RDH: APRIL 2024

02/04/24

Utilise own advice! Get pro-active!

04/04/24

Not being idle within practice is key.

LNAB

Éabha Campbell - DEPICTA MUSCA in Catalyst - beautifully macabre.

Stephanie Loveless - “This Street is a Song” - part of Sonorities Festival.

Blue Whale/Maeve McGreevy/Tom Hughes - “Last Immediate Moving Image” at VAULT.

07/04/24

“A Brush With… Nalini Malani”

“…slippage of imagery…”

Clothing detail work on “Last Fancy Dress” and a promising start on “They Had It Coming”. Keep it raw - how do you describe that?

11/04/24

Submission 1.

16/04/24

Submission 2. Ran out of time for drawing work.

17/04/24

Sketchbook work.

S.A.W.E.D.

18/04/24

Submission 3 - an open call.

21/04/24

Studio - pre paint notes:

• Headscarf - maroon?

• Background - a sickly yellow / green (not unlike “Amy Study”.

Now that the canvas is covered (no more blankness) - it’s show time.

24/04/24

Dublin bound. Really bad that I have gotten out of the way writing in this. [slaps wrist].

S.V. confirmed! Class!

Popped into the LAB Gallery to see “Emergency Knowledge: The Missing Archives - Vagabond Reviews”. Great to see Save Our Sperrins highlighted among other important causes.

25/04/24

OK, so I’ve been putting this off for a while and now, it seems that bus time is usually RD time these days.

Project idea I had maybe ten years ago: record a sitter - up close in portrait whilst asking questions - mix of mundane and psychological. Between each question - leave around 20 - 30 seconds. The sitter remains silent throughout - more of an introspective process. The idea was to then take still of video and convert to painting.

What if…

test demo screenshot from 2014

instead of a static camera on tripod (that I tried back in 2014) - the footage moved in, out and around the sitter?

And…

instead of working off individual stills on separate works - merging onto one surface. Showing a variation in composition, scale and method of painting depending on the image taken throughout the test?

So, let’s take stock…

Four submissions done in past 6 weeks plus an SV!

Sketchbook work tonight - since brain is firing on a few more cylinders than usual.

27/04/24

Four years. Surreal.

28/04/24

Studio time.

Well, after nearly losing it on the skin tones - “THIC” turned out better than I could have hoped. A strange feeling.

30/04/24

“mother tongue” in the MAC - GREAT!

Dorothy Hunter’s work took breath away! Bloody brilliant.

Upper Gallery view of "mother tongue" in the MAC

'Formwork (Nervous Systems)' by Jane Butler

'as much as one can do' by Dorothy Hunter

RDH: FEBRUARY 2024

01/02/24

Beginnings…

02/02/24

…officially taken a back seat. That’s OK though. Needs - Must. Doesn’t mean the grey matter stops!

I mind a ‘Thunderball’ poster with a table in it - or was it N.S.N.A.?

Knots - Riddled.

03/02/24

20:11 - Malcolm John Kielt born - 7lbs 10oz.

Jan was amazing.

09/02/24

I have been thinking about what was put to [redacted] for the [redacted]. Advice could (and should) be taken on board closer to home.

Certain circumstances, mean that practice has taken a back seat - as it should - but this shouldn’t be an excuse to down tools completely and end any creative activity that could be happening. I don’t know if I could fully switch off anyway.

Just because the practical studio and office / sketchbook time is lowered doesn't mean all artistic outlets dry up! There is room in other spaces. Even now, trying to carve out some creative time will be important. Use any spare time wisely - but also enjoy the early days of baby number 2!

10/02/24

Studio cleaning and some posthumous signing this morning.

Had time cleared for the studio for a few hours - just to get some paint down when no sooner had I started, the skirting man arrived.

The best laid plans etc etc.

15/02/24

16/02/24

BEEP BEEP!

17/02/24

“A Brush with…. Wilhelm Sasnel”.

“I do not control painting; I follow it.”

Wilhelm Sasnel

Some studio work - bit of a no-go. Need to re-energise the on-the-go paintings somehow OR start from scratch OR (3rd option):

Finding - or trying to find a new rhythm. Tough going but we’ll get there. What have I done in the past when I’ve come to a cul-de-sac?

DRAWING BOARD! Practical Next Steps.

18/02/24

Plan set out to be productive this evening - … had other ideas.

Submitted!

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X

IX

XIII

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20/02/24

THRESHOLD Gallery, Belfast showcasing work as part of the Golden Thread Gallery Collection.

22/02/24

Ciarraí MacCormac at Ulster Presents.

Pond(er) at Catalyst Arts.

23/02/24

“Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.”

Voltaire

25/02/24

“A Brush with… Stanley Witney”

(…a painting has to get ugly before it can be beautiful. If you go straight to the beautiful, you’re aiming at the pretty.)

Two canvases started. Badgers’ is quite interesting already.

Fingers crossed.

28/02/24

“A.J.#240” - well I fell asleep during that podcast. Riveting.

29/02/24

Sketchbook studies.

RDH: JANUARY 2024

02/01/24

Uncertainty is where the magic happens.

Organising ‘used’ imagery.

03/01/24

…back to the drawing board.

04/01/24

‘someone decides, hawk or dove’ - exhibition by Niamh McCann at the MAC, Belfast

… strengthened my resolve. Sometimes you are too close to the work to see the threads / connections running through it - so another eye is always greatly valued.

…stagger (they talk).

06/01/24

For now, less writing for the sake, less procrastination and more doing please.

Late night sketchbook work - three cadets on the one page.

07/01/24

Second night in a row where the dreams were really messed up.

14/04/24

First day back in the studio for the year. ‘séance’ darkened down by layer of charcoal.

‘Restraint Study’ finished, and palette is clean as a whistle!

18/01/24

Snow Day.

more drawing = more ideas = more work

Andro Wekua: Louisiana Channel (Hand on the shoulder).

Words to Action.

21/01/24

Saltburn - good but gross.

Sick all weekend, missed Watty’s All-Ireland glory. A real dud of a weekend.

22/01/24

Storm damage.

23/01/24

Concurrant by Sinead McKeever.

25/01/24

…peaks and troughs. 2020 was unique in that time seemed to last so much longer. Suck it up.

Late night drawing.

28/01/24

A weekend of nesting.

29/01/24

Lost… looked up and down the road, in and out of fields. Came back.

31/01/24

Using vagueness, opens more possibilities for the viewer.

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.

---

… 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: SEPTEMBER 2023

05/09/23

06/09/23

Crow in flight. Morrigán. Could see the stabbed brush marks of the wings when watching it in flight. Weird. Aren’t we all?

Time needs to be set aside for practice. Shia LaBeouf.

Sounds like an excuse but a certain letter has thrown a real spanner in the works.

NB: Forgot to jot down that ‘Red Lines’ has been accepted into this years’ Royale Arcade Academy show at Arcade Studios.

07/09/23

LATE NIGHT ART - Belfast

'Living but a Day' - Chloe Austin at PS2

Emma Brennan's work in 'STOOP' group show at DAS.

Some very late-night sketching.

09/09/23

Setting your stall.

10/09/23

Art Wank Podcast with Array - listening during studio time.

“Painting is a place to hide thoughts, hide feelings, hide emotions.”

- Stephen Millar

The Arts are not singular. Arts as a united force for good. Collaboration.

You can’t eat prestige (or a flag).

‘Ready to Go’ blocked out. Not sure if it’s a damp squib but I think it’s worth another shot.

‘Marina’ - content with background. Loose is good. So bloody close.

13/09/23

H.B.S.

After a bit of mulling - the ‘Ready to Go’ canvas is anything but. I have forgotten the first rule:

IF IT DOESN’T EXCITE YOU THEN THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG

It is not and it is also an image that, if it’s going to work, will need another image merged to elevate it.

It is a solid image, and it has a resonance with me personally but it’s just not doing it for me, for the want of a better phrase.

Handed in ‘Red Lines’ to Arcade. Stopped by the MAC to see ‘No History in a Room filled with People wih Funny Names 5’ by Korakrit Arunanondchai and Alex Gvojic with Tosh Basco. An extremely immersive experience.

Abhartach - the Irish Vampire.

Black / Peaty Soil. Roots become negative space. Possible triptych?

14/09/23

Abhartach - source material…

This will be for down the line. Even the little portrait alongside ‘Ready to Go’ on acetate has more promise and, more importantly, has my head spinning!

Back of the bus, it’s been a long time.

Can see where… might have an advantage. More time. Been reading “The World New Made - Figurative Painting in the 20th Century” by Timothy Hyman.

“I was alone in my studio in front of my oil lamp. Two or three in the morning… Dawn is breaking… I used to sit up like that all night long. My lamp burned, and I with it.”

- Marc Chagall c.1920

Henri Rousseau = recovered a primal truth in painting.

17/09/23

Short Sunday Sessions.

“Marina” finished! But only just. A little over indulgent with the fixative meant some emergency fixing (irony) was needed.

If I had my wits about me I should’ve drawn up a new canvas in the 45 minutes spare. Hindsight.

“Look to Henri Rousseau as examplar for a renewal of figural language reborn in the image of childhood.”

- Timothy Hyman

18/09/23

20 week scan. All well! Surreal.

Also, on the way to Causeway - a lovely note, Warm, fuzzy feeling.

21/09/23

Chloe Austin’s “Living But A Day” in PS2

22/09/23

Breaking the Cultural Code - Tenth Anniversary of Derry’s UK City of Culture.

“Culture is everyday lived experience.”

- Sir Phil Redmond

Culture Night Derry

Banu Cennetoğlu at VOID Gallery, Derry

24/09/23

Studio time. There was a temptation to rework ‘Ready to Go’ for a minute. Had to remind myself that structurally it’s interesting but it doesn’t excite me to see where it can go.

“A Brush with… Claudette Johnson”

A really promising start to three canvases today.

25/09/23 & 26/09/23

BP high. Ordered to Antrim A&E. Arrived at 7pm - didn’t get seen until 10am on Tuesday. Tests to be done and rest needed. Poor timing.

28/09/23

…day in court.

29/09/23

VAI Get Together 2023 - Online day.

Imogen Stidworthy - How We Work.

Lindsey Mendick talk was great!

30/09/23

Be better at channeling time and effort into productive means.

We’re all a work in progress.

RDH: AUGUST 2023

02/08/23

Securing loose ends this week. Collecting and dropping off work.

Still from “THE NEW DAWN FADES” by Clare Langan at the Golden Thread Gallery.

09/08/23

Fell through. In any case it was still an honour to have been asked alongside the other artists!

11/08/23

14/08/23

Wonderful time over in London. Tried to paint today. Stared at the work for ages but nothing leaped out. Sometimes just looking can be productive. Time to re-energise and heal.

15/08/23

Now may be a suitable time to take own advice and reach out…. can’t just fire a blanket. Have enough work.

17/08/23

Reset desperately needed. Very distracted creatively at the minute. Whatever time can be set aside MUST be used for artistic purposes. Hopefully will get on the right track. Am I too harsh on myself?

Pleased to be a part of Catalyst Arts Member’s Show.

20/08/23

Some progress but not much. Don’t want to dwell on this too much but, as an honest self-assessment in a diary context, WTF. The will to paint is there at times, at others it’s the furthest thing from mind. Perhaps if there were one or two short - medium term targets. Something to aim for may light the fire again.

21/08/23

23/08/23

Yesterday… will remain nameless but they reminded me of the passion and push to create. Jan had noticed when I haven’t made work in a while my mood goes down, procrastination increases and there’s a that wee spiral downwards.

1. Accepting you’re in a rut.

2. Take a Break - self care.

3. Collaborate with others.

4. Change it Up.

5. Search for Inspiration

6. Keep Going

Morning pages - keep moving the pen. Don’t stop writing.

Pages 1 -3: Uncontrolled free writing

Page 4: Reflection on the day.

Advice from subconscious. Not showing my best self. Live by example. To be able to hold your head high. Shake it off and move on.

• Clean, workable space

• Back to the drawing board (there is a reason this is a saying)

• 30 minutes of drawing / research is better than 30 minutes of trash TV. Use time wisely!

24/08/23

I wonder if the morning papers would work for sketchbook work. Probably not unlike what Maggie Hambling does as part of her morning routine.

It’s a beautiful morning. The sun is blinding in the brilliant flashes as the bus winds and turns heading across the river Bann. Wall to wall blue. …solo heart to heart, I did my best to be less distracted last night. It’s about being conscious about the negative habits and aiming to nip them in the bud as quick as possible that should really make pay dividends.

Sore neck = Poor Posture.

…give myself permission…

You’d think that well over a decade I should know the answer.

IDEAS / DRAWING / REFLECTIONS / LISTS

Anything goes. The only rule is to put pen to paper every day as much as possible.

Life has a way of happening around you so if shit happens and venting is needed. That’s OK. A.i.L. - L.i.A.

Observing more can only be a good thing - possible leads into other areas of practice. Maybe best to not get too carried away.

Called into Anne Butler’s show “Objects in Time” at the GT on lunch. Such beautiful detail and intricacy in something so delicate and heavy. Love it when materials aim to confuse - mimic characteristics of another.

27/08/23

“Ready to Go” - does it need scaled up? Looking at the “Rooftop / Marina” piece, there are elements in the city scape that are working. Nice, loose and gestural marks but it still needs a lot of work. For the roof in the foreground, less charcoal marks perhaps? Just get something down.

“RtG” charcoaled up, witg the figure more prominent, its already looks like a far more intertersting composition. Solid progres on “Marina” today, especially the cityscape. SSS' aren’t to be taken lightly.

NB: SSS stands for Short Sunday Sessions.

28/08/23

APPLY

30/08/23

Dublin - Curved street is great!

31/08/23

Looking forward to ARRAY event tonight.

Fifteen years. Fifteen years since my outlook was altered forever. Still raw, even after all this time. Anniversaries reel back the pain like a fishing line. You cast it off eventually, but it will always come back. Wrote that like Senior.

“The Night Draws Near” by Array at the Ulster Museum. Wonderful experience.

BE PRESENT!

I will remember the chorus; singing as we were led up to the Síbín for a long time.

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: MARCH 2023

01/03/23

Hunter / Gatherer Mode: Night Two

05/03/23

Studio - a long needed clean-up and great to get going with paints again.

Working on larger-than-life hands - a teacher once told us that if you can draw hands, you can draw anything. This is whirling around in my head today as I tackle these.

08/03/23

…not selected. A little disheartening but onwards and upwards.

12/03/23

Back has hindered any studio time this weekend.

…well Sunday night took a turn for the weird. Trip in ambulance to hospital. Struggled to breathe. Long story short: X-Ray clear, CT Scan clear but blood tests abnormal.

A few days rest needed.

15/03/23

Sketchbook work.

Want to utilise time better.

18/03/23

GRAND SLAM!

19/03/23

Some really substantial progress today on “Boy Soldier”. A balancing act as always.

27/03/23

What a year it’s been! Happy Birthday to our little girl, Imogen.

29/03/23

List of drawings that have ‘slipped’ through the net…

20+ images that have popped out this time around. There’s potential for further progress here. Strange how on another day of sifting through past work a separate set of images could jump out.

The brain is an odd critter.

RDH: AUGUST 2022

02/08/22

Getting a little anxious as word gets closer…

03/08/22

“Girl with Red Hair” has been preselected!

07/08/22

Work dropped off to the RUA.

Visit to the MAC for Ron Mueck exhibition.

14/08/22

15/08/22

Can’t just be sitting around waiting…

Some sketchbook work started.

16/08/22

Drawings finished up from yesterday. Studio time now and some painting with the niece.

GOT INTO THE RUA SHOW!

17/08/22

‘A Brush With … Lina Iris Viktor’

“I think using a limited palette gives you more freedom.”

L.I.V.

Another layer on ‘lovers’ piece and a clean palette needed.

18/08/22

One Year!

20/08/22

Studio. Bit of burning on “Catherine Study”.

21/08/22

Good progress on “A Lovers’ Harvest”… man’s face works and doesn’t at the same time. Need to come back with fresh eyes.

There are aspects about “A.L.H.” I need to jot down:

• Fracture

• Loss vs Hope

• Memento Mori / Passing of the Seasons

27/08/22

Adam Pendelton on “A Brush With…”: “Masks conceal and evoke.”

Studio time: Grass - too much? Go lighter? Lovers - more sculpting? Background - more solidity?

A lot more questions than answers at the minute. Less writing, more doing. Retrospective analysis is much more succinct and compelling (?)

PTO…

Although, in hindsight, creating a short, concise list of things to look at, attempt / rectify seems to pay off more often than not.

“A Lovers’ Harvest” finished.

Detail of “A Lovers’ Harvest”

31/08/22

Submitted… finger’s crossed.

Never far from thoughts.

RDH: JULY 2022

02/07/22

Studio - moth wings getting there. .. dusty. Struggling with top colour. Tried green and purple. White is too close to the magpie moth tones.

Little studio buddy today

'Mothman' detail

03/07/22

In my own head yet again. This time it feels vastly different. Other concerns are taking precedent and pushing issues into the background. This is never a final solution I know but it is positive that mindset has altered accordingly.

More progress to ‘Mothman’ this evening.

08/07/22

“The artist has to put before the eyes of the public forms and poses which has existed previously in the darkness and confusion of an irrational mind, or one which is beset by uncontrolled passion.”

Goya

10/07/22

13/07/22

Sad to be missing the opening of the Boyle Arts festival tonight.

view at King's House, Boyle - image courtesy Daniel Coleman

Sketchbook work instead.

14/07/22

Asked to give a talk. Delighted.

16/07/22

Nearly fell asleep. Not a good start.

Studio - at a bit of a crossroads. This along with paints needing freshening up is why I’ll focus on drawing up new canvas / boards.

17/07/22

Studio again.

It’s so strange. Things are so good at the moment. Just… negative voices. Popping in and wearing down. Keep active mentally. Support system. Breathe.

18/07/22

When a lead weight is released, you float and rise. Getting there.

‘Mothman’ finished. Trying to stick to the less is more philosophy.

19/07/22

D.T.M.

20/07/22

Sketchbook work.

21/07/22

Short but very sweet stint in the studio. A good start on three pieces.

22/07/22

Ulster Museum trip with my girls!

Stuart Calvin’s show in Atypical is excellent and heartfelt. The Alexandra Lethbridge exhibition in the GoldenThread is worth seeing.

Stuart Calvin in Atypical Gallery

Alexandra Lethbridge in GoldenThread

23/07/22

Small progress in the studio. Hair in little portrait piece turned out way better than I thought it would. Best off leaving it alone!

30/07/22

‘Who Threw That?’ finished.

I think sometimes taking a risk can be as simple as not putting a mark down at all.

31/07/22

Compliments can’t be the ‘be all and end all’.

RDH: JANUARY 2022

03/01/22

Paranoic Critical Method - Dalí

08/01/22

Studio.

Starting two pieces. Smoky feel in a cold studio.

16/01/22

Short but interesting stint in the studio. Peaks and troughs with little P.P.E. piece.

Detail of “A New Normal” in progress

Heaven is a half pipe.

22/01/22

Another Saturday not in the studio but will make up for it tomorrow.

Serial Works: Paintings in a series - leaves out imagination?

23/01/22

“A New Normal” finished.

Different disciplinary artists working together! It’s happening!

24/01/22

Head is buzzing with ideas. Renewal.

25/01/22

Home / Displacement

Urgency

27/01/22

Some fun reacting to S.T.’s drawings.

29/01/22

The Loup. Kept in the…

30/01/22

Day and Date. A dark day remembered.

The Chameleon lays in wait,

Knuckles pressed white on the oak armrests.

There you’ll find an empty place at the table.

Under the fire’s amber glow,

Home is where the hearth is.

31/01/22

H.B.A. You are always missed.

Felt good to get some sketchbook work done tonight.

RDH: DECEMBER 2021

01/12/21

OMG! ARRAY have only gone and won the Turner!

Amazing!

02/12/21

Make the most of tomorrow.

03/12/21

Sadly just a short stint in the studio.

05/12/21

“Infant Terrible” finished. - Less is more.

09/12/21

Dire.

14/12/21

Tinnitus - bit of a surprise.

Great to finally see John Rainey’s ‘SLIP TANK’ in the Naughton Gallery today. Hands down, the best sculptor in the North.

15/12/21

“The impulse to discover and re-contextualise rather than to generate a picture reintroduces questions of intention. Why did they pick that? What did they do to it? To what end?”

‘World of Art: Contemporary Painting’ by Suzanne Hudson

16/12/21

Fractured narratives.

Sketchbook time. Good to do something creative for the first time in a long while.

18/12/21

Light at the end of the tunnel?

21/12/21

‘The Sky Gives Way’ Solstice performance by Méabh Meir and Emma Brennan with Array Collective.

22/12/21

New year will be a fresh start. Exciting!

23/12/21

Christmas Eve-Eve. News from yesterday have just evaporated the angst that has been looming overhead the past few weeks. Can now settle down and enjoy the holidays with the family minus the worry.

27/12/21

A Clean palette and tidy studio.

28/12/21

Very early rise. Studio time FINALLY!

Topography of Man - surveillance?

30/12/21

With two pieces at a treacherous crossroads, there is that leap of faith needed. If they go sideways then that’s alright. It can be rectified or started again.

There is that strange debilitating fear when work is at a junction like this. It’s easy to kick the can down the road and avoid messing any work that has gone before.

"Label"

"Under Surveillance"

Last day in the studio for the year. Maybe this added to the frantic energy but “Label” and “Under Surveillance” have changed beyond recognition. Darker and Simplified.

Fresh eyes will know whether to continue working or not. A good day.

RDH: SEPTEMBER 2021

02/09/21

Organised ‘used imagery’ away into respective folders.

04/09/21

Acetate transfers onto canvas.

05/09/21

King Farouk onto pyramids? … GREEN LIGHT!

Quitting while ahead today but so far so good.

06/09/21

Scanning.

07/09/21

Such a mover! Beyond happy and proud and excited for things to come.

08/09/21

Some good groundwork done on the two smaller pieces.

09/09/21

Sketchbook work.

11/09/21

Tidy and apply sort of a day.

12/09/21

“Painting as an act of assembling different references.” - Ralph Rugoff

Finished “Saint and Sinner”.

13/09/21

Excited for VAI Get Together ‘21.

14/09/21

A long night of scans, and resizing drawing works.

15/09/21

Layers and layers, back and forth. Named due to facial expression.

18/09/21

Long shift in the studio but finished “Unimpressed”. Front hand is rough but if there was more done, it could ruin the whole piece.

22/09/21

… relished in the relationship between the paint mark and the drawn line - their harmonious and, at times, antagonistic tendencies.

Good bit of progress to “Rex Aegypti Penultimus”.

Applied and a waiting on.

25/09/21

<— This will be tough!

A nice couple of hours in the studio today. Pushing and pulling on “R.A.P.”.

26/09/21

Really good live chat with Clinton Kirkpatrick on Instagram. Nervous but thought it went alright.

28/09/21

Sketchbook work.

Huge congratulations to Array Collective for opening their Turner Prize exhibition. Everything is crossed!

30/09/21

Wake me up…

RDH: AUGUST 2021

02/08/21

Cover of Geraldine O’Kane’s ‘Unsafe’ has dropped. It looks great!

03/08/21

Finally finished sketches from last week.

10/08/21

Very very hectic at the minute.

11/08/21

Night Sky

18/08/21

Still pinching myself. The perfect day. Married my best friend surrounded by nearest and dearest.

22/08/21

26/08/21

Didn’t get … art award. Very positive feedback in email though.

28/08/21

First day back in the studio in over a month. Not much occurring but still good to get the overalls on and paint out.

Detail work on ‘Life is But a Dream’.

29/08/21

Dusting off the cobwebs.

Finished ‘L.i.B.a.D’. Kept it a little looser than usual and more on the raw side. Better that than over painted.

30/08/21

Sketchbook work tonight.

31/08/21

Never far from thoughts. Doesn’t feel like thirteen years.

VAI Café: Introducing Derry with talks from UV Arts, Void Gallery and CCA Derry.

Power will be off tomorrow so perfect opportunity to catch up on reading and writing.

RDH: JUNE 2021

03/06/21

Canvas stripping, stretching and some sewing experimentation.

04/06/21

Priming canvas is such a messy business!

05/06/21

Once the work is made, build bridges to your audience.

Artists need to band together!

Anne Imhof - finding refuge in the blur.

Sketched up new canvases.

06/06/21

Easily worked up - relax.

09/06/21

Finally getting round to cleaning garage and setting paint out. Asked if I’d like to be featured in a takeover. Chuffed!

Bit of a mixed bag in studio today. On wooden piece, that image just sucks you in and spits you out! With the large canvas started (‘Man Digging’ - working title) it’s quite a forgiving composition and palette working well so far.

10/06/21

“An archive of emotions”

Dr. Kate McLean

Didn’t get shortlisted.

11/06/21

12/06/21

Reading group outside this morning.

13/06/21

Some good, solid progress today.

16/06/21

So grateful to be included in Paint-Tube Dublin by Louise Wallace.

Sketchbook Studies

18/06/21

First vaccine received today!

19/06/21

Work on small portrait today - title undecided as yet.

‘The Eternal Bride’ myth.

22/06/21

Memory is forgetting.

A little mid-week push.

23/06/21

“A Brush with … Julian Opie”

So so close to finishing “Moon Boy”.

24/06/21

Some good sketchbook work this afternoon. Looking forward to getting to Belfast tomorrow.

25/06/21

Great to get into the MAC shows today, sadly didn’t have time to get round anywhere else.

Ambera Wellmann

Maya Balcioglu

Jaap Pieters

Will have to wait another little while for rings.

26/06/21

Studio time!

“Moon Boy” finished!

30/06/21

Ballyliffen

RDH: MAY 2021

01/05/21

NB: Take a little more time…

"History Repeating”: Good Start!

02/05/21

Admin all day long!

03/05/21

Sketchbook work with snooker on in the background. Not a bad combination

04/05/21

passing-time.org : great concept for a website showcasing work.

05/05/21

Submission unsuccessful.

Studio time eventually… come the weekend I will probably try and figure out a way to block out the planes so that I can paint the red container background in one motion. Right now its all a little scrappy and stop/start.

07/05/21

Belfast bound. When walking around the town I hear ARRAY have been nominated for the Turner Prize! Amazing news and thoroughly well deserved! This feels like it could be a huge boost to Belfast / NI art community going forward.

08/05/21

Rodin’s “Gates of Hell”

…has to reflect your own practice. We all think and experience the world differently.

Weekend screening of ‘Painting After Postmodernism with Barbara Rose’ courtesy of The Brooklyn Rail.

… permit the accident and then aim to control it afterwards.

Concept of space - innovation of contemporary painting regardless of abstract or figurative work.

09/05/21

Initially didn’t feel in form for studio today but it really does pay off to just do it and go in regardless.

Masked planes and now I’m fairly content with the more solid / rusted container in the background.

10/05/21

Sketchbook work.

12/05/21

The over-thinking / perfectionist side is in overdrive.

Perhaps it’s the large scale that is showing up it’s flaws. Embrace the flaws? Easier said than done - however I do seem to appreciate other artist’s little oddities in their work that could be seen as inaccurate. One person’s poor areas are another person’s highlights I guess.

There’s a lot to be said for confidence in the work and/or the process. Here’s to letting go.

13/05/21

Finally bit the bullet in some respects. “T.H.T.H” sold!

14/05/21

Memory is so imperfect.

15/05/21

A lot of doodles and not much substance.

Joan of Arc will be the elephant in the room today.

Figurative -> Genre

Abstract -> Colour / Editing

Perfectionism is stifling “History Repeating” It’s getting there but extremely slow and frustrating. Straddling between realistic and looser motifs. In two minds when in the thick of it all.

Listening to ‘Jo’s Art History Podcast’ in the studio.

16/05/21

Rearranging storage space.

17/05/21

OFFSITE from Catalyst Arts. Peer Support / crit group was excellent and definitely well worth expanding on.

Patterns of People.

The act of Keening / Post-memory.

18/05/21

Paint the fence.

19/05/21

That ‘I want to be on my own’ kind of feeling.

“H.R.” - truly, these planes are the bane of my life at the minute. Whatever the case, regardless of how they are (in my eyes) I’ll want to push on and be done with this canvas by the weekend….

…are they finished? Dare to hope.

IMMA talk with Chantal Joffe and Katy Hessel - ‘The Artist’s Mother’.

‘Attempting the impossible’ - the best definition of portraiture and painting.

Just submitted “Shock” and “Gathering Thoughts”.

20/05/21

21/05/21

‘The Training of Memory in Art and the education of the Artist’ by Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran.

Cart and standing figures worked on today. Trying to strike a balance between the light tones of the ground, the bodies and the cart.

22/05/21

25/05/21

Work and yard work.

26/05/21

“History Repeating” finished!

28/05/21

Saltz v Scully.

Started putting paint down on one of the smaller pieces and just decided to call it. Whether the smaller works are tripping me up on where to go next or they’re just not exciting me enough to push on. I’m not sure.

30/05/21

When asked if I would be willing to help Ciara McMullan, an architecture student with a project, I was happy to fill out a questionnaire and make some small works on canvas and glass to include in a study model of a studio / exhibition space. I was blown away to see the final results of the project. Some fantastic ideas.

Internal shot of Ciara McMullan’s art studio / exhibition space project.

31/05/21

Late night sketching to finish off the month. The past few weeks has seen an unusually singular focus / pandering to one specific canvas. Typically I jump from one work to another with usually three on the go at once. I always thought this helped keep the head and the eyes fresh. I wonder if this may explain May.

Slight sense of fatigue creeping in. At least there are avenues to explore in terms of going about fixing it.

RDH: FEBRUARY 2021

01/02/21

My display for Firstsite’s “Great Big Art Exhibition”.

Blessings this morning.

…it’s not animals.

02/02/21

Parcel from Trebuchet

04/02/21

Good sketchbook work tonight.

05/02/21

Some paint down but not much.

07/02/21

Trip to the Derry Vaccine Centre.

08/02/21

Sketchbook work this evening.

10/02/21

Fingers crossed.

11/02/21

Rookie mistake so sketchbook work instead.

13/02/21

Less doodle and more noodle.

15/02/21

Great news!

16/02/21

Need to make a point of getting into the studio tomorrow.

17/02/21

A lot of scraping and pushing around paint to “Washing of Hands” piece. It may be, for right now, I’m forcing works that are stagnating. As solid as they may be compositionally I feel at a loss with where to go next. Could be why I’m drawing a hell of a lot more lately - looking for other avenues?

In any case it felt great to move paint about for the first time in a while.

18/02/21

Fully intended - FROZE - self-doubt.

20/02/21

Self actualisation - making real of the inner self.

22/02/21

Back to work!

…little more interactive.

23/02/21

…collapsed. Postural hypotension.

24/02/21

HBKA!!!

25/02/21

“Titles are an extra brushstroke”

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

Clarification

27/02/21

Poor … way too much going on at the one time.

Reading round is back! So happy to see those faces!

Little bit of self-doubt still here. If I try to force it, the doubt seems to grow roots. Flip side of that is that you can the self-doubt can stagnate and you can then avoid going into the studio all together.

GET IN BUT NO PRESSURE

Bleached out several canvases on a spur of the moment this evening. I think starting again / fresh thinking is the best option. Out with the old.

28/02/21

Well, completely cleared the window piece. Aiming to start Spring with a spring in step so I’ve drawn up few pieces and see where they lead.

RDH: JANUARY 2021

03/01/21

‘sub cruce salus’

… too simplistic or is it hard to get ideas across?

04/01/21

Need to leave site.

05/01/21

Elevator pitch: use personal and found imagery to explore notions of trauma, memory and experience. (13 words, 83 characters)

imagery with personal connection - greater impact?

large scale drawings = link between sketchbook and canvas.

06/01/21

FORM —> CONTENT —> FORM —> CONTENT …

Can you distil the feeling of an image?

Play with gesture.

…adding just for the sake doesn’t cut it. Integrate if it adds to a message.

07/01/21

Hillsborough

08/01/21

Growing uncertainty in other areas is just leading to this “deer in headlights” feeling.

09/01/21

Lists are all well and good but to get making again ; that’s what it’s all about.

“Shock” looking good thus far.

10/01/21

Passionate about painting / drawing and interplay between the mark-making of both processes… juxtaposing imagery. How do they sit together?

11/01/21

Still have to show though.

12/01/21

Detail of “Shock” - finished today - Oil and Charcoal on Canvas

13/01/21

“As an artist you leave a trace of yourself.”

- Mira Schor

Magnets came and work a treat!

Sketchbook work: 13/01/21

16/01/21

A little slow to get in today but four canvas pieces off the starting block which makes up for it.

18/01/21

21/01/21

…in a jar for the day.

23/01/21

Forgetown Bridge

25/01/21

Sketchbook work

27/01/21

…days just melting into each other.

28/01/21

Not one but two zooms this evening.

29/01/21

Some surprising paint down today. Loosely does it.

Detail of work in progress.

30/01/21

Cold.

Sketchbook work this evening,

NOTE: Check out the music of Nadine Shah.

31/01/21

One clean palette and one sore head.

RDH: DECEMBER 2020

01/12/20

…wrapping

Ars longa, vita brevis.

02/12/20

‘A Brush with… Ragnar Kjartansson’ podcast

“Art is a shelter from a storm” - Ragnar Kjartansson

“Raking It In” Pen on Paper

03/12/20

An opportunistic pitch to pat themselves on the back.

04/12/20

“Soaking Up The Sun” Pen and Marker on Paper

NT - how you might approach and on what grounds.

06/12/20

“Norwegian” notes: warmer flesh tones? Texture in sand (sawdust?)

“Swivel Study” Pen on Paper

07/12/20

Some really good sketchbook work done tonight.

“Just This Once” Pen on Paper

10/12/20

Commended for the Moth Art Prize 2020!

"Norwegian Stance" WIP

Malala Study

Thought I had destroyed “Norwegian Stance” a few times today but it’s a stubborn git. In any case it was good to get paint down.

…some sketching work tonight but not much.

11/12/20

One minute I think the painting is finished and then a wee niggly bit pops up.

“Norwegian Stance” all but finished.

14/12/20

Sketchbook work … but I’m distracted a little.

15/12/20

Belfast. Three months on…

“La Loge” in the Ulster Museum. Absolutely stunning to see in the flesh

Seeing “Hotel ‘78” with the name tag beside it made it all the more real. Great to see around the RUA.

Jaunt to the Golden Thread Gallery. Absolutely stunning show “Put It To The People” by Joy Gerrard. I’ve seen similar small scale works before but the larger canvases are amazing! Real gestural mark making at it’s finest.

Joy Gerrard at the GT

Peter Liversidge at the MAC

"In a Rainbow of Coalitions"

The Peter Liversidge show in the MAC is at such an epic scale. Uplifting messages and cool to see the workstation tucked away at the back. The “In a Rainbow of Coalitions” show in the MAC was colourful, fun and poignant.

18/12/20

What’s been lacking recently is the idea of structure. Lists are missing. I love lists. I think this happens around this time every year.

… large scaled drawings - add a link between the pen drawings and paintings…

20/12/20

“Pacing in Isolation” Pen and Marker on Paper

23/12/20

Conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn

27/12/20

Inspiration is not reliable. Keep curious and critical. You don’t know everything and never will. Perfect conditions don’t exist so stop waiting for the ‘right’ time. Art is not who you are - art is a way of expressing who you are.

29/12/20

Tidying loose ends.

30/12/20

Doing these semi-traditional write ups at this time of year helps to take stock of what’s been happening. Hopefully subliminal pointers of where to possibly go next have been planted for the time ahead.

RDH: NOVEMBER 2020

01/11/20

Focus required…

…reaching it back to integrity of practice.

Large scale drawings?

02/11/20

Eventual studio time - detail of “Misunderstood” in progress

03/11/20

Great to get imagery into some semblance of order.

“Thinking through making.” - Joy Gerrard during interview with GTG. Watch here.

Some good sketchbook work tonight.

06/11/20

“Misunderstood” finished.

07/11/20

Reusing one canvas and starting another.

08/11/20

…settling back into a new routine… still healing.

10/11/20

11/11/20

IMMA Talk: From the Rego Studio.

13/11/20

Limbo-Land yet again.

14/11/20

Finding it difficult to concentrate with all going on. Just wish that aspects were sorted so that some kind of routine could be adhered to.

Some results but not all.

Detail of “Norwegian Nude” - work in progress.

…giving up the ghost on the little ‘go cart’ piece. It just went stale but that’s OK. It wasn’t the right time.

16/11/20

Some sketchbook work tonight.

19/11/20

Absolutely baltic in the studio.

Studio Shot: 19/11/20

20/11/20

Mostly focused on “Norwegian Nude” today but building up layers on other pieces too.

Left to Right: “Troublesome” - “Shock” - “Norwegian Nude”

22/11/20

Detail of hand in “Norwegian Nude” in progress.

Really good progress today.

23/11/20

BP 158/113

26/11/20

Site update

27/11/20

Really great online talk from the Garter Lane Arts Centre: Chloe Austin in conversation with Matt Higgs, Kitsch Doom, and Ciara O Neill.

Did a few quick sketch of the speakers as they discussed their practices.

29/11/20

…readjust, centre, breathe and focus on what matters.

30/11/20

After having a long, hard look at “Troublesome” - came to the realisation that figure is complete. Nice to leave it loose in parts. It explains what it needs to without having to divulge anything else.

Bit of building work in the background and it’s finished.

Decorations are up and a little winter halo to round off a very odd month.