Painted this in November 2009. This castle is half a mile from my home. It’s a late Medieval tower house owned by the Carews, a local Anglo-Norman landowning family. People have been impressed by the realism of this piece.
Galway Cathedral at Dusk
I had noticed before I started painting this, that there is a fine contrast between street lighting and the twilight sky, between the yellow/orange glow and deep indigo of the sky. I was staying in Galway when I started on this, a fine town with an impressive cathedral. I like this painting a lot.
Barletta Belfry and Cathedral
Painted while I was on holiday in Southern Italy. This view was from the balcony in my accommodation. Clear blue skies all day meant painting from life was much easier than in Ireland!
Padre Pio
This painting was a gift to my mother. But I didn’t do it simply to thank her, I found the look of Padre Pio compelling and worth painting.
Autumnal Tree in Carew’s Wood
Painted this during the summer of 2009. I used blotches of various bright colours to give a dappled texture to the tree. I was meticulously imitating a small photo so it took some weeks to complete this. Carew’s Wood is a local garden centre.
Midsummer Sunset
My first time trying to capture the sun directly. I like how green the sky is.
Midsummer Midnight Glow
I love how the northern sky retains a twilight glow long after the sun has set at this time of year. This how it looks around 11.30 pm.
Grandfather and his Eight Brothers
From a customised photograph. My father’s father stands in the middle with his hands clasped. It took over a month to do this. The likeness of some brothers is better than others based on feedback I got when I displayed this in my first exhibition. Of the 9 brothers, I met 4. My grandfather was the first to die, 40 years ago this year. All nine are deceased.
Autumnal View of Garryvoe
I hadn’t painted for 6 months before I started this. I was determined to make a highly detailed painting as I was a little disappointed with the previous painting’s foreground. Based on a reference photo; the day I took it I wasn’t in the area, I was down by the prom walk in Garryvoe and noticed bales in the field on the higher ground. When I got there I found that they were in every field towards the sea. So I spent the next 6 months painting. The last 3 were spent on the foreground, doing those stubbles trying to depict the sunlight reflecting off of them. No compromise!
Nenagh Castle.
Following the abbey painting, I attempted to depict the round castle which dominates the skyline in Nenagh town. Like the abbey painting, I used vivid colours. I painstakingly did each stone. Consequently, this painting was in my life for a few months.
eastcorkpainter 