Ilárbáire (between) oil/wax on canvas, 48x48in, 2012
There is a
saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin
places that distance is even smaller.
'In ancient Celtic spirituality the phrase “a thin
place” was used to describe places and events where the divide between
this world and the other narrows. Places where the eternal and the divine
more powerfully affect the soul. Where events reveal more than what we
can see, hear and touch. Sometimes it’s the place in front of a work of
art, all it needs is two people to stand in it. Sometimes it’s a poem or
a song, all it needs is two people to hear it. The result is an experience
that cannot be held in the body or the mind, it can only be held in the soul
and it joins us together in a place of extraordinary belonging.'
above quote from a blog with the same name: http://www.athinplace.org/A_Thin_Place/about.html
Below is another image continued after demonstrating techniques at a recent encaustic 'mini' workshop.
These shorter workshops are working out great, as
people are busy with well, busy lives-yet they still have a nice chunk of
time to immerse themselves in learning and playing.
Little Voices of the Air, encaustic on found panel, 5, 6 x20in, 2012, sold
I incorporated image transfer, collage, glazing, layering and drawing into the above image. In the encaustic painting workshops, I will share these methods as well as mono type and cold wax/oil techniques.
Even though I have been working with this luscious medium for over 15 years I am still in wonder of it's versatility.
Ancient and intriguing, this
method of painting originated in Greece, where it was used for the
earliest easel and mural painting. A heady combination of colour, melting wax
and heat, encaustic mixes dry and oil pigments in hot beeswax.
Classes are
enjoyable for those with no previous art-making experience as well as returning
artists who want to further explore this alluring and tactile medium.
I don’t know what it is about a lone tree on a hill but
after researching their believed powers while in the UK I am interested to know
stories from other cultures. When I was in Scotland
I learned about the magic Rowan tree (although it doesn't need a hill to cast it's spell) but Canada is a young country in
comparison and I don’t know of any historical fact or fiction in regards to tree lore. I am interested in finding out. Obviously we are all affected
by trees and the natural world but what is it about a solitary one in the
distance and in between?
July, Niagara Escarpment, oil on canvas, 36x36in, 2011, sold
This painting recently sold and I am feeling a little
separation anxiety. It was one of my largest plein air paintings- worked
entirely on location and with no touching up in the studio. I went out every
afternoon (with similar light conditions) for about a week and it was one of
those rare transcendental experiences where the painting takes you somewhere divine.
"Our native fairy tree. We have, sprinkled throughout our Irish myth and legend, many references to hawthorn and its connection with the fairy folk.
To this very day, there are still farmers who plough a wide circle around lone hawthorn trees, avoiding all contact between tilling implement and root, for fear of offending the fairies that supposedly inhabit the tree. Now, I would be quick to dismiss all this as superstition but for the many tales of misfortune that befell farmers and contractors who took plough, digger or saw to a single hawthorn specimen.. ”
James Kilkelly
Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn 1), cold wax/oil on panel, 5x5in, 2012
Exploring the Surface: Painting with
Cold Wax
There are openings for this Saturday's Workshop:
Encaustic painting is not always the most convenient way to
work-especially if you have limited space or are travelling. Texture, depth,
movement and fluidity can still be achieved via working with cold wax, oil
paint and drawing materials. I will show you how to mix your own cold wax
medium and share techniques and materials used for this versatile painting
technique. Recommended for artists with some painting experience.
Saturday, June 9, 11am-3Pm
to register online via paypal or for more information please contact me.
After adjusting to the quiet at Annaghmakkerrig-no tv or radio- I
have tried to stay in that mode since coming home. But yesterday morning I
turned on the radio and in 5 minutes heard about the horrific massacre in Syria,
a porn star dismembering a body and sending parts to Canadian politicians, and
a young
family found by the side of a Saskatchewan road, apparently a murder suicide.
Feeling
helpless, I turned off the radio and went outside
May (a pretty good day so far) oil on canvas, 24x24in, available for sale
I love these
words by Loudon Wainwright and, although they are about war, I find them to be optimistic and somewhat reassuring. They make me think about the quiet in my life.
I won’t take it for granted. ever.
a Pretty Good Day
I slept through
the night
I got through to the dawn.
I flipped a switch and the light went on
I got outta bed
I put some clothes on
It was a pretty good day so far.
I turned the tap
there was cold there was hot.
I put on my coat,
to go to the shop.
I stepped outside
and I didn't get shot.
It was a pretty good day so far.
I didn't hear any sirens or explosions,
no mortars coming in from those heavy guns
no UN tanks
I didn't see one.
It was a pretty good day so far.
No snipers in windows taking a peek
No people panicked running scared through the streets
I didn't see any bodies
without arms, legs, or feet.
It was a pretty good day so far.
There was plasma, bandages and electricity,
Food, wood, and water,
and the air was smoke free.
No camera crews from I-TV.
It was all such a strange sight to behold.
Nobody was frightened, wounded, hungry or cold.
And the children seemed normal,
they didn't look old.
It was a pretty good day so far.
I walked through a park
you would not believe it.
There in the park there were a few trees left,
and on some branches
there were a few leaves.
I slept through the night
I got through to the dawn.
I flipped a switch and the light went on
I wrote down my dream,
I made it this song,
It was a pretty good day so far.
I have been back
from my Ireland
residency for a few weeks now-in body at least. What a magical setting to stir
the imagination! I can’t seem to articulate all that the experience has left in
my being, but I won’t hurry the unfolding either. Time spent living and working
at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre has deeply affected me on many levels and will
continue to do so.
Brave heart(study) mixed media on mylar, 20x 34in, 2012
I have met colourful characters, spinning myth and truth woven and worn by families that have lived on the land for generations. As
well, stories shared by fellow artists, musicians, composers and playwrights at
Annaghmakkerrig deeply enriched my own spirit. The noise of
life can really muffle our sensibilities and when it is removed the soul speaks
about what is truly relevant.
As far as
making art, I did delve into new work and it was great to have the much needed
time to do research. I am still processing and distilling all that I have
learned but was surprised at how engrossed I became with Ireland’s
political and religious history and how deeply intertwined they are. Because of
my interest in agriculture I started reading
about the great famine -or ‘Black 47’ as it was more aptly named.
Black 47, study, oil/wax on canvas, 8x10in
Admittedly I
did not know much about it so was appalled and horrified when I learned that-in
a very general nutshell- thousands of poor rural families were dying in their
homes while food grown from Irish soil was being shipped to England for profit. The study above
was in response to words by Liam ó Comáin that very much resonated
with me:
It was not what they
called it
For the latter is born from nature
And therefore not man made.
This was man made-
In fact an attempt by non natives
To end a race via genocide.
Thousands upon thousands dead
Thousands upon thousands forced
Into exile across the globe.
And for what- four green fields
Whose produce was exported
As men, women, and children starved.
Of course the potato was blighted
But corn and other produce left our
Shores while inhumanity was confirmed.
Liam ó Comáin
The Troubles
Annaghmakkerrig is only a few miles from Northern Ireland
and this close proximity kindled my
on-going fascination with Ireland’s
political history. One evening I was privy to engage in a lengthy conversation
with someone who had participated in the IRA during ‘the Toubles’ and it was fascinating
to learn, first hand, about growing up during
such a dangerous time of turmoil and political unrest.
The Troubles, mixed media on mylar, 24x30in, 2012
And on a more optimistic and wondrous note I have developed a keen interest
in the symbols of the Megalithic
Passage Tombs at
LoughrewandNewgrange, built
by Neolithic farming communities about 5000 years ago!
I will continue to investigate…as well I have become
fascinated with Irelands’ protective and protected faery forts and the magical and
mysterious power
of the hawthorn tree.
So all in all I feel
that I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. It was to be a time of transition,
to find my way-perhaps a new way and I
will continue to learn about Ireland-the
people, the land, the myth, the song.
Thank you to all that followed this daily journey on my other blog and a heartfelt thank you to those who took the time to leave comments.
Now that I am back home, I have been taking advantage
of this gorgeous weather to get out and do some plein air work. I wondered if I
would be inspired to keep on with it after my trip and happy to report that it
is in my blood- I will always go out into this beautiful land and paint.
This weekend I took some artists out for evening plein air sessions.
May, remains of the day, oil on canvas, 30x30in, 2012, available for sale
I demonstrated how to work right over an un-loved painting-something I have done through out the years with many un-loved paintings.
The image above was rendered over the below under painting and I quite like the added texture.
Here is the hated painting-overworked and contrived.
I am much happier with this but will re-examine with a fresh eye
in a few days, although I feel the composition is sound and I like the
overall feel of the work.
*If you live local and love art & nature, please join us for evening plein air sessions throughout the summer. Just contact me and I will be happy to send you details. Right now the weather is ideal for painting outside as bugs are minimal, light is beautiful, and the air is heady with the scent of all things growing!
I feel a little guilty painting so much when responsibilities
have piled up during my Ireland
escape and they do demand immediate attention. And considering
I had a whole month to delve into art I really should restrain myself but just
can’t help it. As well, my partner is away for the long weekend so how can I not
take advantage of uninterrupted time? And the weather..well, temptation is too
much to bear and I must succumb.
May (home) oil on canvas, 18x24in, 2012, available
The location is steps from my studio, with this path leading out to my beloved field.
This is a plein air demo from yesterday's class -an exercise in rendering Spring greens
May, oil on canvas, 9x12in, 2012, available
I found the challenges of painting so many greens in Ireland did pay off however the greens here do have more varied yellows this time of year. For Ireland's greens: reds, violets, oranges and Indian yellow were mixed primarily with indigo and ultramarine blue-some thalo. Of course cadmium yellow light is indispensable no matter where you are.
A new series of outdoor classes start next week..
ART & NATURE
Plein Air landscape (painting
outdoors)
Ongoing Mondays or Tuesdays:6:30 -9PM
Spring/Summer series start
Monday, May21 $85 for a series of 4 sessions.You can alternate days to
suit your schedule.
*register online securely via paypal-just contact me
The Spring greens here in Ireland are especially vibrant-giving the land an almost psychedelic look
I was quite interested in the divisional elements created by the tree
trunks and limbs. Also in the light and various hue and saturations in
the greens. The pinks are inspired by the wild rhododendron that grows
rampant here
Although recent paintings and posts can be viewed on my Ireland blog, I thought I'd share these wee plein air paintings.
*my computer died and the one I am using does not have editing software. This painting is much richer but you get the general idea.
Annaghmakerrig walk, oil on canvas, 8x10in, 2012
I have been experimenting with my wide knife to push paint consistency and design. Sadley I will soon have to switch to acrylic paint as my beloved oils may not be dry enough to pack as I will be heading home in May.
Thanks to those who have been visiting my other blog about time spent at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland.
Some of you have also emailed me in regards to spring and summer classes and workshops in plein air painting.
Sessions will resume mid May although I am sorry that I can't give you exact dates yet. Just email me and I will sign you up and send you dates as soon as I have them.
I've also received requests in regards to coming out to other locations to teach workshops-again, just send me a note with dates, location options etc and I promise to get back to you shortly. This year, because of the residency, I`ve kept my schedule fairly flexible so chances are we can work out some dates.
And I already have some exciting ideas in regards to new classes as a result of my time spent here so stay tuned!
In the meantime, come on over to Ireland as I`ve added another post about a ghost, the big house and a new painting...
Ilárbáire ( between), cold wax, mixed media on mylar, 20x48in 2012
I went exploring and did some art making today. To see what I've been up to you'll just have to check out my new blog. I've also posted some photos on the Ireland blog and would love for you to drop by.
