Kilmainham, Dublin.
Acrylic on board
I had lunch here one afternoon and had this notion that I would like to paint Kilmainham in a wistful, summery afternoon way. I couldn't ignore the man working on the front. When painting this, the product designer in me couldn't resist painting the cherry picker like a marker rendering in more detail. I think this nicely complements the building. I also had a challenge making the spire look well proportioned in relation to the main building. Eventually, it came together.
Original privately owned.
Click to buy a signed limited edition giclee print on archival quality paper.
Magee College, Derry
Magic marker and pastel
I sat in the design studio in Magee College where I had an amazing view from my desk. There was a wonderful sunset and the only thing I had to draw with was magic marker and pencil. I then rendered Magee on layout paper.
Privately owned.
Casino Marino
Watercolour
I love perspective. No better challenge in this respect than the Casino Marino. I learned a very painful lesson in this one. The composition was great, stonework great, surroundings great. The next thing I made a complete mess of the sky. I then had to get a scalpel and meticulously cut out and replace the sky with another one. From now on, I make sure the sky in a watercolour is good before committing to too much.
Original privately owned.
Click to buy a signed limited edition giclee print on archival quality paper.
Deer Safari at Crom
Watercolour and pen
After a long hiatus from watercolour as I concentrated on portraits in pen and ink and acrylic this painting brought me back.
This is a portrait of my family at my favourite escape. The masking of the outside was a mistake but I gave a great opportunity to use ink and white space. This effect inspired the watercolour techniques above.
Privately owned.
Monumental, Barcelona
Ink
When staying with the family in Barcelona we headed to the roof terrace to draw. Lots of lines, shapes and perspective made drawing this a treat.
Privately owned.
Sagradia Familia, Barcelona
Pen and watercolour
I love It was hard to find a place in the park near enough to see the detail yet far enough away to see the building. However, I found a spot and bedded down as the sun was setting. Thick and thin lines became my best friend when drawing this as they give a nice sense of depth. I went with limited colours so as not to detract from the linework.
Privately owned.
Townhall Enniskillen
Pastel
I did this drawing in school. I had just discovered pastel and loved how it could be used to create reflections and atmosphere. I also used a nice blue underlay, even though I didn't know what one was at the time. This is the Diamond as I remember growing up with Wellworths at the top of the street.
Privately owned.
Crom Boathouse
Watercolour
I love paintings in circles. When painting the Boathouse at Crom I was trying to find a way to paint it without the looming presence of the Castle in the background. Alas a circle stopped me from 'just adding it in'. That is for another day.
Water, trees and sky in autumn swirl around in my head, I can feel the wind and hear the leaves. How to bring this to life was my challenge. Breaking the circle and creating a lovely swirl really brought the painting to another place when I was working on it.
Click to buy a signed limited edition giclee print on archival quality paper. Original piece also available to buy.