness in a nearby pub dampened my enthusiasm somewhat when I discovered the rain had returned in the afternoon, so that was it for the day!

Wet and Windy, Arthurstown
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

Cloudy Afternoon, Arthurstown
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

Here are photos of the two scenes:-

A Street Scene

I usually avoid street scenes, mainly because the distraction just gets to me and I lose concentration. I used to be very self-conscious about setting up in a public place too, but I've largely outgrown that! Anyway, I had some moral support from a few fellow painters when doing this one in Kilkenny recently. I still have a lot to learn about doing such scenes, but at least I feel I'm improving:-

Lunchtime, St Kieran's Street, Kilkenny
(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

Here is a photograph of the scene:-

A Week in West Cork

Just back from a week's break in West Cork. It was a "vacation", but I still managed to do some painting. The beautiful woodland surrounding our cottage provided ample material for me, so I ventured no further. I did all of them fairly early in the morning to take advantage of the early light, but also so as not to get into marital difficulties!

I did the first one just outside out front door. The woods were full of these beautiful wild foxglove flowers.

Foxgloves in Morning Light
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)

I painted the next one the following morning about a five minute walk away. The light was very variable so I struggled with this one.

Across the Bay, Ardnagoshel Wood

(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

It was a beautiful sunny morning again a couple of days later, so I got totally consistent light for about an hour or so for this one.

"Sisters", Ardnagoshel Wood

(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

I did the final one the following morning. The light was a bit variable again with intermittent cloud and sunshine, but I'm reasonably happy with the painting.

Dappled Sunlight, Ardnagoshel Wood

(12" x 10" Oil on Canvas)

Here are a few photos of the scenes:-