
Tag Archives: irish
Foamy Tide At Garryvoe Beach

My biggest painting to date (1 metre x 80cm). The whole idea for it belongs to my older sister Claire. Shortly after last Christmas, she came to me with the idea for doing a picture of the sea when the froth is foamy and thick. I liked the idea because I haven’t seen many paintings of such a view. The picture is based on a photo taken on New Year’s Eve. I took loads of shots and spent time observing the ebb and flow of the tide. 99% of the painting was done with my thin Dalon rigger brush. I was determined to finish it without doing anything else, so for four months I kept at it. I used a palette knife to deposit much Titanium White as an undercoat for the foamy froth in the foreground.
Midleton Library Building: A Study in Red – Sold

Took some time to get into this, I had to translate not just from a reference photo to canvas, but also make up a colour scheme using red in every mix. Challenging but worth it! Sold.
Midwinter View of Garryvoe

In late December, 2009 a severe cold stretch of weather began that continued into early 2010. This painting records that time. Fortunately, because where I live is so close to the sea we were spared the worst of the snow and ice as can be seen from the fields, where muted greys and browns can be seen rather than a continuous blanket of white. This is my third painting in my series of painting the same view over four seasons.
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!
