study
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!
X
IX
XIII
20/02/24
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: 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
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.
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.
2023 in Pictures
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
RDH: NOVEMBER 2023
01/11/23
02/11/23
Late Night Art Belfast - another cracker!
Cameron Clarke’s exhibition in DAS, probably one of the best installations I’ve seen in a long time. The perfect week for it - ending the spooky season with a bang.
05/11/23
Studio - setting aside the two large works for now and going to focus on the two portraits in progress.
It was all going so well until… working on ‘Indifferent Study’ and thought I would be productive in between waiting on a thin layer of paint to set. Began chopping some firelighters for later and…... BAD IDEA! Took a decent chunk out of side of a finger. Just when I was getting into a rhythm! It will heal but my favourite pen won’t. It died this evening too. Doesn’t bad things come in threes?
11/11/23
Short Studio Session. ‘Indifferent Study’ = Hair OK, surprisingly. Eyes / mouth needs tweaked. Skin Tone: slight contrast needed between light and shade.
FINISHED!
See, little checklists of what to focus on before lifting a brush work!
14/11/23
16/11/23
BVAF: re-energised and eager to take pro-active steps in art community in city.
19/11/23
S.S.S.
‘Amy Study’: Background - dimmed / dulled - green gold + payne’s grey? Need to get a grip - FOCUS / PRIORITISE / WORK!
…was not expecting to finish this portrait today. Creating little checklists in between layers really does help to critically evaluate the work as it goes - pushes for focus.
Getting to the point where I feel an outlet is needed. What’s holding me back…
Cogs are a turning…
Keening
I have a secret - I listen to Radio 3 to drift off.
21/11/23
23/11/23
The streets are arteries.
Pope L. - advice to the young…
Stuck on a canvas for months. Tutor at the time saw him struggling and said:
“WRITE ON IT!”
Exorcise your thoughts and things will stem from it.
26/11/23
29/11/23
Come rain, hail or shine (but more than likely frost) … solid brainstorming session.
The hmming and writing is all well and good but if you’re actively not doing anything - then it’s just noise.
30/11/23
Weird lights in the sky over Glenshane. Six evenly spaced lights in a diagonal - no sound.
DEBUNKED! Mystery solved, Musk’s star link.
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!
09/10/23
Put the bloody phone DOWN!
11/10/23
12/10/23
Easy to say, but difficult to implement.
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: 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
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
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
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.
30/09/23
Be better at channeling time and effort into productive means.
We’re all a work in progress.
RDH: JULY 2023
02/07/23
TALK ART: TIM STONER
“When you are a mature artist, you’re not a mature painter”
“Process of Catharsis”.
“The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye… The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.”
from ‘The Ascent of Man’ by Jacob Bronowski
Really good going with “In a Huff” today. Yellow a little acidic maybe and the t-shirt needs refining - but not to the point of going too tight with it.
06/07/23
09/07/23
‘A Brush with… Jeremy Deller’
“In a Huff” - muted the floor; slightly less acidic and lightened the background / walls. T-Shirt texture is troublesome so pared it back to jostle with it another day.
“Put it Away” - background darkened and textured up. Happy little accidents like the dripping on the skin and around the mouth. Have kept them there for now. Perhaps veil them at a later layering stage.
The lighter hair is going to be a challenge and at this point it’s rough as hell
but
I’m looking forward to tackling it again. I feel this may be a case of slowly working in between a few days of drying time. The open hand is a headache because the source image is so bleached out with light that it looks flat. COUNTER THIS.
11/07/23
A few days off.
LATE NIGHT SKETCHING!
13/07/23
Palette cleaned and two new canvases drawn up. Essentially getting ready for Sunday/Monday painting session.
Noticed something when looking through acetate sources. Initials. Lots and lots of initials. Subconsciously adding? Especially ‘A’. If you look at the drawings (and by proxy the paintings too as I try to keep elements of the drawing mark there too) they are there from the get go. Food for thought.
15/07/23
… submitted …
16/07/23
Thought better of putting paint out for a morning studio session. Decided to focus on pushing the drawing and tonal elements of the two new canvas works instead. Full day in the studio tomorrow. Best not throwing that away!
17/07/23
The bones of Orestes.
A really good day in the studio. “In a Huff” finished and more progress on “Put it Away”. Also some layering and groundwork done on the two new pieces. More of this please!
19/07/23
Take own advice.
22/07/23
Oppenheimer = outstanding.
23/07/23
A solid six hours in the studio. Good momentum on large piece - still no title (but worked from an image of Marina Ginestà). An enjoyable birthday weekend.
27/07/23
… preselection…
30/07/23
Not feeling it today. That does not mean that you simply walk away from studio. Grind it out. Do something! Will set ‘Marina’ aside and work on “Put it Away” instead.
See what happens if you stick it out!? Finished this painting even though head was not in it today at all. Yes, the guts of it was done and it just needed refined in certain areas. There’s a level of satisfaction to be had when you accomplish something that is usually the bread and butter stuff when you’re not in the zone. Makes it sweeter somehow.
RDH: JUNE 2023
03/06/23
Late night transferring… some drawings that have slipped through the net over the years.
04/06/23
06/06/23
08/06/23
09/06/23
10/06/23
Studio cleaned, layered on two new smaller pieces, and cleaned palette.
11/06/23
…no more diddly-dallyin’, let’s get right on into this Sunday studio session. (IYKYK)
Substantial progress on “Put it Away”. Little prayer piece, not so much.
12/06/23
So “Put it Away” moving along nicely and a little surprisingly. The new paints are making a difference, I think.
13/06/23
Visit to the Belfast School of Art Degree Show.
14/06/23
Didn’t get to sketch tonight as intended but there will be time set aside.
Mythology / Semiotics
…venturing onwards…
It’s just dawned on me that Saturdays will alter. Well, they’ll change a good few times in the coming years. But - as always, adapt, re-organise, create, repeat.
15/06/23
After all that graft … to be left at home.
Lovely comment today. Left painting over to Catalyst for showcase and auction coming up.
18/06/23
Studio time now. Let’s see where these go.
Quick notes for Prey/Pray:
charcoal first
contrast facial tones
less marks in hair - blurred or subdued
Quick notes for “In a Corner/ Huff”
Scrape paint on walls - flatter
T-Shirt work
NB: Didn’t get as much done as I would like to.
19/06/23
PRINTS HAVE DROPPED!!!
20/06/23
FB Memories - use to dust cobwebs off? Also just having the small sketchbook close by - for out and about.
Is it too fuzzy? Probably do no harm to have the mini sketchbook around with me - as was the original idea for it.
One thing I have noticed, and it’s a good thing. With the two journeys on the bus three times a week and the time at lunch, I’ve noticed some considerably more writing / thinking time / ideas coming into RD.
I’ve even started bringing a book with me on the bus. Although The Iliad was probably a poor first choice. I am eager to delve into mythology / symbolism again.
The legend of “Bisclavret” has been crawling through my head the past few days.
IIW = IMAGES IN WAITING
21/06/23
Quick stop to see the work in Catalyst’s Showcase.
22/06/23
23/06/23
Our beautiful Bonnie, my studio assistant and my dad’s blonde shadow passed away in her sleep last night. Everyone is hurting. 12 and a half wonderful years. The best girl.
24/06/23
…called in to say hello… folds around eye went in such a way that it looked like he didn’t have a socket let alone an eye. Hard to explain.
Quick Question = Very Quick Yes
25/06/23
“A Brush With… Jacqueline Humphries”.
Finished “Let Us Pray”. Areas successful, others not.
28/06/23
Dublin Bound.
Culchie boy, I love you / Grá mo chroí thú, mo chábóigín féin – Kian Benson Bailes at the Project Arts Centre.
“an atom bomb in each morsel of life” by Katherine Sankey in the LAB Gallery. Beautiful aroma in that first box space.
RDH: NOVEMBER 2022
05/11/22
Art and Ecology Podcast.
Studio Time with an assistant!
08/11/22
Painting in RUA has SOLD!
11/11/22
It all adds up.
12/11/22
“You know in the back of your own mind if criticism holds any merit for yourself.”
13/11/22
Studio time - short but sweet stint today. Good progress on three pieces. A little too on the nose in some areas but very productive otherwise.
17/11/22
VAI Get Together day 2. Highlight was listening to Samir Mahmood talk about his practice.
19/11/22
Progress on “Feeling Stretched” and “Red Lines”. Getting there. Colour choices needing a tweak though.
20/11/22
Belfast trip with the family. Ulster Museum - Renaissance to Romanticism. Brueghel the Younger pieces very good and the Goya portrait on display is a special painting.
Great to get up with Jan and Imogen to see the RUA again.
26/11/22
Shocked and saddened to hear of Hugh O’Donnell’s passing. I got to know Hugh in applying for funding in 2018 and again in the run up to my solo show in Atypical in 2020.
Hugh was always so kind with his time - having a studio visit beforehand and his feedback and insight during the install was a dream. Hugh was a real presence and his life blessed all who spent time with him. Rest in Piece Hugh.
30/11/22
Priorities shifted about.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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: MAY 2022
05/05/22
… a week of lists.
07/05/22
Sign and date everything!
Studio - listening to a Philip Guston podcast takes its toll.
19/05/22
21/05/22
“I.t.P.” - some areas making progress, others are regressing. Background is quieter but the figure in the water still has a lot to be desired. Over-worked in parts and too illustrative.
“Distill expression down to it’s pourest form.”
Patrick Graham
23/05/22
Applied.
26/05/22
Selected to be a part of the 2022 Boyle Arts Festival.
27/05/22
28/05/22
Today took a turn. So Scary.
31/05/22
Bugs, parasites, critters - incorporation?
RDH: FEBRUARY 2022
01/02/22
Daft Punk Live - Alive. Frantic.
Sketch with music on in the background. No Show and Tell, just Tell.
05/02/22
4,000 weeks. Poetics of space.
Great to meet up with J.A. and S.T and to see Catalyst’s new space.
Quick jaunt to the GT and to the MAC in the morning. Edy Fung’s and Ronnie Hughes’ work were great! Hughes’ translucent layers of paint suck you in and grab hold. Shimmering colour clashes.
Head is buzzing with ideas. Exciting!
06/02/22
Mary Beard’s Forbidden Art. - Pan and the She-Goat.
Daphne Todd - painted recently dead mother.
“Violence will always be a part of the human experience.”
Mary Beard
It’s been an odd weekend. Great but odd.
Ideas are starting to be slid into place about how ‘Ogham’ will be approached. Churning away so keep faith.
It’s been a limbo sort of a day. Feeling the need to do SOMETHING - but not being able to find the energy.
Reading, research, drawing, responding.
Readymade… Domestic
So, actually I retract the ‘limbo’ statement. I did do things today. I was productive. It’s just there wasn’t any tangible outcome. Case and point… 7th page.
07/02/22
Sketchbook with Daft Punk on - upping the tempo.
08/02/22
Fabric search.
Carving out ideas. Scrap yard.
09/02/22
H.B.M. Looking forward to getting into the garage this weekend.
Let’s give it a goo!
12/02/22
Aoife Dunn - IMMA: Socially engaging sculpture.
May have slipped a disc. Acetate sketches.
SUN - MOON - HOME
14/02/22
Image sorting today.
16/02/22
Meeting. Repetition and extremities. Develop and evolve.
17/02/22
J.A. Studio Visit!
19/02/22
Studio time! Finally! Using just titanium white and charcoal - both willow and compressed - to work up images. Going back to my process’ roots - year 2 in art college. Two new works started.
22/02/22
‘Ogham’ has begun. Dog study - black dog. Great to see what S.T. is doing in the space and Rachel’s response.
SLOW AND LOW SHOOTING STAR.
24/02/22
Snow! Appointment done.
25/02/22
Belfast bound. Scared guide dog on the 212.
Great to get into the space at Catalyst and set up for the next two days. Began working on two pieces. ‘Don't Look’ in ogham.
The fourth wall is glass. Casting of mouth by S.T. Reminds me of ‘Red Dragon’ from the SotL prequel of the same name.
26/02/22
Day two in the space. Time is not our friend but still have to remind ourselves that there’s no end goal needed. Just to respond and be creatively present.
So good to meet Rachel and see Steph’s process in the flesh.
RDH: DECEMBER 2021
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?”
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
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.
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: 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
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: 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.
16/05/21
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.
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
Blessings this morning.
…it’s not animals.
02/02/21
04/02/21
05/02/21
Some paint down but not much.
07/02/21
Trip to the Derry Vaccine Centre.
08/02/21
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”
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
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.
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
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
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.
30/01/21
Cold.
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
03/12/20
An opportunistic pitch to pat themselves on the back.
04/12/20
NT - how you might approach and on what grounds.
06/12/20
“Norwegian” notes: warmer flesh tones? Texture in sand (sawdust?)
07/12/20
Some really good sketchbook work done tonight.
10/12/20
Commended for the Moth Art Prize 2020!
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.
14/12/20
15/12/20
Belfast. Three months on…
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.
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
23/12/20
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.