A Bright Winter Day at Johnstown Castle

Our plein air group went to nearby Johnstown Castle and gardens on Sunday last. After a dull, misty start, it turned into a beautiful clear day. I only did the one painting (I think staring into the sun took its toll on my eyes!).



February Morning, Johnstown Castle
(14" x 11" Oil on Board)

This is a photo of the scene taken before I started:-

Group Paint-Out at Forth Mountain

We stayed local for our group paint-out on Sunday last (5/2/12). Very local for me, and I've painted the rocks up there several times. But I always seem to find a different angle or interesting light to get me interested. For my first one, I braved the bighting wind for about an hour and a half in a very exposed spot.


Winter Morning, Forth Mountain
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

It was threatening rain by early afternoon (and there was a rugby match to watch - for my American friends, think Superbowl, but without all the stoppages and ad breaks), so I worked really fast and got my second one about 90% complete, finishing it in the studio this morning.

The Mass Rock, Forth Mountain

(12" x 10" Oil on Board)

These are photos of both scenes:-

Paint-Out at the South Slobs

We had a group paint-out at the South Slobs, Wexford yesterday (the South slobs is a low-lyiing, marshy area, frequented in winter by migratory birds and the occasional mad artist!). It was a relatively good January day, with no rain and good sunshine in the afternoon - it was only about 8C (45F) though with a cold North-Westerly wind. The area is very flat - actually looks very like Holland - and it can be difficult to find anything interesting to paint apart from the obvious. For my first one, I stuck to the "obvious", settling for the old pumphouse, mainly because I managed to get a sheltered spot. But it presented a fairly dramatic silhoutte against the winter sky.

The Pumphouse, South Slobs, Wexford
(12" x 10" Oil on Board)

I just went for a sky study for my second one.

Winter Sky, South Slob, Wexford

(12" x 10" Oil on Board)

Here are photos of both scenes. As you can see, I edited/re-arranged both scenes quite a bit.

 

A Cold Day for Plein Air Painting

A few of us braved the elements yesterday for a paint-out in Rosslare. It was only about 5C and there was a strong South East wind blowing in from the Irish Sea, which ruled out any prior thought of cliff-top locations! So we all headed down to the relatively sheltered little harbour, known as "The Safe". It was mostly cloudy, but there was an occasional burst of sunlight and I tried to capture that. So my first plein air of 2012 then:-

Winter Afternoon, The Safe, Rosslare
(12" x 10" Oil on Board)

This is a photo of the scene, taken before I started. I took the liberty of moving things around a bit for the painting.

Another Studio Painting

I just finished this new studio painting this morning. It's based on a plein air I did last year.

Autumn Afternoon, Carnivan Bay
(24" x 30" Oil on Canvas)

A Windy Morning in West Kerry

This studio painting is based on a small plein air study I did in West Kerry earlier this year. It was a wet, windy morning and about difficult as plein air can get before it becomes impossible. It was real fun to do a larger studio version without having to worry about the weather (or the large mountain ram who kept checking me out while doing the plein air!). I played around a lot with texture variation in this one to enhance the separation and distance between the foreground rocks and the sea below.

Rough Seas, Near Brandon Creek
(30" x 24" Oil on Canvas)

This is a detail showing the degree of texture in the foreground rocks (mostly knifework):-

Another West Kerry Painting

This is a large studio painting based on a plein air I did earlier this year. I laid the paint on in thick impasto strokes to depict the main breaking wave, as I felt it helped to capture the sheer power of it. I can still hear the loud bang every time a wave hit that rock!

Windy Afternoon, Clogher Head
(24" x 30" Oil on Canvas)

Here's a close-up to give some idea of texture:-