drawing

RDH: FEBRUARY 2024

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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

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

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

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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.

2023 in Pictures

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JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

RDH: OCTOBER 2023

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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

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: SEPTEMBER 2023

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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

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

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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: JULY 2023

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02/07/23

TALK ART: TIM STONER

“When you are a mature artist, you’re not a mature painter”

Edward Hopper

“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: APRIL 2023

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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

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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: OCTOBER 2022

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02/10/22

#Mousegate

Strange events

08/10/22

…notes complete. Need refined for easy consumption.

13/10/22

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.

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

RDH: AUGUST 2022

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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

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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: JUNE 2022

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04/06/22

Studio. ‘Mothman’ finally being looked at after several years of hibernation.

Also, a surprise grasp on a 2020 sketch, ‘Peek-A-Boo’. Tall thin canvas has gone muddy.

05/06/22

Small magpie moth - colours?

One for sorrow. Fitting for a self-reflective piece about anxiety relief measures.

07/06/22

Postcard. visual feedback or [illegible].

08/06/22

The Odd inclination vs the Even inclination.

‘From the Creek Billy thought gleefully of the Ten-Foot Lady and the time her only decent leg fell and ended up on the wrong side of Belfast.’

PAULA REGO: 1935-2022

An absolute powerhouse, unashamedly honest artist whose work will resonate for generations to come.

“Dog Woman” Paula Rego 1994 Pastel on Canvas

11/06/22

Can you distill the feeling of an image with another or via another form of communication?

C.C.

12/06/22

Fast studio session. Some tonal values layered.

14/06/22

Went to sketch. Didn’t happen.

18/06/22

Darker red/brown in shadow? Little finger slightly bulbous under the nail and looks too long but it checks out in the source material and subsequent sketch from it.

Is it finished? The age-old question. The risk of overpainting is high. Should rest on it for a while.

21/06/22

Sketchbook work on the longest day of the year.

25/06/22

Whistle stop visit to Belfast today. Dropping ‘Saint and Sinner’ into RUA for delivery to the Boyle Arts Festival 2022. Also took a quick peek into the MAC to see Claire Barclay: Thrum. Interesting scaling of otherwise ordinary day objects/materials - allowing the viewer to reassess their relationship to them and their place(s of origin).

26/06/22

Less really is more. ‘Peek-A-Boo’ finished. The hand finally belongs to the face and the origin of the disc’s hue stems from a background colour within the hair. Tying up loose ends.

RDH: MAY 2022

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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

Cockchafer beetle

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

One of the above is going to Boyle!

Selected to be a part of the 2022 Boyle Arts Festival.

27/05/22

Lenny II is here!

28/05/22

Today took a turn. So Scary.

31/05/22

Sketchbook work.

Bugs, parasites, critters - incorporation?

RDH: APRIL 2022

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01/04/22

First bath.

02/04/22

…only to have the computer crash.

06/04/22

The best of intentions.

07/04/22

Sketchbook work. Blowing off the cobwebs.

08/04/22

Great to meet a good friend for a coffee and a chat.

10/04/22

14/04/22

Need to find a centre ground in practice. It’s been an amazing 18 days with the beginnings of family life.

Red Head Redemption?

16/04/22

Nari Ward on ‘A Brush With’

“Chance is a material.” - N.W.

Really pleased with how ‘Girl with Red Hair’ turned out. Little bit of ogham incorporated into the sleeve - hangover from the Catalyst residency? No bad thing.

18/04/22

Delegate. Divide (time) and Conquer.

23/04/22

Just seen EMIC on ‘The Art that Made Us’ on BBC.

Incredible! So delighted for EMIC. What a platform and in such amazing company!

24/04/22

Some good movement in the studio today. There does seem to be a struggle with imagery at the minute. Solution: back to the drawing board. Literally. Setting time aside for drawing will help no end.

One Month old!

28/04/22

Sketchbook work tonight. Limited but worthwhile.

30/04/22

Little comparison to W.C. Honoured.

Studio time. “In the Pond” is getting there but need to be careful not to over paint.

…some interest in a selection process?

RDH: FEBRUARY 2022

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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

“An Ode Study”

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.

Studio Wall: 19/02/22

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.

“Black Dog”

SLOW AND LOW SHOOTING STAR.

24/02/22

Snow! Appointment done.

ogham chair in the snow

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.

N.P.

28/02/22

‘Offsite’ chats with Catalyst! Refreshing.

RDH: JANUARY 2022

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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.

2021 in Pictures

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January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

RDH: NOVEMBER 2021

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03/11/21

Some good sketchbook work today.

04/11/21

National Common Sense Day. “Portrait of NI: Neither an elegy nor a manifesto” in the Golden Thread Gallery. Interesting layout, gathering work of a similar ilk throughout the decades together.

Anne Tallentire’s “But this material…” in the MAC; great use of spatial interaction with the work and the gallery space. Some really strong work in “The presence of Absence” exhibition from the MFA 2019 cohort group show in QSS.

Really enjoyed the opening of the “Salonathon Show 2021” in Platform - seeing my work alongside some great artists and meeting up with familiar faces!

05/11/21

Wincing the odd time.

06/11/21

“Portraiture exposes the gap between the interior and exterior selves.”

-unknown-

Priming is all today amounted to.

08/11/21

Didn’t realise the gravity…

11/11/21

What was thought to be a dud - must have turned out alright!

12/11/21

Several pieces sketched up today.

13/11/21

Detail of “The Doctor will See you Now”

Really good day in the studio. “The Doctor will see you Now” finished! This new philosophy of keeping it loose, not striving for a realistic perfection, which is ultimately unattainable anyway, seems to be working.

I have a tendency of focussing on niggles to the point when the paintings get tight and the imagery too self aware. Learning to let go and step back a stage or two sooner seems to work for me.

“The Doctor will See you Now” Oil and Charcoal on Canvas 150cm x 100cm

16/11/21

Didn’t get accepted but that’s OK. Sketchbook work tonight to get brain working.

17/11/21

Very quick trip up to Derry to see “Tilt [At Windmills]” with work by Jarkko Räsänen, Fionnuala Doran, Paul Moore and Robin Price in CCA and “The Shrinking Universe” by Eva Rothschild in VOID.

20/11/21

Blocking in and working out logistics on three pieces today.

29/11/21

Nervous but that’s pretty much down to the unknown factor.