Back to acrylics with this. Painted from life, at the side of a road looking North. A great experience to be painting outside in the open air, it’s how I started out 13 years ago doing painting. Time to complete 12 -13 hours.
Tag Archives: eastcorkpainter
Twilit Winter Sky
I think this is the lowest horizon I’ve ever put on a painting, but then it’s all about the sky.
Roses – Sold
Since I started using oils in January 2012, a lot of my pictures had quite muted colour schemes, especially the last two I did. So in this one I used a variety of bright colours on the roses. The central pale rose had to have very pure mixes; the slightest amount of impurity and the colour would be a faded grey mud. Overall this was a very challenging and absorbing painting.
Grandfather Dan on his Fordson – Sold
This painting is based on a black and white photograph taken on 22nd January 1943. My paternal grandfather Daniel T McCarthy is sitting on his newly bought Fordson tractor. The orange model was made from 1939 – 42. Behind the tractor is a plough. Much of the ploughs in Ireland were still horse drawn at that time. My grandfather was a forward thinking man in terms of farm machinery and this tractor was the very latest in tractor technology at that time. I didn’t know him, he died in 1973. The original photograph had a glare that obscured much of the engine detail. Also the very front of the tractor was cut off in the photo, so I had to consult the original negative plate to get it right. So I spent WAY too much time on this. I faded the colour in the sky to make it look colder and blurred the detail in the ground and background so the tractor stands out more.
Self-Portrait, 2012
Painted from life from my reflection in a mirror. I just love the overall shabiness of it and the expression of mild anxiety on me, it’s an honest to goodness portrayal of who I am.
Ballycotton Island on an April Evening – Sold
This is the island as seen from my house looking south. I have to thank my sister who alerted me to the unusual light on the buildings that evening. Sold.
Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork City
One of the most recognised and beautiful historical buildings in Ireland’s second largest city. I wanted to paint it at night because there is a great sense of atmosphere about it.
View of Ballinwilling Strand Looking East – Sold
This was painted in early Spring, 2012 and to keep out of the cold air, I would sit in the front passenger seat of my car and paint what I saw outside the windscreen. This is a nice, quiet beach about a mile east of Garryvoe beach.
Flashlit Spider and Web
My sisters helped me choose this subject matter. It’s very unusual and I’m pleased that I didn’t use a ruler to do the straight threads of the web, all freehand.
Black Bull in Beausang’s Field – Sold
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I enjoyed doing this. Very refreshing subject matter and it’s my first larger oil painting. This fellow was standing in the field opposite my house.
eastcorkpainter 