London Irish Centre Exhibition

I was delighted to see my two Donegal paintings “Up Bloody Foreland, Donegal” and “The through Road, Donegal” on the walls of the London Irish Centre (Camden, London). These two oil paintings form part of a “real room” of an Irish family in 1950s Britain installation. The exhibition, which is on during August through to […]
Three Small(ish) Donegal Paintings

Donegal is a big mountaneous county in a big country. Imagine my shock when I discover that it’s only the 4th largest in Ireland (after Cork, Galway and Mayo) at 4,860 km2 (1,880 sq miles). It seems even bigger as there is no railway or motorways here, so it takes a long time to travel around all the mountains. One of joys of the county is that it’s relatively empty (the 5th least populated in Ireland) with 32.6 people per km2.
At the foot of Scraigs, Fintown (Donegal)

There’s a good reason why landscape painters use the “landscape” orientation for their canvases – i.e. the longest side is horizontal – and that’s because you can fit more landscape in that way. I have recently discovered another good reason – social media and wordpress thumbnails don’t like tall narrow paintings and crop them.
The Doors of Derry

Everybody loves the Georgian Houses It seems like certain styles never go out of fashion. Last year Georgian-style houses topped a poll of the most popular home styles. I suspect that people like scale of the house as well as the the pillars and generous sized windows. Nothing says lord of the manor like a […]
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I am enthralled with your urban minimalism and I want them all. However does one choose only one of your incredible journeys, each painting with a small story, and every one so magnetic you want to be there. I am unable to express my admiration adequately of your incredible talent and unique style. It is exciting also that you are offering prints now. I am yearning for another of your paintings, to delight my home, or perhaps a print or two before October 8.
Thank you for your kind words, Debbie. There’s always a story. It part of human nature to want a story too. I find makes the painting a “deeper” thing. It also helps explains where it came from and what it means to me. Some of the scenes in the “Hollowed Community” project were chosen because of light, colour and composition. Others, were chosen because of the story I wanted to tell. That was particularly true with the “Former Grocer” as I never forgot the Grocer who mourned his wife. We forget so much of our past and yet other things stick with us!