Belfast

Art Journal: August 2026

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02/08/26

Studio eventually and some strange back and forth with - well - let’s call it ‘Blinding’ for now.

It has promise but it will be the usual high wire act between detail/exactness and loose expressive flow.

Mandy El-Sayegh - Louisiana Channel


“I’m trying to process this reality, because none of it makes sense.”

Mandy El-Sayegh

The Abu Ghraib Effect - intuitive association.

France-Lise McGurn - Louisiana Channel.

03/08/26

Zero power today.

04/08/26

Fleadh in full swing.

05/08/26

Dublin - Brilliant show by Nour Jaouda in Douglas Hyde Gallery - ‘Matter of Time’.

06/08/26

Late Night Art, Belfast.

07/08/26

“What do you want as a painter?” - a very random question, completely out of the blue on a Friday night.

Had to really think about this…

At it’s centre, my practice is about a physical necessity to process things / experiences that resist plain language or interpretation directly. Everyone carries a personal archive / history of experience. Quiet fragments shift or chang e in atmosphere - half remembered states.

When you try and articulate this shti verbally, it often gets reduced, distorted or blown out of proportion. Painting lets that physical language test that grey zone between recall and memory.

No memory is pristine. It’s full of gaps, erasures and emotional weight or contortions that make or exaggerate. I love how material can mirror that process - specifically the constant dance between the shape and structure of a drawing mark and the fluidity of paint. There can be both a friction and a harmony in putting the two against each other - that really gets me going in the studio.

At the end of the day, I'm not trying to paint a pristine likeness or make pretty pictures. Its trying to work at it and see if that physical buildup of marks can give shape to what sits just beneath the surface of memory.

Sometimes when merging imagery from sources far removed in terms of context, an alternate, fictive narrative or a memory that could have been (or never was) emerges.

09/08/26

‘Blinding’ - good progress on this. Removed the hand, so as to heighten ambiguity… Who or what is causing the shadow?

Happy with the work on differing tomes in the shadow on the face.

10/08/26

Minimal effort - should be fun!

11/08/26

One piece starting its 186 mile journey

12/08/26

Solar eclipse as seen on the 212.

Tonight - wrapping for Ennistymon.

13/08/26

Poster Reveal

15/08/26

Getting round to working on this small canvas again. “Waiting on the Metro 7b”

16/08/26

Work lifted and off to first solo show in Republic. It's happening!

20/08/26

Long trek to Ennistymon. Nice to see poster for show in a shop in town before I set foot there.

21/08/26

Long morning of installing and drawing on walls but all in all - I'm proud of the work and pleased with how the exhibition has turned out.

30/08/26

‘A Brush with… Dawoud Bey'.

…Subjective opticality.

‘Blinding’ finished with very minor tweaks, commission started and metro 7b piece back and forth this afternoon before emergency car washing in the rain.

Art Journal: July 2026

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02/07/26

A bumper Late Night Art Belfast after missing out on the last few sessions.

05/07/26

‘A Brush with Pio Abad’. Seduction through experience. Spent the first half of the studio day working on little commission. Plenty of textures to keep it interesting.

Second half was building up layers, colour swapping and facial details added on the now titled ‘First Encounter’- and yes, it might be the first meeting between a woman and a child OR that i recently watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind recently.

Bit of both perhaps.

Evening time and stumbled on an interesting video that explored haptic vs optic visuality. Yes, it might have been looking at it in terms of film, but it’s struck a chord with where my head is creatively at present.

Got me thinking (dangerous, I know) some of the best work lands in a space of psychological tactility and there’s a unique indexicality (new words). Brushstrokes aren’t just visual marks, but a physical imprint and ‘trace’ of a moment/touch/memory.

Will try and lean more into this new notion of sensual/tactile weight.

07/07/26

Lest.

Lunchtime dandering through the Golden Thread to see ‘The Ignorant Art School: Outside the Circle x Belfast’ curated by Sophia Y Hao from Cooper Gallery. Wonderful use of the space and kept finding little gems/artefacts/text that meant you could keep coming back and pick up something new.

08/07/26

Sketchbook studies tonight

“The aim of art is to prepare a person for death, to plough and harrow his soul.”

Andrei Tarkovsky

12/07/26

Boiling Hot! Commission finished I think.

A good go at ‘First Encounter’ too. Actually, a couple of minor tweaks and it could be there.

Submitted to RUA - it’s an even year so worth a go given track record since 2020.

16/07/26

18/07/26

The first overcast day in over a week and I get sunburned.

19/07/26

‘First Encounter’ finished in the studio today.

Less is More

21/07/26

No RUA this year. There goes my ‘lucky’ even year streak.

26/07/26

Studio and new beginnings on a couple of small canvases and then the palette was in dire need of a clean.

30/07/26

Two MAC openings this evening. ‘Reconstruction: A Room for Mike Kelley’ by Mary McIntyre and Robert Anderson. Performance, documentation and memory - recreating Kelley’s studio environment minus the human. Liked how the room was shaped; almost like following the camera’s viewpoint from the initial source photos.

‘A Feeling in the Blood’ by Susan Hughes. Lively fun - made my glasses glow in the UV light!

Art Journal: June 2026

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04/06/26

“It’s the conflicting feelings that make the picture.”

Nick Willing on Paula Rego (Talk Art)

07/06/26

No studio this weekend. Instead, a long overdue sketchbook day - playing with and working through found and personal imagery. I think one of the issues I have with drawing is looking to nail a sketch first time and with the limited time in the evenings to work through ideas, frustration can mount.

Today was a long one, five hours, and that’s not always achievable in a week lest I forego the studio like today and in the long run, that isn’t helping. Surely I could carve out a half hour 3-4 nights a week - aiming for one (two max) drawings. If they miss, they miss. Better to have done…

09/06/26

Mad news. Got a whirlwind visit to the Belfast School of Art Degree Show.

10/06/26

More warnings of unrest. Whistle stop look at the Anna Vidamour show in PS² before an extremely awkward and lengthy journey home.

14/06/26

Studio. Back and forth on this one. One minute I love elements, the next - it’s maddening. Time will tell. Also started on a little commission.

17/06/26

Very strange email yesterday - bit of digging to find it a legit nomination. Bafflingly bizarre.

22/06/26

Mullingar trip - lots of fun and lots of sun.

“My apologies your majesty!”

23/06/26

Repentant Magdalene in a town centre hotel.

26/06/26

Pretty much knew from the get go in the studio this morning that ‘Lessons in Silence’ had run its course. There was just the final flailing attempts at salvaging it before wiping the slate clean, hitting refresh.

Cape Fear series - excellent. A scene in episode 4 took me by surprise and an interesting conversation was had. That feeling of who you were before trauma dying and there being almost an element of grieving / loss of who that person was - or at least parts that have now been significantly altered or erased entirely.

Thinking about how to make works more impactful - ensuring the there’s personal input - not just about the image having a resonance with a lived experience…. trip-a-trap / it and the meshing of an elaborate lamp / under the patio / ‘94 to the ceiling.

27/06/26

So, how to implement into compositions without diverting completely?

28/06/26

An OK start to christening piece. Although, its not really feeling like mind yet - good blocking none-the-less. Another smaller canvas - the ground is too dark to get the initial layers off to a tidy start. An uphill battle so might have to refresh on this already.

30/06/26

Heading home from Dublin and a little rainbow spotted at the border to end a difficult day.

Art Journal: March 2026

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01/03/26

Raw umber / warm grey for walls. Prussian blue was over top hat. Burnt sienna / reds / pinks. Sage green = pacing figure.

Thought I would’ve gotten further ahead than I did but then when I came down home with a sour head on me, have since been told that it was plenty. That was right of course. I just think the images in my head, or the projected outcome wasn’t matching reality, In hindsight, of course there’s been movement. Tonal work on mid-sized canvas - the ground work of the colouring blocks are done.

For the small double portrait, using the lines in the hidden self-portrait to create structure behind (and possible in front) the female portrait.

Sometimes there isn’t (well to be honest, its nearly 99%) that magic spark when working - where a single mark can bring a work to life. Today was a grind and that’s OK. It’s whats needed. Still need to turn up, put paint down and work through problems as they arise. That’s the joy and the fear.

04/03/26

Dublin. Maryam Tafakory “Daria’s Night Flowers” in the Project Art Centre. Next, on to the RHA to catch the Hennessy Craig and Homan Potterton Awards 2026. Stand outs - Eileen Leonard Sealy, Daniel Coieman and Manar Mervat Al Shouha. Wonderful work!

Kirsty Bell’s work is absolutely stunning; the merging of layers and the unusual presentation (on poles, curtains) adds to theatricality and draws you in.

07/03/26

A classic case of teetering on the edge of over-painting - Small double portrait. The elements that I think are working are currently out-weighed by isn’t. Tonally, it’s OK, a little flat at present, I think its the application of the paint and the colour scheme that’s off at the moment.

13/03/26

“Non Squeal Killers” - “A Tacitun Mask”

15/03/26

In the studio. Back and forth once again on the small canvas. One minute I think a problem is resolved, then an impulse to go in the opposite direction takes hold. Not sure where this comes from or why.

It could be my idea of the finalised idea is split between accuracy of the source material and leaning into the more expressive immediacy that the intial drawings derive from.

Third session on this. I think if things don’t clean up after the next session, it will be a case of putting it against the wall for a while before tackling it again with fresh(er) eyes.

18/03/26

“Fate rebuked him with a terrible swiftness”.

22/03/26

Studio and a little impromptu photo shoot!

There was a point in the morning where I thought I was going to ruin it all.

Now, it is definitely not what I initially envisaged but for the process and danger that this wee canvas has gone through, it’s not in a bad space. It’s as good as I can do with how it has gone previously. So, a long, drawn out way of saying. It’s downing tools time on “Thought Gathering”.

Now, thoughts to gather towards….

Lists need made up.

29/03/26

There was no painting or drawing this weekend. A little respite didn’t do any harm.

2025 in Pictures

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It’s been a year with highs and lows, both personally and professionally. But, taking stock and looking back at the last 12 months - I have to be grateful for so many things, that the positives undoubtedly outweigh and null the lows by some margin.

So, by going month by month, here are some visual highlights of the year that was.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

With an international excursion, group shows and a solo exhibition coming up, there is plenty to look forward to for 2026.

Art Journal: October 2025

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01/10/25

Prep ahead of VAI event in the MAC.

02/10/25

The start of a crazy month. But looking forward to LNAB later…

‘The Weight of Inheritance’ showing in the Royale Arcade Academy group exhibition.


Catalyst Arts

05/10/25

Deep breath…

Let’s have a go at session three for “B,W,oatS”.

A Brush with Wolfgang Tillmans - “RE-ENERGISE YOUR ARCHIVE!”

From what I can tell, the ocular device looks the part - symmetrical enough to look convincing and squ-whiff enough to be interesting.

Finished - bar Malcolm’s contribution (although I do kind of like it).

S….GF?

12/10/25

A Brush with Suzanne Jackson.

Completed ‘Kiss with a Red Flag’ - minimal touches needed - thin wash on highlights of hair and a slight change in background / freshening of the red flag / shirt. It could have been done on the second session but with elements not dry, the risk was too high of destroying any good work done to that point.


14/10/25

Visit to the MAC. Niamh Seana Meehan’s sombre textile installation that waits for you to immerse yourself.

William McKeown’s paintings of meditative light and beautifully subtle horizon lines.

Marie Hanlon and Rhona Clarke’s thought provoking work - a collaborative video installation that shines a light on the climate emergency plus Hnnlon’s sculptures of knotted glass that explores water as a resource.

19/10/25

Second session on ‘To Conjure’. Both images are fighting for dominance right now. Limiting the palette to see how this could affect this struggle and the work as a whole.

Mostly working on the large portrait element today.

22/10/25

26/10/25

Went and sat up in the studio for a while only to realise I wasn’t ready Space needed tidying up and organised so after a bit of time cleaning - it was back down to the office to work on admin updates. The boring stuff needs done too.

28/10/25

Zhanna Kadyrova in the Golden Thread Gallery’s ‘Radical Hope’ exhibition.

Art Journal: August 2025

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01/08/25

Time for bed. (NOTE: Should have heard by now).

03/08/25

“The Woman with the Dogs” finished. Having timed deadlines according to size seems to be working.

05/08/25

C.H.C = No Date as of Yet.

06/08/25

Sat down last night with intent of own work but - other preoccupations took over. Shame.

07/08/25

Late Night Art Belfast.

08/08/25

10/08/25

Tai Shani - A Brush With…

Stretching canvas!

13/08/25

Priorities. Bridge. Swing. Power Pylon. Patterns everywhere.

Utilise time more wisely. Shake yourself out of the self-imposed rut. Yes, it’s difficult to carve time out but it must be achievable in some shape or form.

14/08/25

A.S. applied.

16/08/25

17/08/25

Added three coats of primer to new canvases.

Jane and Louise Wilson - A Brush With…

Let’s get some images on these bad boys!

Lots of drawing and tonal work today.

20/08/25

Sketchbook work NOTE: Need to refresh image pool -> prep for drawing transfers.

28/08/25

“__________ is a new language in my practice.” - Such a good line!

31/08/25

Studio and great to get layers down on “Better, Worse or about the Same?”.

Some videos - out of comfort zone.

Art Journal: July 2025

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01/07/25

O.C. - Not successful. Still…

03/07/25

LNAB

‘Here for Now’ ArtsForAll - Maria & Anna Horvathova.

Scott Benefield Trunk Show - Craft NI

‘Inner Space, Outside Place’ - Sarah McConnell / Jeffrey Roberts - Atypical

Shopwork = Vault Group Show.

‘The Ceremony of Falling’ Hana Abri Smith - Rattlebag.

Also, some revisits to Catalyst, Golden Thread and Belfast Exposed.

06/07/25

Studio Time. With two newly primed canvases - revisting some imagery that I feel had/has promise but faltered in a past iteration.

“The Woman with the Dogs” + “To Conjure”

The latter is adding a new image / element alongside the seance scene I tried to depict last year. The initial stages are always filled with such optimism and hope. Then I look at ‘Uniform Hate’ - so much I like about it, a lot more I don’t.

The two figures behind the central officer, they’re nearly the crux of it all. Carrying all the hate. The central figure is the calm in the storm.

…rearrange.

08/07/25

P - worth a look?

09/07/25

Get to grips.

10/07/25

Solid work on new pieces today.

17/07/25

Request sent. Fingers crossed.

Test run a time limit for work depending on size to reduce the risk of overpainting.

Whatever shape it is in by the final day is how it will be.

≤ 50 x 50 cm → 3 studio days

51–99 cm → 5 days

> 100 cm → 7 days

From there, I choose:

A: Leave it as-is after the final studio day (radical / reluctant acceptance)

or

B: Turn to the wall and let it rest for a month, then revisit briefly (cooling-off window)

18/07/25

“I’m coming, I’m coming,

and my head is bending low.

I hear the gentle voices calling,

Poor aul Joe.”

20/07/25

‘Uniform Hate’ finished. Not perfect, but much more I like now than not so that’s it.

Grabbed a mirror and started working from life partly on self-portrait. It was fun, frustrating but fun.

21/07/25

Something really nice about painting with mirror yesterday.

22/07/25

WFH = a lot!

23/07/25

Possible…

27/07/25

‘Twenty Eighteen’ complete. Taken as far as I can, Stuck to guns and 3 studio day limt.

Added bonus - yes, the original drawing is from 2018 but if you add 20 and 18, you get my current age. Meant to be!

Art Journal: May 2025

01/05/25

LNAB - A Bumper One! - A.B.F.

04/05/25

Self-portrait - destroyed. Frustrating but that’s just the way it goes.

07/05/25

Some practical work tonight.

…50%. Better than nothing. Getting to grips with perceived ‘rut’. Is it a rut or is it just a natural effect from other factors? Practice has always been deeply personal so it's little wonder that there's a subconscious ripple effect happening.

The ‘disconnect’ I'm having with the recent work / work in progress now seems valid. When things are still very raw, it's understandable to numb or distance yourself and for a practice that's always been reflective of my experiences, then there's an issue there.

When the practice relies on a kind of gut-level recognition (imagery needs to speak directly - even found images) wanting to avoid it due to current circumstances seems reasonable.

An external image sparks an internal echo but when you're struggling with internal processing - switching off seems understandable.

Not sure if there's a quick fix - or if I would want to put a ‘sticking plaster’ on it without dealing with the wider issues. Back in … so that's a step. Could also be that I'm too hard on myself. As David Sylvester said “… artists must be allowed to do bad work. They must be allowed to get in a mess…”.

Things to try:

  • Revisit old sketchbooks.

  • More journalling - words can lead into visual metaphors.

08/05/25

John Price show in the Engine Room Gallery.

11/05/25

Not trying to reinvent the wheel here! Overthinking as per.

Really good start to what I'm affectionately calling “Pebble Dash” (will not be real title).

Its worth throwing imagery up, taking time to look and experiment with compositions. It's not only fun, but sparks potential ideas into life!

Work also done on “Uniform Hate” background. Work on these have went almost too well too quickly!

13/05/25

Back into PS² to spend more time with Molly Martin's ‘Re/Cusp’ show. Found it incredibly cathartic, sometimes breathing in time with the surroundings and little moments of unease - audible heartbeat echoing in the air.

15/05/25

…Tempted to.

Silence the inner critic - or at least make him smaller.

Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it!

Use of yarn to sew ogham onto canvases and then stringing the works together like a weird mind map on the wall.

17/05/25

Man in the Rug.

19/05/25

Going cold turkey. Feels like something has just clicked in my head. Now, tomorrow’s entry could read “what was I thinking!”

Occupy the Present. Already, it will be a case of getting time back. An hour an evening saved - 7 hours a week - that’s a solid day’s work back!

Breathe.

20/05/25

Freud in Titanic, Belfast.

23/05/25

Q.F. - what the hell is this!? Hit by a train. Must remember, it’s the body healing itself and it will pass. Now, to focus on more important matters.

25/05/25

Studio time - this will be the biggest test so far.

Timelapse of “The Weight of Inheritance". Pleased with progress - the others, in a bit of a muchness with them.

The drawing needs stepped up, get the archive lit again and spark interest / ideas.

28/05/25

Dublin - Visit to TBG+S, RHA Show (seeing some familiar faces) and Michael Kane’s show in the Taylor Galleries.

30/05/25

Sketchbook Rawness. When it worked, it really worked. When it didn’t, it really didn’t

31/05/25

Sketchbook studies again to round off the month. Started thinking (here we go - this old chestnut again) - stopping earlier in the process… fell asleep writing!

Art Journal: March 2025

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02/03/25

…it’s finished! Hallelujah!!

This work is taking a lifetime to work out the kinks.

05/03/25

Admin work and a load of stretcher bars home. Had planned on more but literally ran out of time.

06/03/25

Fell asleep on the bus while writing in here… Subsequently have lost my favourite pen to the 212!

Late Night Art Belfast: Majella Clancy in Ulster Presents; Steph Harrison at Atypical Gallery; The Irish Palette in the Engine Room Gallery; Last night of the Catalyst Members’ Show and ‘Cailleach’ at Vault.

08/03/25

09/03/25

Stretching and priming, followed by another round of priming in the evening. No RHA this year.


10/03/25

Been offered a solo for 2026! All chuffed!

13/03/25

Wonderful to be at the opening of 'The Crush' by Sian Costello in PS Squared.

The paintings seem to echo the softened, shifting edges of camera obscura projections, where details are suggested rather than fixed, teasing at recognition before slipping away.

Of the work Sian writes: 'I use my own body and a series of camera obscurae as instruments to magnify and distort the boundaries between what is real and what is the art "work" of composition, lighting, and painterly flair. Through this fractured lens, space opens up beyond the controlling hand of the artist for the narratives told by the subjects themselves.'

'The Crush' runs until the 17th April.

14/03/25

Achilles is banjaxed! Minor injuries is a joke!

15/03/25

A morning of sorting out reference imagery. Feels like nothing productive has been done I know it will prove helpful in the long run.

18/03/25

…RETHINK…

24/03/25

Fancy transit.


27/03/25

It’s been quite a week: Helpdesks, Training in Dublin, More training in Belfast and a student Fair at UU… now first C.H. event.

Imogen is three today. Hard to believe but we can’t picture life without her!

…wisdom to know the difference… It’s not going to be easy.

30/03/25

Studio - drawing up, mapping out structure / composition of a few new canvases.

Feels good to get in the rhythm of making after a good few weeks. Tonal values looking good thus far.

CARVE! CARVE! CARVE! Without dictating a set regimen.

Art Journal: February 2025

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02/02/25

Looking back at ‘targets’ - pleasantly surprised. Yes, the drawing fell short but KEEP IT UP!

03/02/25

Studio. Paring back of background - so much better.

Several older sketches transferred onto acetate.

Taking back sense of self / purpose.

05/02/25

06/02/25

Busy day. Symposium followed by Late Night Art - with a piece made especially for the Catalyst Members’ show taking part!

Struck me last night - shifting to more personal imagery and away from portrait after portrait IS what’s needed - but is a tired rendering of them going to yield exciting results? I don’t think so.

A little more outside the box thinking and care required - other than throwing multiple imagery on one plain. Although that is one way to expand narrative quite quickly….

LNAB

Gerry Gleason’s Skip Sculptures | Philip Arneill in Arcade | Yvette Monaghan Belfast Exposed | Sinéad O’Neill Nichol in VAULT | Joan Alexander in PS2

08/02/25

Ballyliffen celebrations

11/02/25

Very late sketchbook work - AGAIN.

13/02/25

…aiming for a good new habit. BUT there is no point in sulking or beating yourself up if targets are not reached each time. By the same token, there is also little point in setting goals if they are ignored or you don’t try to achieve them. So, do your best but if it falls short of expectations, learn from it and carry on.

16/02/25

Plates be gone!

Multitasking - not my strongest suit.

20/02/25

Golden Thread Visit and application submitted.

22/02/25

… kicking my ass!

“A Brush with Somaya Critchlow”.

Hilarious! RD was hijacked - brilliant! Goldilocks - just right.

… fingers crossed though that once it’s done and out, a real flurry will take place.

23/02/25

25/02/25

Sally O’Dowd in Ulster Museum!

26/02/25

Array at RUA RED. Something quite cathartic singing Bette Midler to a squad of police Land Rovers.

27/02/25

What does the inner critic say? TW, L, NGE.

Carrying on my engagement with the subjective experience - particularly around trauma. That is something. Interpretation of images … unique.

CRINGE ENDUCING!

Art Journal: January 2025

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02/01/25

Sketching - coming back!

05/01/25

Early studio session - Looking at “Gathered” … it’s finished.

Bit of a push and pull on Commission.

NOSFERATU - GREAT!

06/01/25

First day back in Belfast - COLD!

07/01/25

Double deadlines and an open call.

08/01/25

Personal interrogation - double mirrors? Will be good to dust cobwebs off.

What to put into xxx?

Popped round to Golden Thread Gallery on lunch.

Shirin Neshat installation in the Golden Thread Gallery.

Such a headache but it will pass.

09/01/25

GET IT DONE!

Three in the Morning by Charys Wilson at PS2 - fab!

Ran around … but no joy.

Sarah Maple Call me Mother in the Naughton - wonderful show.

(…. add mirror plates).

11/01/25

,,, Done all here I can at the moment.Seemd flst at the minute Still to br

12/01/25

Sketchbook studies in the morning.

13/01/25

Double Submitted!

15/01/25

Dropped '“Gathered” over for Catalyst Members’ Show. Should be a good one!

16/01/25

17/01/25

It might look like a phone induced dopamine hitting laziness - but I do want to try and utilise certain aspects better. Are multiples worth it or is it better to do just one really well?

Will mull this over but in the meantime, gather images to set into … folders.

Late Night Self Portrait sketch.

18/01/25

Should have seen this coming - getting too caught up. Yes, it’s a good idea to curate some meaningful aspects but, and this will always be the case, making the work is and always will be top of the pile.

Less scrollin’, more rollin’.

Setting distractions away to write really helps.

Watched ‘Longlegs’ tonight. The dolls shrouded in a black sheet - but with the demonic red eyes showing through - it has really unsettled me. Like one of Magritte’s lovers but on a bad trip.

19/01/25

Sunday Studio Session - (and pre-session list).

…colour restructure? Starting over isn’t the end of the world. It could be that it’s too small to tackle the source material properly.


And restarted I did. Got to the point of the second looking further ahead than the original pretty quickly. Should use the little canvas as a guinea pig - test out ideas.

Change the background - make it my own. It’s too safe at the minute.

21/01/25

A late night (probably too late a night) of sketchbook studies.

23/01/25

‘Misaligned’ by Katherine Penney in Ulster Presents. Moving work - beautiful use of space.

Bracing now for storm Eowyn.

24/01/25

Guts of three trees fell out our back and power has been off since early morning.

Saw part of one of the trees come down this morning. The thud it made!

Ambient candlelight.

26/01/25

A sketching and scanning day.

29/01/25

Dublin. Eileen Leonard Sealy’s paintings in the LAB Gallery - excellent.

30/01/25

I’ve veered more and mroe away from raison d'être.

Stick Shed. Personal motifs. Untapped.

Dervla O’Flaherty and David Dunnes’ shows in Cultúrlann.

Retrospect - …preferred… with older painting upside down (two tones).

… more of me in there.

2024 in Pictures

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JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

RDH: OCTOBER 2024

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03/10/24

Late Night Art Belfast

05/10/24

A dry studio day. No paint - just charcoal work and redrawing sketches and some tonal work. SOMETHING!

09/10/24

Malleable metal wire drawing?

10/10/24

‘Line of Sorrow’ - micro expression.

13/10/24

TAN podcast - The White Pube book “Poor Artists”

“Spare Change Study” - facial work -warmer tones in the shadows?

Mood plays an important role… not the ‘I’m not in the mood’ kind of mood. More so the downward mindset - something foreign playing over in the back of your mind and it is difficult to shake and focus on anything else.

I can and will do better. In the studio context with this guilty / downward feeling playing out today - productivity took a nosedive. Better all round if the socks get pulled up.

17/10/24

RUA Opening. Very pleased.

19/10/24

Saturday Studio. Afraid that what’s here has gone - or rather my enthusiasm towards them - has gone stale. “S.C.” has promise but it’s on the small side - too bitty for what I want to achieve. If that makes sense.

20/10/24

“Look! Daddy’s painting!”

This will warm my heart for a long time.

21/10/24

£1 - Bargain.

22/10/24

Maya Todd (top centre) - Royale Arcade Academy

24/10/24

The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get at myself for letting certain aspects stagnate. Prioritising stupid, irrational shit over investing in practice.

F.F.A.S. - what else is there?

27/10/24

Studio clear out. Moving recent works down to shed and out of eyeline. Freeing up wall space. Re-working / Recycling / Repurposing - just generally Re- really.

Enjoyed the “A Brush with Robert Longo” podcast.

…‘les yeux sans visage’ imagery could prove an interesting challenge. Some good first steps.

“A Brush with Marlene Dumas” - think I’ve listened to this four times now.

30/10/24

Dublin bound.

RDH: SEPTEMBER 2024

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01/09/24

Should LOFT TALK return?

05/09/24

Met Khaled Barakeh at his show in the MAC.

Late Night Art - Belfast Exposed, DAS, PS2 and VAULT.

06/09/24

‘Hindsight Study’ into RAA show!

08/09/24

Slow and steady progress on new portrait.

12/09/24

Basil Blackshaw: Selected Works in Ulster Presents. Always something incredibly moving about the last work an artist worked on. Almost like a lifetime's experience culminating into one last piece.

Late Night Art - East Belfast. Visit to Platform, Strand Arts Centre, Arts Care and Creative Exchange. Loud in between.

Have really gotten out of the way of note taking. Subbed for worse habits. How to rectify? Stop. Breathe. Think.

15/09/24

Studio time. Portrait - ‘Never Be Seen’. All but there. Some moments where the background tone looks fine and works well and others where it looks like a mistake and falls apart. Chips and changes - probably down to the light through the day (or indecisiveness).

Resting on it for now.

22/09/24

One week on and yes, the background definitely needs addressed. Worked it so its back to a very similar colour to how it started. Finished and full circle.

26/09/24

QSS at 40!

Brilliant show and will be back to see multiple times.

29/09/24

Studio and 'Tesla' painting is gone - for now. Drawing up new works.

What words or text become like the ground of a painting?

Glenn Ligon - The Week in Art podcast.

'Spare Change Study', ‘Running Errands', 'Repulsion from a Clown'.

Some good starts. 'RfaC’ redeemed somewhat for now.

RDH: AUGUST 2024

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02/08/24

Studio time finally - after a slightly longer than usual cleaning session.

Not much progress made with “Turn to Page Five” but still feels great to put paint down after seventeen days of renovating, family time and north coast fun!

04/08/24

“Restraint Study” handed in. Crossed fingers…

Took myself up to the Ulster Museum afterwards to finally catch the two Caravaggio works together for a rare time since the 17th Century.

“The Supper at Emmaus” (1601) and “The Taking of Christ” (1602). The first time in a long time where I just sat in awe. Spent nearly an hour just soaking them up (from near and far). He really was the master of light and shadow. Today has brought memories back of my last trip to the National Gallery in London back in 2019 and a reaction in front of another Caravaggio - “Boy Bitten by a Lizard” (1594-1596). Skipping past pockets of school kids getting guided tours, I stumbled upon it, right in the corner of the room.

There was a guide giving a talk to a class of children about a much larger painting just beside the Caravaggio. Can’t mind what it was - but it was a big canvas. Anyway, I’m looking at the painting and I suddenly start to feel myself well up - and I couldn’t stop it. I started crying.

I remember being in shock and some of the class beside me were staring and whispering among other. Because of where the Caravaggio was in the gallery, I was sort of pinned in with the school kids sitting on the floor all around listening to the guide speak. I eventually had to make a break for it, snaking past them to get out. First time I ever cried at a work.

The next time that happened I think was with Daniel Coleman’s epic work in the MAC show a while back. The sheer audacity of scale, the use of colour in the limited palette - everything took breath away to the point I got choked up.

06/08/24

Called round to check out ‘The Shape of a Pocket’ exhibition at Catalyst Arts curated by Dougal MacKenzie and Christopher Hanlon.

“Hindsight Study” submitted…

07/08/24

Back to spinning plates.

10/08/24

The Golden Thread Gallery has reopened with shows by Robin Price, Charlotte Bosanquet, Rob Hilken and Graham Fagen.

11/08/24

Honey ate more paint than I thought. More put out. “Turn to Page Five” - dark, ochry brown background? Semi-transparent?

FINISHED. Thought I had nearly messed it up with a little too much fixative but managed to pull it back OK.

12/08/24

“Restraint Study” accepted into the RUA! Chuffed!

18/08/24

Three wonderful years - and a lifetime ahead!

Tried a jaunt to the studio - not feeling it. Will try to block in some colour to “bin” piece.

22/08/24

Sketchbook work before bed.

25/08/24

“The possibility of the studio” - Eva Rothschild

From “A brush with ,,,” podcast.

So, after a layer or two on the “bin” piece, it was time to say goodbye. Just wasn't working, especially with the background. So working a new image on top and starting a new portrait from scratch on a nice, clean canvas.

28/08/24

Dublin reconn.

29/08/24

Re-group…

31/08/24

Sixteen Years. Hard to fathom.

RDH: JULY 2024

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04/07/24

LNAB

07/07/24

Early sketchbook work this morning - bit of a delay but in the studio now eventually.

12/07/24

Late Night Sketchbook Session

14/07/24

“Turn to Page Five” - good progress.

21/07/24

Into the second round of the RUA. Taking “Defiant Study” up on Sunday 4th August. Fingers crossed.

25/07/24

Wasn’t successful in Mayo application. Onwards.

Not too much art related happenings this week and next - decorating the kitchen and having some family holiday time. Must make a point of getting thoughts / ideas / notes down as and when if possible. There have been a couple of instances where something has popped into view mentally relating to practice but since they weren;’t recorded, they have faded into lost memories.

Renewal isn’t a lie.

30/07/24

North Coast - burnt to a crisp.







RDH: JUNE 2024

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02/06/24

Studio - focus on one image…

Well, some days just don’t go the way you want them to. Bit of a damp squid in the studio. Superficial work on ‘mugshot’ (working title). Vented frustration out on cleaning the yard.

05/06/24

Organising archive.

06/06/24

Late Night Art - Belfast. Traditional Route.

09/06/24

‘The Week in Art’ podcast discussing Studio Voltaire and Martha Jungwirth’s take on Goya. “Turning off the facuet of emotion.” (on O’Keefe).

The Sleep of reason.

‘Talk Art’ with Nathanaëlle Herbelin.

“Hindsight” - So bloody close! Frustrating. Too thick in hair and isn’t dynamic as rest of picture. Deep breath. Could be worse and be no where near close to finishing - silver charcoal filled linings.

Still haven’t heard anything from S.P. show.

12/06/24

…found wanting. Rinse head - take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

F.W.A.

13/06/24

Being really fucking ballsy!

14/06/24

Didn’t get solo chance. Ah well. Up to Belfast for opening of ArtsFest III.

Great turnout!

16/06/24

Cleaning works in the lower garage. Some damaged beyond repair.

“Hindsight Study” finished. Some substantial progress to “Four Years On”.

19/06/24


23/06/24

Great day.

25 + 26/24

Family sick days so just a total wipeout.

Visual / Ocular Migraine.

30/06/24

Started the day off bright and early with some sketching from photos taken throughout the week.

“Four Years On” finished.

Larger portrait started. Good way to end the month.

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.

2023 in Pictures

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