Christmas 2010 - Free Art Voucher

Thank you to everyone that supported me over the past month at the Wexford FRINGE and Art Fair 2010. Both shows were a great success and it was refreshing to see them so well attended.

Christmas is almost here and to celebrate what has been a really successful year for me I am offering a €100 Art Voucher to anyone that buys one of my original paintings between now and the end of January. This is available on paintings purchased through any of the galleries listed below or directly from me through the studio or online.

The Bad Art Gallery, Dublin
The Hungry Hill Gallery, Adrigole, West Cork
The Boathouse Gallery, Kinsale
Kenny's Art Gallery, Lahinch
Western Light Gallery, Keel, Achill

The Art Voucher may be used against any painting or limited edition print bought through the studio or online from my website. The voucher can also be passed on to someone as a gift. To claim the art voucher for a purchase made through one of the galleries just send me an email with the details of the painting purchased and I will post out the voucher.

Meanwhile Juggy's Well Cafe in Glasthule, Dublin, Kaliedescope in Westport and the Market House Gallery in Dungarvan each have a large range of my Limited Edition Prints for sale. Prints may also be bought online here...

Finally, the dates for my 2011 Painting Workshops on Achill Island are now confirmed and can be booked online here..

Happy Christmas!

Wexford FRINGE & Art Fair 2010

I will be exhibiting in Whites Hotel, Wexford as part of the Wexford Opera Festival from October 24th to October 31st. I will be in the same room as last year - The Selksar Suite - and will be there daily from 11am to 7pm.

Art Fair 2010 in the RDS, Dublin is a little earlier this year and runs from Friday 5th of november to the Sunday 7th. To download complimentary tickets to the RDS Art Fair 2010 please go to the following link:
http://www.ticketmaster.ie/promo/a0mito

You can preview all of the new work now by clicking here...

Culture Night at the Bad Art Gallery - Part 2

Culture Night 2010 at the Bad Art Gallery, Dublin

RTE Nationwide

The RTE Nationwide interview was broadcast last night. It was filmed in and around my studio in Delgany. Here is the link to the RTE website where you can view the interview on RealPlayer. http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0917/nationwide_av.html?2820992,null,228

Most of the work shown in the film will actually be on show at my next exhibition in Whites Hotel, Wexford as part of the Wexford FRINGE festival.

Summer is Over...Back to Work!

Is it just me or did we just have a pretty decent summer for the first time in years? A very busy one too...

My painting workshops in Achill went really well and are continuing to grow. The Achill Tourist office have been doing great work helping promote them.

RTE Nationwide (Irish TV news programme) spent a day filming me in and around the studio in Delgany last month, which I have to say was pretty exciting. There is no broadcast date confirmed yet but I'll be posting it here as soon as I know.

I have contributed a piece (above) to the SCOOP foundation art auction which takes place on September 19th at the Ormond Wine Bar in Dublin. I'm delighted to be part of this auction which will be raising money to build a new school in Cambodia. Find out more here..http://www.thescoopfoundation.com/currentevents.html With my own twins starting play school this week it feels like a good initiative to be involved in.

There's a nice mention and an image in the new edition of the Irish Arts Review. It is promoting my show at the Wexford FRINGE festival which takes place next month (Oct 24th - 30th) in Whites Hotel, Wexford. I will be posting more about the show and the upcoming Art Fair 2010 which takes place in November as we get closer to the time.

Finally, Culture Night (www.culturenight.ie/) on Sept 24th in the Bad Art Gallery on Francis Street, Dublin is shaping up to be another great night in the gallery. The gallery will be staying open until midnight and will be hosting Dr.Sketchys Anti Art class (www.drsketchy.com) as well as holding a number of painting demonstrations in the gallery window. I will be giving a painting demonstration in the gallery from 5pm to 7pm. Can't wait!

Summer Exhibitions - August 2010

I have a new exhibition opening in the Hungry Hill Gallery in Adrigole, West Cork. The show runs through July and August in what is one the loveliest galleries in the country, situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. You can find more information about the gallery here: http://hungryhillgallery.com/

Meanwhile the summer shows continue in the Bad Art Gallery in Dublin and the Western Light Gallery in Achill, Mayo.

My limited edition prints (including Under Croagh Patrick above) are now on show in Westport, in a newly opened craft/fine art gallery on the main street called Kaleidoscope.

EIGSE Carlow Arts Festival - 2010

I received a lovely surprise in the post last week when I was invited to submit some work for the upcoming Eigse Carlow Arts Festival which runs from June 11th to 20th. Usually this is an open submission show but this year they have appointed a guest curator to curate the exhibition. It's a great feeling to be invited to exhibit at such a prestigious arts festival. It's not always about sales!

So I'm back in the studio working on some new pieces or the festival show which I hope will be ready by the end of next week. Luckily I had some work in progress in the studio which took a little pressure off. I'll post some images as soon the work is close to being finished.

The Market House Arts Centre, Dungarvan

No rest for the .......

After spending a week soaking up the success of COAST and delivering paintings to places as far away as Sligo, Galway and Dalkey (!) it's now time to move on and get back to work.

A new exhibition of my work has just opened in the old Market House Arts Centre in Dungarvan , Co.Waterford and will run until June 5th. The exhibition features 9 of my Limited Edition Giclee Prints and 5 original oil paintings, including Castletownbere Rooftops (Right). I'm delighted to have the opportunity to show my limited edition prints together in one exhibition. For further details about opening times etc please contact:

Market House Ats Centre
Lr Main Street
Dungarvan
058 48944

Opening Night - COAST - April 13th

I'm afraid this is it.

After all the preparations and hard work this is the only picture I have of the opening night of the COAST exhibition (Dalkey Heritage Centre, Apr 13th). Taken by my friend Deirdre about an hour before the opening on my mobile phone. Me, looking sad and lost.

Luckily the opening night itself was much more exciting and a huge success. The pieces and images in the Irish Times and the Sunday Business Post at the weekend really stirred up a lot of interest. The Minister for Culture, Mary Hanafin, gave a great speech and added a real sense of occasion to the evening. And sales have been very strong with 15 pieces sold to date.

So overall a great start to the exhibition and a really encouraging sign that people are still willing to enjoy and invest in art, despite the rough economic times we're in at the moment.

Exhibition Opening Night Plans

Preparations for the exhibition continue....

I'm delighted to say that our new Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Mary Hanafin, will be special guest on our opening night on April 13th. It's an honour to have the Minister for the Arts open the show.

Invitations have been collected from the printers and will be posted out tomorrow and emailed at the weekend. Posters and flyers go up in Dalkey from next week.

And the wine has been chosen! A nice Italian Pinot Grigio and a very tasty Spanish Tempranillo.

Keep an eye on the main Irish newspapers next weekend where a number of articles about the show are planned.

Pre-Exhibition Studio Visit

Less than 4 weeks to go to opening night for the exhibition in Dalkey and work is progressing nicely. I am aiming to have about 25 new pieces for the show, as well as a number of limited edition prints.

Frames are ordered, press release is being worked on and invitations designed. So it's starting to come together. I just need to finish the 25 or so paintings and then I'll be happy!

The studio is a bit of a mess at the moment, unfinished paintings strewn around the place, empty paint tubes pushed to one side, rubbish all over the floor - it probably reflects the state of my head the nearer we come closer to the deadline!

Only 3 "painting weeks" left before I have to stop to allow the paint to dry. I won't tell you how many paintings I have completed so far, it may cause you to question whether the exhibition will actually be going ahead! (..don't worry I always get there in the end). This painting is shaping up to be my leading piece. It features the Minaun Cliffs, Achill in the background and plays on one of the themes I have running through the show, that of simple stone houses looking out to sea, "guarding" their coastline.

April Exhibition - Work in Progress #2

Here is another of the pieces I'm working on for the Dalkey exhibition which opens on April 13th. I'm starting to get a really nice feeling from this painting, so I need to be careful not to lose it as I bring it to completion!

The theme of the exhibition centers on that place where the shore and the coast meet.

My paintings deal with the landscapes that run to the coast's edge and the buildings that have become part of those landscapes. Grainne's ceramic work (above) takes it's inspiration directly from the sea and the shorelines that meet the coast. The meeting of the shore and coast is the point where our work overlaps, where the colours and textures of Grainne's beautiful ceramic fish and fired vessels blend into the rich oils and primary colours of my paintings.

April Exhibition - Work in Progress #1

It's pretty hard to hold a painting knife when your hands are freezing! I've been struggling to keep work moving along for the exhibition in April. It's just been so cold in the studio!

But moving along it is and I'm starting to really like some of the pieces that are taking shape. I will be posting some images of works in progress over the coming weeks as I get closer to the opening night. Here is one of my personal favourites, which is setting the tone for a lot of the others. A little more muted than normal, I really the atmosphere it evokes.

2010 Solo Exhibition - Dalkey Heritage Centre

Happy New Year!

My first exhibition of 2010 will be held in The Gallery at the Dalkey Heritage Centre where I will be exhibiting with ceramic artist Grainne Watts.

The exhibition opens on April 13th and runs until april 18th. Further details and images will be posted on my website closer to the opening date.