RDH: DECEMBER 2023

03/12/23

Very cold in the studio. Can’t be a put off though.

Séance piece:

Wall and floor = re-adjust

Blue Figure = push back / get rid of

The woman in blue - basically taking away from the overall composition.

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… Getting there. Simplified the back wall. Colours are all wrong but at least it’s going in the right direction structurally.

07/12/23

Warhol at the Hugh Lane, Dublin - Excellent

09/12/23

A round of image gathering is in order. Juices.

10/12/23

14/12/23

Isn’t it funny how a conversation can be the spark that begins to slot pieces into place…

Winter months are slow in the studio - always have been - there’s nothing new there.
What is different is the less time being allocated to focus on drawing [rephrase] not making enough time to focus on drawing elements. TIME CAN BE MADE!

”Artists reflect on what is happening”

Rachel Whiteread

SKETCHING

17/12/23

Studio.

Background work on ‘soldier’ piece and a new portrait started over an abandoned canvas.

Drew the charcoal into a fresh layer of white. Will see what comes of it.

18/12/23

Applied.

23/12/23

I do enjoy looking back over the year that’s about to pass. One eye on the past yada yada.

There has been no strict recordkeeping so an idea flashes in and then fades out only to pop in later in a diluted and obscure way where I struggle to recollect the initial instance. Should be rectified. Plenty of ways to keep quick notes.

Joints are aching from the impending dose.

25/12/23

Merry Christmas. Very mindful… so counting blessings and appreciating the little joys.

26/12/23

It’s been a strange one. Anything but restful.

Crow - Chimera - spark/spark/spark.

28/12/23

In the studio and had intended to clean palette ahead of some painting time tomorrow but there’s just too much good paint out to waste. Some looking and notes to aid tomorrow:

Séance in London - notes:

• It’s a bloody séance - it shouldn’t make sense.

• Remove shadows

• Push fireplace back (cooler / lighter)

• Chairs - are they needed?

• Omit / darken bottom section.

Again, it doesn’t have to make sense. It’s a nonsensical act. Defying logic so the picture shouldn’t live by those rules.

Soldier Piece - notes:

(layer of white on right figure’s clothes done)

• Alter skin tones - middle too cold, left too warm. Find a balance. Soldier has seen / committed horrors - bare this in mind.

29/12/23

A good solid day in the studio - and the last one of the year. Loads of coffee.

‘Séance’ - fireplace removed, chairs gone and front three figures blocked in again. Compositionally, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. How does one make an image ominous?

[insert researched answer here] e.g.: 'Fuseli’s ‘The Nightmare’

The little portrait study came about very quickly. A much looser approach so far and some nice elements in the painting. It does run the risk, however, of muddiness so must be mindful.

Last Studio shot of the year.

30/12/23

Asleep after lunch … never thought I would see the day.

…outline of concrete that covers crack in the wall outside. Repurposing shapes you see every day into works.

Five Uneven Steps.

RDH: OCTOBER 2023

01/10/23

Three white rabbits.

Studio: ‘Passive Study’ going well - bouncing between the brush and the drawing mark. It’s always interesting to see which of the two (if any at all) comes to the fore.

“A Brush With… Sarah Lucas”

‘A Séance in London’ - slowly building layers but, more importantly, working through structure and composition. Very early days.

03/10/23

Anxiety overload!

05/10/23

WOW! Can’t remember a late night art quite like this one in a very long time. Belfast was buzzing!

'Cladding' at Catalyst Arts

'Dredge' by Gerard Carson at PS2

Johanna Leech and Stuart Calvin at Threshold space

Belfast Exposed

Royale Arcade Academy opening - Arcade Studios

Vault Studios Opening

09/10/23

Put the bloody phone DOWN!

11/10/23

Quick sketch of artist Amy Higgins. Ideas brewing.

12/10/23

Easy to say, but difficult to implement.

In transit

15/10/23

Studio - A.H. portrait study: A good start. There was one point where the charcoal became a little too much but thankfully it wasn’t difficult to rectify. Just before adding the last layer of charcoal, all the previous drawing marks were pushed back with just the paint taking the stage. Some nice areas of tonal quality but overall the image was flat. You would think that adding a charcoal line would make it even more flat in appearance but the opposite is the case! The crux of it - that interplay between the drawing line and the painting mark.

17/10/23

Second straight day of jury service but on the flip side, a good chance to see Kwok Tsui’s new exhibition in the CCA.

18/10/23

QSS - ‘Messy Business’. Great group painting show.

21/10/23

…worth sticking foot in the door.

22/10/23

Studio time. A long session but very little to show for it. Slow progress on all fronts. Perhaps working on multiple pieces (four canvases) is biting a little more off than I can chew?

Setting a couple of pieces off to the side for a while should make it more manageable. It probably hasn’t helped that the palette is in a poor state and needs cleaned badly. Not a complete loss of a day but it could’ve been a lot more fruitful. Several factors at play but, lesson learned.

Palette given a good scrub before finishing up.

25/10/23

Dublin - too dark to write on the bus down - too dark to write on the bus home. The Autumn evenings are here.

Atoosa Pour Hosseini’s ‘The Magic Circle’ in Temple Bar Gallery + Studios is excellent. Remnants of vintage horror films in the video piece.

RDH: MAY 2023

02/05/23

First day…

Make time for practice.

03/05/23

Louise Wallace at the MAC, Belfast

04/05/23

…the drive to help.

Late Night Art Belfast. The first in a long time.

Ciaran Magill - University of Atypical

Tomas Monteiro at Catalyst Arts

Deirdre McKenna at PS²

Dorothy Hunter at Golden Thread

Niamh O’Malley at Golden Thread

Ciarraí MacCormac at Trademarket

07/05/23

“Boy Soldier” - finished.

Two new little pieces started this afternoon too!

09/05/23

New EMIC piece in Belfast City Centre

13/05/23

Sent feelers out…

14/05/23

Need to tread carefully with this one.

19/05/23

Supplies!

20/05/23

A good tidy up of the studio.

21/05/23

Studio time.

Going somewhere and then damn near destroyed ‘Mugshot’ piece. Taking some time and stepping back helped save the day.

Looking is still working.

Brought it back. Relying too heavily on the charcoal mark can sometimes lead to images turning into a caricature of itself. Pared back the drawing line - focussed on the tones and limited palette that don’t stray too far from each other. Much more successful as a whole now. Bit more to go but good otherwise.

25/05/23

Luc Tuymans - surgical precision. All working out is done beforehand - composition, colours, size, materials all planned in advance so that intelligence goes from the brain (in the preparation stages) to the hand (in the making). I don’t know if that would work for me. That split second spontaneity - yes it can go wrong and often does - is needed for play with materials. Having a regimented script when painting would not work for me.

Need to catch a grip. Too easily distracted by shiny things.

27/05/23

“Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires” on Iplayer.

28/05/23

Studio.

“What fascinates you about that bastard?”

Definitely evokes a response. Is it worth it to get response based on the sources for the work rather than the work itself? A pickle. It’s not a glorification of a person’s actions. It is a study, an investigation of a portrait of evil. Aesthetic response to traumatic event.

Ethics vs Aesthetics.

In the end, I’m never speaking or working for anyone but myself.

Wee bit of progress on little prayer canvas. Could the two be companion pieces?

31/05/23

Dublin bound.

Manar Mervat Al-Shouha

Daniel Coleman

Upper Gallery RHA

Mags Geaney

RHA show - an art overload but in the best way!

Quick stop in Temple Bar and glad I saw performance for Fanny Gicquel’s show “breathing with heels, walking with eyes”. Also popped into Project Art Centre to catch “Got Damp / Púscadh Anuas” by Avril Corroon.

Performance at Temple Bar Gallery and Studios

Avril Corroon at the Project Arts Centre

RDH: APRIL 2023

02/04/23

“…entry point into an emotional landscape.”

“…photograph is just a vehicle to then deal with those subjects that I want…”

Matthew Krishanu on “A Brush with…”

Having a crack at “Check Your Pockets” again. Going to try attacking it from a different angle.

09/04/23

Easter Sunday.

“A Brush with… Mike Nelson”.

“C.Y.P.” - let’s just get something down.

Good progress on figure today. Looks solid but… it’s not sitting right though and when I looked again after cleaning brushes, only then did i realise… the issue is the background. Compositionally it’s fine but the colour choices and tonal values are all out of whack.

11/04/23

Over the Moon!

12/04/23

Beautiful postcard came in the post from Hang Tough Contemporary for Alana Barton’s solo show in Dublin.

14/04/23

Still pinching myself. Best foot forward!

16/04/23

Seem to have went and gone the long and awkward way about it but “Check your Pockets” is finished.

Some sketchbook work to finish the day off.

20/04/23

Special letter in the post.

23/04/23

Great to hear the Ulster Museum being interviewed in The Art Newspaper’s “Week in Art” podcast.

“A shared history, not a shared memory.”

Studio time - clothing an background work on “Boy Soldier”

RDH: OCTOBER 2022

02/10/22

#Mousegate

Strange events

08/10/22

…notes complete. Need refined for easy consumption.

13/10/22

Crowd at opening of RUA in the Ulster Museum

Craig Donald's winning portrait: "Marinus van der Lubbe"

Alana Barton with her painting "Faeries".

Pictured alongside "Girl with Red Hair"

Royal Ulster Academy opening. Craig Donald won an award for best portrait! A great night all round and chuffed to see my little painting up on the wall with some wonderful artists.

14/10/22

Early start. Perhaps the X in X4 stands for extra-long.

The Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin

Works In Progress Space in the Hugh Lane

Mid Presentation

"O, To have a little house" by Michelle Malone at the LAB Gallery

Talk in the Hugh Lane couldn’t have gone any better. Pleased with the reaction and feedback from everyone and profoundly grateful to Basic Space for the opportunity to speak.

15/10/22

Studio Shot: 15/10/22

‘A Brush With… William Kentridge’.

charcoal - the indeterminacy of the point.

… at the edge of meaning.

“Give an image the benefit of the doubt… there is a danger in certainty.”

William Kentridge.

21/10/22

NB: Melancholic apostle image interesting.

22/10/22

World of proximities.

23/10/22

26/10/22

Sketchbook work.

David Lynch “The Art Life” - documentary

27/10/22

“The Art Spirit” by Robert Henri

30/10/22

“Cherish your own emotions and never under value them”

Robert Henri

Exhibition Highlights: 2020

Usually at this time of year I do a run down of my favourite shows I’ve been to the past 12 months. It will be a short list this time around so I also want to include some exhibitions that I couldn’t get to see but wish I had.

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The Shows I’ve Seen…

“The Dark” - CCA Derry/Londonderry

Darren Banks, Liz Collini, Sinead McKeever and Agnes Meyer-Brandis

CCA Derry/Londonderry

Sinead McKeever

Liz Collini

From the CCA website: The Dark presents a constellation of new and existing works by artists from Northern Ireland, England and Germany. The artists look out into space, back at Earth and consider science fiction, fact and artist projections.

This group show was my first look at Liz Collini’s work first hand, making you slow way down when reading the intricate architectural scaffolding around the text. Sinead McKeever’s globe with continents of charcoal eroding away speaks of climate change but also of other threats.

“A False Dawn” - Ulster Museum, Belfast

Ursula Burke

Mural installation by Ursula Burke in the Ulster Museum, Belfast

From the Ulster Museum website: A False Dawn is the culmination of Ursula’s recent work. Much of her art practice deals with issues of representation and identity, exploring abuses of power in both social and political sphere.

This exhibition taking up the two large rooms on the fifth floor of the Ulster Museum holds the space impressively with the aid of the ambient lighting. From a distance the busts are classical in nature but look a little closer there are signs of trauma and violence.

“Put It To The People” - Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast

Joy Gerrard

Gallery one of Joy Gerrard’s “Put It To The People” exhibition in the Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast

From the Golden Thread Gallery website: Gerrard’s most recent work documents the huge protests against Brexit in London between 2018 and 2019. Here, her monochrome palette comes to invoke the binary oppositions of contemporary British politics, its elemental simplicity belying a more complex meditation on the imaging of protest.

I have admired Joy Gerrard’s work for some time and to see them up close was a feast for the eyes. The small works, which I’ve seen similar before, are delicate in their application but it was the transition to the larger scale works that took my breath away. The imagery still has the immediacy of the smaller works but it was the gestural mark-making on the larger works that brought the crowds in the protests to life.

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The Shows I Wished I’d Seen… (and one I still hope to)

“Penumbra” - FE McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge

Sinéad Aldridge, Hannah Casey-Brogan, Susan Connolly, Sarah Dwyer, Fiona Finnegan, Alison Pilkington, Yasmine Robinson and Louise Wallace

Photo by Simon Mills

From the FE McWilliam Gallery Website: Penumbra brings together artists who are connected by their gender, their associations with the island of Ireland and their commitment to testing the limits of painting.

A painting exhibition with artists of this calibre should have been right up there on shows to get to this year. Sadly it wasn’t to be. No two artists in the show are alike and that shows the dexterity and the medium of painting still has in the right hands. Susan Connolly’s installations always push what defines a painting and I would have loved to have seen Sarah Dwyer’s paintings first hand.

“Echoes are Always Muted“ - VOID Gallery, Derry/Londonderry

Alan Phelan

Installation shot of “Echoes are Always Muted” by Alan Phelan in the VOID Gallery, Derry/Londonderry

From the VOID Gallery website: Alan Phelan’s exhibition echoes are always more muted is part of an expanded series of exhibitions that encompass his continuing research into the intersections of history, sexuality, material culture and politics which have evolved through sculpture, participatory events, and photography.

Alan Phelan’s multidisciplinary practice has explored the Joly photographic process for some time and this show seems to have included augmented reality that seems really engaging. This exhibition looks as though it was a colourful exploration of historical elements with the usual injection of humour and I’m sorry to have missed it.

“Obedience and Defiance” - IMMA, Dublin

Paula Rego

Installation view - “Obedience and Defiance” Paula Rego - IMMA, Dublin

From the IMMA website: Obedience and Defiance is a major retrospective by one of the most influential figurative artists of our time Paula Rego. Spanning Rego’s entire career from the 1960s, comprising more than 80 works, including paintings never seen before and works on paper from the artist’s family and close friends.

Rego needs to introduction as she is probably one of the most influential artists working today so to get to see a large retrospective like this on the island of Ireland has to be a not-to-be-missed event. Thankfully it is running until May 2021 so all being well I will get down to see the works in the flesh.

2019 in Photos

JANUARY

Rearranging office space

Alana Barton exhibition in the Black Box, Belfast

Studio shot with works in progress

Beginnings of "Lost Woods Study"

FEBRUARY

Detail of "Ruins" in progress

Looking over the Lagan

MARCH

Bright day in the studio and re-purposing failed works

Adding text?

I popped the question and she said yes!

APRIL

Aimee Melaugh's wonderful show in the Glassworks, Derry

Leaving work in the RHA to take part in the submission process

Francis Bacon's studio in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin

Visit to the Royal Academy, London

The National Gallery, London

Rousseau's Tiger in the National Gallery, London

Tate Modern, London

Peter Doig in the the Tate Modern

Self Portrait by Bonnard in the wonderful exhibition in the Tate Modern

Tate's new extension with a Franz West piece in the foreground

Doris Salcedo at IMMA

Jan with Jasper

MAY

Visiting the CCA Derry/Londonderry

Very disturbing window painting

"Ferryman" and "The Bogland Sackrace" in progress

Close up of "The Lost Woods Study"

JUNE

Taping up "The Bogland Sackrace"

Christopher James Burns' "Limbo Land" in the MAC, Belfast

Rogue at the River

JULY

Macro shot of painting skin

The smallest brush I own

Ballydugan Mill, Downpatrick

Wonderful show about Cindy Sherman on BBC Arena

AUGUST

Siblings

Sleeping Dogs

Prepping works for transit

SEPTEMBER

Mark McGreevy at the MAC, Belfast

Detail of painting in progress

Work by Craig Donald in the Goose Lane Gallery, Belfast

Still of 'Midsommar' - one of the best films I've seen this year

OCTOBER

Installing Bardo in the Ards Art Centre, Newtownards

Sandra Robinson solo show in the Ards Art Centre

Wonderful gift from Action Mental Health at the opening of Bardo

Ipod has returned!

Projecting images onto a new canvas

Visiting the RUA exhibition in the Ulster Musuem, Belfast

NOVEMBER

Fresh paint

"Helen" in progress

DECEMBER

Photo experimentation with Jan

Fog filled nights

Surprise gift wrapping

Detail of a commission in progress

RDH: APRIL 2019

02/04/19

Derry today.

CCA - ‘Celebration Factory’ by Filip Markiewicz. Huge drawings and impressive array of work.

‘Fragmented’ by Aimee Melaugh in the Gasworks. Such a beautiful space. Can’t think of anyone who paints atmosphere and smoke like she can.

Joseph McWilliams “Community Door” 1976 part of the “Troubles Art” exhibition in Nerve Visual.

06/04/19

Work submitted to the RHA open call.

Detail of a piece by Cecilia Danell - part of her solo show “In a Landscape” in the RHA.

Intense paintings by Liliane Tomasko in the Kerlin Gallery.

08/04/19

Royal Academy - Renaissance Nude exhibition was great. Highlights were Pontormo’s “Study of a Nude Boy”, Dürer’s etchings, creepy little paintings by Hans Memling and, of course, Titian’s Venus.

Royal Academy

"Venus Rising from the Sea" by Titian

"Study of a Nude Boy" by Pontormo

National Gallery - “Rokeby Venus” by Velazquez is just an unbelievable painting! Real surprise was being moved by Caravaggio’s “Boy bitten by a lizard”. Came out of nowhere. Loved how the two Rembrandt portraits faced each other in their room. A conversation? “The Ambassadors” by Hans Holbein the Younger. Great to see it in the flesh finally. So many great works - probably could have stayed in there all week.

National Gallery, London

"Boy bitten by a Lizard" by Caravaggio

"The Ambassadors" (detail) by Hans Holbein the Younger

"La Coiffure" by Degas

"The Toilet of Venus" by Velázquez

09/04/19

“Brighton Pierrots” by Walter Richard Sickert.

Went to Tate Britain and was annoyed that many of the works I had been looking forward to seeing were out of view for refurbishment. However it was great to see some other great pieces, including Sickert’s “Brighton Pierrots”.

View from Tate Modern.

Tate Modern

"Masculino" (detail) by Sarah Gamarra

"Babel 2001" by Cildo Meireles

"Ski Jacket" by Peter Doig

"The Boxer" by Bonnard

Franz West

Bonnard show was incredible. Wish it wasn’t as crowded to spend more time with the work. The self portraits were anxious and sinister. Preferred Franz West ’s collages to the sculptures.

10/04/19

Marlene Dumas in the National Portrait Gallery

11/04/19

Just shy of forty miles walked.

Sean Scully documentary.

13/04/19

Horrible day in the studio. What’s done can be rectified thankfully but I’m not sure what brought it about.

• Not enough looking?

• Charging in?

• Carelessness?

• Fatigue?

• All of the above?

Note for “Rose”: Less is more.

14/04/19

Rehearsal.

16/04/19

Still no word - need to not get hopes up.

18/04/19

“Ruins” detail.

Office wall.

Tried and failed at sketching.

19/04/19

Sketchbook work.

20/04/19

Eventually in the studio… “Ruins” is still an exciting composition so not sure why it’s stagnated.

“The Lost Woods Study” close up.

21/04/19

So - “Ruins” has ground things to a halt. Can’t say it is entirely the painting’s fault but it has eaten a lot of time where I’d be working on multiple pieces simultaneously.

I’m not abandoning it completely. Just setting it out of sight and out of mind until I’m in a better position to complete it to the best of my ability.

“The continuous practice of painting is a process against forgetting.”

Hans Ulrich Obrist

24/04/19

Night shot.

25/04/19

Some good drawing tonight.

26/04/19

Studio work. “Rose” face is all but there.

27/04/19

Dublin bound.

IMMA

Susanne Wawra in "A Vague Anxiety" exhibition

"Plegaria Muda" by Doris Salcedo

IMMA Freud Project: Gaze was stunning. “Relfection: Self Portrait” - have wanted to see this piece in the flesh for a long long time. Interesting mix of artists alongside Freud including a Hopper sketch, a Rembrandt etching, Abramovic, Dúrer, Dorothy Cross and others. The Doris Salcedo show “Acts of Mourning” was intense. Moved by “Plegoria Muda” and “Tabula Rasa” pieces the most. For the past week that has been in NI, we all need little blades of hope. Group show “A Vague Anxiety” was great, particularly the work of Saidhbhín Gibson (sculptures) and Susanne Wawra’s incredible paintings.

29/04/19

Scam emails- beware!

RDH: 01/10/18 - 31/10/18

01/10/18

… of interest. Attainable small steps to reach big goals.

02/10/18

Delivery mix up.

05/10/18

Booked VAI speed curating slots for November.

…LA… fingers crossed!

06/10/18

initials in ogham

Experiment in the studio with a degree of success. When a fine layer of fixative is lit on the paintings surface, areas of the canvas that are predominantly charcoal or thin layers of colour are singed and blister - creating an interesting effect. Safety first though.

Jan is right —> the lighter background to “Pioneer” was more unsettling. Rectify.

07/10/18

Staring at “Pioneer”. I think I’m hesitant because its… I don’t know. I think the colours are too similar between light and shade. By the same token - you don’t want it to become too contrasting and cartoonish. A foreign colour introduced into the third panel may point a direction.

Flying by the seat of pants but you can’t control the spontaneous. Some detailed work today. It is getting there. Attention directed towards other matters.

… paintings and clusters of drawings - like a shotgun spread of memories. Jumbled - linked yet conflicting. Fighting for dominance.

\\\THE TRAUMA PARADOX\\\

08/10/18

Just realised a connection between “AMATGS” and the ivy crown. Oedipus plays would have been played during the festival of Dionysus - who is associated with a crown of ivy.

09/10/18

“ I gave myself permission to follow my voice and that’s what my whole career has been. I still give myself permission and no compromise. I compromised before but not when I became an artist.” Mark Bradford

10/10/18

World Mental Health Day.

11/10/18

13/10/18

“Into The Void Magazine” submission successful!

Sketchbook work and now watching the original ‘Suspiria’ for the first time.

14/10/18

Notes finished for presentation. Pleased with burning effect on triptych.

… was suggested something on Friday. Well it was more of a dialogue regarding “Pioneer”; the first and last sections work. They’re strong but the one that should be the strongest and the anchor, the middle piece is way behind. Changing from a triptych to a diptych? Leave it for a while - continue working on all three before abandoning the middle piece.

Using ash as a painting/drawing medium. Religious links? Why do ideas come in the final minutes of the day? Processing process.

18/10/18

On way to Dublin. Looking forward to talking about work in DLR Lexicon. Not nervous. Yet.

Just saw the most beautiful fox casually strolling across a field outside Armagh.

I’ve been skirting around issues. The ‘recall’ notion might be worth exploring again. Drawing. Painting. Video. Audio.

The DLR Lexicon is stunning. Really enjoyed the other talks - especially work of Cecilia Bullo.

19/10/18

Yesterday’s trip and talks were great. Just wish I had more time to go around some of Dublin’s galleries when I was down. Decided it was best to drop the middle canvas in “Pioneer Studies”. Finished the other two pieces and happy with the results.

20/10/18

A little tweaking to “Afore the Stoop”.
Dad suffered a bleeding eye following his operation.

22/10/18

Have been neglecting practice and methods during the week. Ards - it seems a long way off but it will fly in.

Keeping your finger on the pulse is no bad thing.

24/10/18

Personal history is a source - not the explanation. ‘imagine…’ with Tracey Emin on iPlayer was insightful. Have a new found respect for Emin’s practice and quite like a few of some of her new paintings.

27/10/18

No paints were used today but three canvases were started. The smallest piece - I don’t think will have legs. As a drawing it is strong but I feel it won’t work on canvas. I’ve drawn up “Bereft Clown” again - a different size to the previous square stretcher. Will see how it goes. The third canvas is the one I’m most excited about. It’s a merging of two images but in a slightly different way. First is an image of a German officer stationed in a concentration camp. The other is a negative of a confession screen. The idea is to project light through the lattice onto the portrait. Fright Night in the jungle was great fun!

28/10/18

Slept so much. Slow progress but progress nonetheless.

31/10/18

Spacing error.

“I’m really interested in creating moments of ‘push and pull’ in paintings and having different registers of imagery with different surface qualities - so one thing might be compositionally in the foreground but materially might be being subsumed by whats behind it.” Helen Johnson

Show and Tell: Dún Laoghaire

I was delighted to take part in VAI’s Show and Tell talks held at the stunning DLR Lexicon building in Dún Laoghaire.

I spoke about my practice and working methods along with other artists who gave insights to their work.

Speakers:

Eileen Malaniff, Des Kenny, Sheena Meagher, Melissa Ellis, Sarah Boyle, Jane Murtagh, Cecilia Bullo and Katherine Halford Greene.

Many thanks to Siobhán Mooney from VAI and DLR County Council for organising the event.

RDH: 01/08/18 - 31/08/18

01/08/18

Blog generally.

03/08/18

Work wrapped and ready.

Confessional - portrait through mesh?

installational idea - structural notes on seat.  Guidelines for penance.

"The Ash Wednesday Supper" by Giordano Bruno - 1584

Michael Simpson - think of your 'style' as developing a language; coherent and your own without being stylised.

04/08/18

'Real Artists Don't Starve' by Jeff Goins

Agendas in the work?  Activism? Does it need to have a message?

CNIP Meeting in CCA Derry went really well.

At the Gates of the Music Palace by Alex Cecchetti.  Curated by Mary Cremin - VOID Derry

05/08/18

RUA works dropped off.

"As a painter you constantly want to overcome your virtuosity, but at the same time you strive for virtuosity" - Per Kirkeby

06/08/18

Bits that work and bits that don't.

08/08/18

Been offered to show work in New York City!!!

09/08/18

Stiffen the Sinews, Summon up the blood. - King Henry in William Shakespeare's 'Henry V'

The above is written on the studio wall of Maggi Hambling (Tateshots).  Some sketching done.

11/08/18

Average Buzzard wingspan = 110 - 140cm.  Overlap red silhouette of bird with rabbit skull.  Any black in the skull should remain the red of the buzzard.  Don't overwhelm foundation of composition.

No where fast with this. Not happy with tones at the minute but it can be pulled back.

Will get a good push in the studio tomorrow.  At the same time if I rush at it, that's when it is more likely to fall apart.  If it happens, it happens..

12/08/18

On the ropes. Really badly on the ropes.

Life-sized buzzard started.

Triggers: words, memories, looks, objects?

13/08/18

"Happiness is like an orgasm - it doesn't really last." - Raqib Shaw

14/08/18

Reading 'Oedipus at Colonus' to get a better grip.  "...further into darkness with every step".

15/08/18

Just realised how I went about the 'Oedipus' painting in the first place ... shading down on charcoal and fix + light transparent wash to unify all the tones.  Once dry, pop in colours and detail accordingly,  How did I forget?!

16/08/18

...waiting on submission is tortuous.

17/08/18

A strange seed.

Trying very hard not to get ahead of myself.

Sketchbook work.

18/08/18

Studio shot. "A Manifold and Truly Glorious Strife" (left) brought back from the brink.

20/08/18

Roasted Crane = culinary symbol of Irish submission.  Breaking of legs before being thrown into the sea.  The Pale - area above Dublin. (beyond the pale saying). Notes from episode 2 of "Story of Ireland". 

OH DEAR.  Painful.  What a difference a day makes.  Twenty four little hours.  Three things looking good and they all come crashing down.

22/08/18

A shitty week but it will be OK.  Shouldn't have let it affect me as much as it did.  Got blindsided and took eye off longer focus and objectives.  Onward.

Trying out new things.

23/08/18

Grayson Perry's "Rites of Passage" episode on death really got to me.  A lot of people would give an arm and a leg to have that last conversation with a loved one - what they meant to you and what you mean to them - before they pass.

24/08/18

Prioritise / Lists - allow for flexibility.

25/08/18

A large (and very unfortunate) spider met it's end some time ago.

Bit of an overhaul on "Procession Study" today.  Clouds were OK but too noisy.  Back and forth with it today.  Looking more like a study now.  A little looser.

Blocked in rough colours for "Afore the Stoop";

26/08/18

Good progress on this today. Am I getting too caught up on those bloody hands and ignoring the rest of the canvas? Probably.

27/08/18

'Nemo Malus nisi probetur' roughly translates to 'No one is evil until it is proven'.

28/08/18

Bank Buildings in Belfast city centre completely gutted by fire.

Above:  Some shots of the Golden Thread Gallery's two simultaneous solo exhibitions:  Travis Somerville's "Homeland Insecurity" and Ian Cumberland's "a common fiction".

"Art Practice as fictioning (or myth-science) by Simon O'Sullivan.

29/08/18

A group show in London?  GT meet up yesterday was great.  Hearing what folks have been up to and where they are going.  Some feedback from sculptural ideas from friends was positive.

"Procession Study" finished. Can a study be finished?

30/08/18

Cat is missing.

31/08/18

An application was successful so there will be two solo shows - one in 2019 and one in 2020!