Charity Auction - A Great Result

I was delighted to hear over the weekend that a painting I had submitted to the Welcome Home charity, run by Fr.Peter Mcvery made well above the reserve price. The painting was of an old farmhouse on the Doolin road in Co.Clare which I finished last month.

It's hugely rewarding to know that something I have produced can be of direct benefit to a charity like Welcome Home. If that sounds like I'm patting myself on the back then I'm really sorry, that's not what I mean at all. It's just that it serves as another reminder to me that what I am doing now - ie producing paintings - is a an amazingly rewarding career have. I'm just lucky that what I produce gives pleasure and joy to a lot of people (and in this case a little extra). It doesn't cause distress or grief. It doesn't require the manipulation of others to get the job done. It doesn't drive people to depression or cause endless sleepless nights.

In contrast it seems to enrich people's lives and no matter how many times I am told by admirers that my paintings mean a lot to them, it always leaves me feeling incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon a career where the end result only seems to have a positive impact on people.

Long may it continue!

Article & Image in this weekend's Sunday Business Post

A big thank you to Ros Drinkwater of the Sunday Business Post for including a nice mention in the Fine Arts & Antiques section of the paper about my upcoming Achill Painting Workshop on June 11&12, including a photo of my painting "Keem Bay" which is currently on view in the Doorway Gallery. If you missed it, here it is...

"If a walk in the footsteps of Paul Henry appeals to you, Padraig McCaul's next two-day workshop on Achill Island will take place on June 11 and 12. McCaul has had great success with his evocative paintings of Irish rural landscapes, most recently seen at the Doorway Gallery, Dublin. Aimed at painting enthusiasts (including beginners) who want to explore new approaches, the workshops involve demonstrations by McCaul, plus outdoor scouting trips to sketch and paint, and indoor sessions developing the initial sketches on canvas.

The cost for the two days is €125, not including accommodation. For further details, tel: 086 8801733 or log on to www.padraigmccaul.com" -Ros Drinkwater, The Sunday Business Post

Upcoming Painting Workshops

I have my first Achill painting workshop coming up this weekend and if the weather is anything like it has been for the past 2 weeks we're going to have a great time. The island looked amazing over Easter, in fact it was like being on a Spanish sun holiday! Let's hope the weather holds out for another few days. Take 30 seconds out to relax and watch this video of Keel Beach....



I have a number of other workshops coming up soon so here is a brief reminder of all the dates....

May 7th & 8th - A 2 Day workshop on Achill Island (€125)
May 10th - Painting Demonstration for the Greystones Art Society
May 14th - A 1 day landscape painting workshop in my studio in Delgany (€65)
June 11th & 12th - A 2 Day workshop on Achill Island (€125)

Full details of all the workshops are available here...

The Dubliner Magazine - Sentinels Exhibition Review

The Dubliner magazine paid a visit to the Doorway Gallery and my Sentinels exhibition, and they loved it!

Here's what they had to say.....

'The Doorway Gallery is comprised of two levels (ground floor and basement), and a number of individual compartments within these levels. I see quickly that gallery owners Denise Donnelly and Deirdre Carroll have really made the best of an already excellent space, as every area - every nook and cranny - and all of the varying levels of display (of which there are many) - are being utilised with pieces that work with them. To a third party , it seems as if the mission is to have as diverse a collection of artists as possible without compromising the cohesiveness of the show. It's effective here , albeit daring.

Now it has to be said that the works of solo exhibitor, painter Padraig McCaul, command attention. Like a portrait series, McCaul's "Sentinels" uses each canvas to delve into the soul of the subject - in this case, a case or a set of houses. He stagnates the houses in a landscape, emphasising the fact that these objects are fixed in time, enduring endless cyles of inhabitants. What's more, he ignores doors and windows, and keepps a distance from the houses, renedering them isolated and unreachable. I was particularly drawn in by McCaul's work in the left-hand display room in the basement level; being completely surrounded by the paintings almost felt like being encompassed by the windows - each window providing a completely novel glimpse into a quiet, melancholic world.

The scenes McCaul captures are desolate, but maintain the character of the subject he's chosen to highlight. The tone is a refreshing contrast to some of the more light-hearted themes of surrounding works (in the gallery) and again serves to make this a well rounded and multi-domensional exhibition.

Be sure to note the small bursts of bright colour that unexpectedly punctuate some of McCaul's pieces. The Dooraway Gallery and this exhibition are full of special details like this.'

New Studio App Just Launched

You may have noticed this squiggly square on my website for the last couple of weeks. It's a QR Barcode that can be scanned by your iPhone or Android phone and which will connect to my new Studio App.

My Studio App runs on your iPhone or Android phone and provides lots of information about my exhibitions, workshops and galleries as well as showing a portfolio of images of my Limited Edition Prints and original paintings.

Mobile marketing is the next big thing so welcome to the latest technology revolution!

Painting Workshop Season Has Just Started

Just back from a lovely trip to Cork.

I was invited down by the Macalise Art Society to give a demonstration in the Crawford Art Gallery on friday evening. This was my second time to give a demo for the society and it's always a pleasure to do as the society members are really appreciative and made me feel very welcome. Special thanks to Maree and Derek for looking after me so well!

On saturday I held a painting workshop in the SMA centre in Wilton. The first of the year, so it was nice to start with such a nice group of enthusiastic and friendly painters. Mind you, all the people that attend my workshops tend to be really nice! It's one of the perks of the job :-) Here they are hard at work.

Next up is a trip to Achill in May for my workshop on the 7th and 8th and then it's back for a demonstration for the Greystones Art Society on the 10th. I'm really looking forward to that one as it will be my first time meeting the society members.

I have added a new 1 day workshop on the 14th May in my studio in Delgany and will soon be finalising dates in september for a 2 day workshop in the Hungry Hill Gallery, Adrigole, West Cork. Details of all my workshops can be found here.

Pat Kenny launches SENTINELS

The opening night of SENTINELS was a huge success, with people queuing to get in the door at one point! Mind you, there were so many people moving around the gallery that it was almost impossible to look at the art on the walls properly. But it certainly created a "buzz" and there has been a huge follow up to the gallery since.

Thanks to everyone who came along on the night and made it such a great occasion. Especially to Pat Kenny who gave a great speech and was so generous with his time. For anyone that missed him, here is a link to his speech on Youtube.

Congratulations also to Denise and Deirdre on creating such a beautiful gallery. For the newest gallery in Dublin they managed to create quite a sense of occasion and have got a lot of people talking.

P.S. that's the youngest McCaul (baby Tom, 4 months old) in the photo. He decided he was going to hang on to Pat Kenny's finger for the night and wasn't letting go!