Wild Atlantic Way Donegal

Posted on February 4, 2023February 4, 2023 by emma cownie — 6 Comments

On the Way to Arranmore

Looking through my recent work, I was surpised to realise that I haven’t painted many paintings of Arranmore Island in the last couple of years despite visiting the islands in the summer. So I have put that right with a series of new paintings.

As always I am entranced by the journey to and from the island. You can read my short History of the Island here

Arranmore is lucky to be served by two ferry companies. There is The Arranmore Ferry (Blue) which is based on the island and Arranmore Ferry (Red) which is not. Yes, I know the names are almost identical, just a small matter of “The”. They both offer a fantastic 15 minute journey from Burtonport (Ailt An Chorráin) to Arranmore Island. On a calm and sunny day the view on the crossing are just heavenly. Sometimes there are dolphins too.

Map of Arranmore and the coast off Burtonport

The ferrys sail through a narrow passage past a scattering of islands on the way to Arranmore.

painting of On Rutland Island, Donegal - Emma Cownie — On Rutland Island, Donegal – Emma Cownie

Rutland Island (Inis Mhic an Doirn) lies between Burtonport and Arranmore, Donegal. William Burton Conyngham (a local landowner for whom Burtonport takes its Anglised form) had warehouses, a street of houses, a post office and a school built c. 1784 to capitalised on a the abundant herring fishing. Unfortunately, the herring disappeared very early in the 1800’s and the station fell into disuse. The island was inhabited until the 1950s. These are the remains of the fish factory and landing stage on Rutland Island.

Painting of Inishcoo Island, Donegal — House on Inishcoo, Donegal – Emma Cownie

Opposite is Inishcoo Island with Mount Errigal in the distance peeping out from under the clouds. The jetty in the left hand corner belongs the magnificent Inishcoo House (see painting below)- once a coast guard house, built in the C18th.

Inishcoo House, Donegal, ireland by ma Cownie — Inishcoo House, Ireland (SOLD)

There are several tiny holiday homes dotted across the islands (and cows)

Ferry Home (Arranmore, Donegal) by Emma Cownie

Inishcoo Ireland — Inishcoo cottages Ireland (SOLD)

Inishcoo (To The Fore of Arranmore) – Emma Cownie

Blue Freey at Burtonport, Donegal - Photo by Emma Cownie — Blue Ferry off Arranmore, Donegal – Photo by Emma Cownie

A you can see the views are quite idyllic. Whether from the ferry or from the island. To be honest, I wish the ferries were like the Circle Line on the London Underground, where you can ride the tube rround and round (it takes and hour and an half apparently, I have never done it) and you could ride them back and forth to the island all day!

Painting of Washing Line, Arranmore _Emma Cownie — Washing Line, Arranmore by Emma Cownie

A Short History of Arranmore

Getting There

The Arranmore Ferry (Blue)

Arranmore Ferry (Red)

See my Donegal paintings here

Posted on September 11, 2022September 12, 2022 by emma cownie — 6 Comments

Boat on Rossbeg Beach, Donegal

The west coast of Ireland is dotted with islands, big and small but also plenty of sea stacks. Perhaps, they were once sea arches, I am not sure. If they were the crown of the arch fell in to create these majestic pillars. They can be seen from miles away. Even on misty days. This one, Tormore (in the painting above and below) is miles away, near a very remote location called Glenlough Bay. There is something exciting and other worldly and timeless about it.

Rossbeg Beach, Donegal (Photo credit:Emma Cownie)

Rossbeg (sometimes spelt Rosbeg) is a tiny townland on the west coast of Donegal, just three miles south-west of Portnua and Nairn. This is the Dawros Peninsula. There is a pier and a scattering of houses, some are modern, but many are old cottages, probably used as holiday lets.

Road above Rossbeg Beach:- Phot Credit Séamas Johnston — Road above Rossbeg Beach:- Photo Credit Séamas Johnston

There is another beach around the corner too.

Boat on Rossbeg Beach: Photo Credit - Emma Cownie — Boat on Rossbeg Beach: Photo Credit:- Emma Cownie

Rossbeg postcard — https://www.johnhindecollection.com

The beach and the view is just perfect. The water is so very clear that the rocks and seaweed are visible from quite some distance from the shore.

Rossbeg Pier (From Marina.com) note the cows on the baech

Rossbeg Beach:- Photo Credit Séamas Johnston

Boat on Rossbeg Beach, Donegal, painting by Emma Cownie

Buy the painting here

Posted on August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 by emma cownie — 3 Comments

Exciting New Development near Riverside Walk, Dungloe- its quite magical

This is a follow up on a recent blog of mine.

If you are wondering, Kenneth Campbell is a real estate agent/realtor/auctioneer. We bought our cottage from him several years back. He’s very good at his job and a natural performer!

You can read about my recent visit to this charming installation here

Kenneth Campbell’s website here

This was originally published on facebook here https://www.facebook.com/Campbells.ie/videos/336882011887081

Posted on July 30, 2022July 30, 2022 by emma cownie — 13 Comments

If you go down to the woods today…

It took a while, but I finally worked it out. On sunny days Lidl’s car park in Dungloe is pretty full but the shop is quite empty. Just across the road from is the entrance to the River Walk. I have eyed this entrance many times as I have bundled the shopping into the back of the car. Mothers with prams and toddlers are often headed this way. Yesterday I finally crossed to road and wandered into a magical woodland. No teddies to be found but a magical woodland with fairies and a giant troll. Here he is.

Troll from Dungloe's River Walk Land of Magic 2022 — Troll from Dungloe’s River Walk Land of Magic 2022

The Troll: Photo credit Seamas Johnston — He’s really big! Photo credit Séamas Johnston

From Destination Dungloe on Twitter @DungloeD — Hitching a ride on on the back of a lorry from Northern Ireland last year. – Credit: Destination Dungloe on Twitter @DungloeD

Here’s a selection of images from the walk. It was inventive, funny, engaging and charming in equal measure. I just loved it.

Land of Magic - from Dungloe's River Walk Land of Magic 2022 — Land of Magic – from Dungloe’s River Walk Land of Magic 2022

The backstory - from Dungloe's River Walk Land of Magic 2022 — The backstory (in Irish)- from Dungloe’s River Walk Land of Magic 2022

On such a sunny day there was plenty of washing hung out to dry

Evidence of diverse bunch of fairies live here

EU notice - from Dungloe's River Walk Land of Magic 2022 — EU notice – from Dungloe’s River Walk Land of Magic 2022

I wonder how many sightings of magical creatures have been reported to the Elf-13 office at the EU? A fair few I shouldn’t imagine.

More about the land of Magic

https://www.facebook.com/TheLandOfMagicDungloe/

Find out more about the talented people who made the Land of Magic https://www.facebook.com/stickyfingersartsnewry/

https://www.newrydemocrat.com/news/2021/09/12/gallery/tri-na-draiochta-represents-a-new-dimension-in-cross-border-collaborations-18350/

Stor the Troll has settled into his new home in Dungloe

Posted on July 5, 2022July 5, 2022 by emma cownie — 4 Comments

Back in Donegal

I have decided that perfect is the enemy of good, and I need to give up on the idea that I should write lengthy blogs posts, as I end up writing nothing! So here goes,

Donegal Paintings — Two grey scale paintings

One of the many great things about being back in West Donegal is that I can paint much larger paintings as my art studio is much bigger here than in Derry. So I now have two on the go!

These are both painted in acrylic paint. I find it easier to make adjustment in the value/tones in acrylic before I move onto a layer of oil as a final layer. Acrylic can act as a foundation layer for oil, but not the other way around. I had forgotten how physically tiring painting a large painting is. My arms are tired!

If you want to know about Greyscaling and why I have adopted this technique since moving to Ireland please see my post “Adventures In Acrylic Paint”

Posted on June 21, 2022June 21, 2022 by emma cownie — 9 Comments

Recent work (of Derry and Donegal)

We are about to decamp to Donegal for the summer/early autumn. I have mixed feeling about returning to oil paints. It’s been a quite a steep learning curve getting comfortable with acrylic paint but I feel like I finally got there. I am not sure what it will be like to paint in oils again; oh the the joy of easy blending! I am looking forward to being able to paint larger canvases. I will continue my practice of laying down an underpainting in grey-scale paint, regardless.

Here are some of my recent acrylic paintings, mostly of Inishowen Penisula (Donegal)

Kinnagoe Beach - Emma Cownie — Kinnagoe Beach – Emma Cownie

Down to the Rusty Nail, Inishowen_Emma Cownie

a painting of Fanad Head and lighthouse — Fanad (SOLD)

On the Way to Kinnagoe Bay (Drumaweer, Greencastle) (SOLD)

painting of Doagh Strand, donegal_Emma Cownie — Down to Doagh Strand, Donegal

Lambing season at Fanad Head (Donegal)

Acrylic painting of Portmór Beach, Malin Head, Donegal — Portmór Beach, Malin Head, Donegal

Also of Derry city – what a great little city.

The Walls of Derry painting by Emma Cownie — The Walls of Derry

The Sperrins

Upper Dreen_Emma Cownie

And finally a few also of my favourite, Gola Island.

painting of house On Gola (Donegal) — Still, On Gola (Donegal)

The Turn in the Road, Gola - Emma Cownie — The Turn in the Road, Gola – Emma Cownie

The weather forecast is for cool weather, so I will be packing some light jumpers. I have found, however, that forecasts are pretty unreliable for Donegal so it could be very pleasant. I am looking forward to the sweet breezes!

Posted on October 24, 2021November 12, 2021 by emma cownie — 25 Comments

Studies of Inishbofin

Last Thursday morning Bingo, one of my two cats, collapsed in the front garden under a hedge and we had to take him on the long drive to the vets to end his suffering. It broke my heart. I had had him for over a decade and loved him dearly. Hattie, his cat companion of the last 6 years, misses him too and she has been outside looking for him. That’s even sader. We are keeping her indoors for now.

So my concentration hasn’t been great. I have struggled to write anything, although I had almost finished another blog. Every time, I looked at images, trying decide what painting to start next, I am crippled by indecision. So I have been painting instead a series of small studies. Playing with composition, and simplifying images. The idea is to reduce detail to the minimum.

I then moved on to slightly larger canvases. The photographs of the paintings don’t quite capture their colour. Unfortunately, they have a blueish cast to them.

Inishbofin #3 30x24cm

I will continue with these and hopefully I will find it within me to paint some much larger versions. In the meantime, we have a large rescue cat we have named Tadhg (pronunced “Tag”) from Burtonport Animal Rescue, in the office. He is named after a famous Irish rugby player, called Tadhg Furlong, on account of his robust physique.

Tadhg Furlong — Human Tadhg, the rugby player

Unfortunately, Hattie hissed at him when she first saw him, so we are introducing them very, very slowly. Swapping scents and feeding them on opposite sides of the same door etc. Tadhg was a stray and hasn’t had much experience of the indoor life, so he’s getting used to things like doors (they move when you rub up against them, you know) and mirrors (there’s a big black and white cat in window thing in the bedroom next door he’s worried about). He also loves carpets and heating. When he wants a break he sits under the chair in the corner of the room. I hope we can successfully integrate Tadhg into our animal family!

Tadhg liks his basket — Cat Tadhg likes his basket

See all the studies here

Posted on September 15, 2020January 22, 2023 by emma cownie — 11 Comments

Paintings of Árainn Mhór/Arranmore, Donegal

I recently join the Stair Árrain Mhór – Árrain Mhór History Facebook group and was overwhelmed by the positive response I received from the members when I put my most recent post online there. I was asked if I had any more paintings of Arranmore for them to see, so here’s a collection of all my paintings of the Island that I have completed in the last two years.

Where it reads (Private Collection) it means that the painting has been sold. I hope you enjoy looking at them.

To see my Donegal paintings for sale click here