Irish Art

RDH: September 2025

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04/09/25

Jen Alexander in Threshold

08/09/25

VAI Get Together at TU Dublin

09/09/25

Visit to ‘Faigh Amach’ at Temple Bar Gallery and Studios.

10/09/25

Painting off to Arcade Studios for a group show.


14/09/25

Session two of ‘Better, Worse or about the Same’. Freaking me out a little that it’s where it is after just two studio days.

Still not used to recording either - in some ways it is a distraction and feels a little unnatural. In others, it focuses the need to get paint down which is no bad thing.

20/09/25

Looking at ‘BWoratS’ - it’s all but there. Setting it aside for now and going to have a first session of the small kiss piece.

22/09/25

Bunged.

27/09/25

Session two on ‘kiss’. Good call to darken the background.

28/09/25

RDH: 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!

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: 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: MARCH 2024

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02/03/24

C. S. - death note. (video grab possibly)

03/03/24

‘Séance’ piece might have had its day. Setting it away for now. ‘Final Fancy Dress’ - good progress made. Tight in portrait and looser strokes in the clothing.

06/03/24

Alright - lazy / stupid. No ifs, no buts.

10/03/24

Background progress on ‘badger’ piece. ‘Séance’ has been cleansed. Just went too far. Compositionally flawed from the offset and was fighting a losing battle. Lesson learnt.

12/03/24

Didn’t get in. A bit annoyed but there is always next year.

13/03/24

Bit the bullet and took the initiative. A nice reply - now trying to not get ahead of myself.

‘Mother’ exhibition at Vault Studios.

17/03/24

Drew up F.W. on large canvas and some good tonal progress on ‘Gallery Visit’ today in the studio. Background more vibrant perhaps?

21/03/24

Golden Thread Gallery’s touring exhibition ‘How We Got To…’ in Shankhill Library.

22/03/24

‘Restraint Study’ and ‘Amy Study’ submitted. 🤞

23/03/24

Trip to Derry for VOID Arts Centre opening ‘Composting for the Future’. Harking back to projects of the past yet paving a new, more collaborative direction.

24/03/24

‘Gallery Visit’ - few tweaks, bit more blurring and hey presto - finito!

27/03/24

28/03/24

Did not make the long-list. Ah well.

30/03/24

Trip to Portaferry and a slight change in plans for Sunday. Back to the studio all being well next week!

RDH: NOVEMBER 2023

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01/11/23

Beautiful print by Chloe Austin arrives in the post!

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

Morning Traffic

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

An impressive build

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: 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: DECEMBER 2022

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Sketchbook work - it’s been way too long!

03/12/22

Quick studio time…

… as suspected, it didn’t take much to get last two paintings of the year over the line. Still aiming to keep the (well, less is more is a little inaccurate) “Stop before I think I should” mentality.

Definitely less misses with this strategy.

08/12/22

‘New Exits: 10 Years of Painting’ opening at the MAC. Excellent show. Daniel Coleman’s painting ‘The House Down the Lane’ is absolutely stunning. It moved me to tears. A real stand out from a strong group show.

11/12/22

Freezing in the studio.

Drew up two small works (having a crack at the ‘Jaws’ image again - with a slightly altered composition) and have set up to take a look at a couple of pieces that have fallen through the cracks recently.

‘Street Walker’ and ‘Laughing Man’ (working titles).

17/12/22

Wood is for the living, stone for the dead.

Said farewell to GT’s reading round. It’s been such a boost having this weekly outlet of chatting, sharing ideas and making connections. Had a great run!

Stream of admin this evening.

18/12/22

“Tomorrow is Saturday” - Interesting documentary on Sean Hillen.

28/12/22

Studio time. “The Week in Art: 2022 in review” podcast.

Blocking in on the small piece. ‘Man looking in his pocket while descending the stairs’ or ‘Looking for keys’ OR ‘Check your pocket’.

29/12/22

Newcastle.

30/12/22

Penultimate day of the year. admin and prep before a few hours in the studio!

For the time of the year that it is, I find myself in a bit of a reflective and thankful mood. 2022 has been good to me.

There have been losses also. People who have impacted our lives that have moved on, but their imprint will remain.

So much to be thankful for, a loving family, the support of friends and loved ones during the highs and lows. Also, to those who took a chance on my work, who invited me to be a part of their projects:

THANK YOU!

RDH: DECEMBER 2021

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01/12/21

OMG! ARRAY have only gone and won the Turner!

Amazing!

02/12/21

Make the most of tomorrow.

03/12/21

brian kielt painting

Sadly just a short stint in the studio.

05/12/21

“Infant Terrible” finished. - Less is more.

09/12/21

Dire.

14/12/21

Tinnitus - bit of a surprise.

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

15/12/21

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

‘World of Art: Contemporary Painting’ by Suzanne Hudson

16/12/21

Fractured narratives.

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

18/12/21

Light at the end of the tunnel?

21/12/21

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

22/12/21

New year will be a fresh start. Exciting!

23/12/21

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

27/12/21

A Clean palette and tidy studio.

28/12/21

Very early rise. Studio time FINALLY!

Topography of Man - surveillance?

30/12/21

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

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

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: 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.

RDH: OCTOBER 2021

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02/10/21

Point of order today: DO NOT OVER PAINT!!!

Think “Rex Aegypti Penultimus” is finished.

05/10/21

VAI GET TOGETHER 2021

Rediscovering private and personal spaces / rituals.

06/10/21

Chanelle Walshe - self organised self-curation.

Duc Van Pham - Breaking down the figures - is this a way of adjusting / adding narrative?

Keynote: Christian Jankowski - “The Hunt” “Casting Jesus”

Beuys - difficult.

07/10/21

Why do we put people in boxes?

Superflex - interspecies living - “Flooded McDonalds”.

10/10/21

Dosed to eyeballs so not going anywhere fast.

12/10/21

Some sketchbook studies tonight.

13/10/21

Two new canvases begun today. Little and large.

16/10/21

Strong sense of self.

Good progress in the studio today. Didn’t mean for the small one to go Holy.

20/10/21

Accepted into Platform Arts group show!

Detail of “Lady of the Manor”.

Getting there with “Lady of the Manor”.

23/10/21

Globalist cheerleading.

24/10/21

Wardrobe fiasco.

“Lady of the Manor” finished.

25/10/21

Day trip to Belfast to deliver “Saint and Sinner” for Platform Arts group show.

28/10/21

HALLELUJAH!

29/10/21

Definitely been distracted lately but the blinkers need to come back on.

30/10/21

As it’s the season for it, here’s a golden oldie from 2003. This photo was taken for a GCSE Art project where my cousin Aidan dressed as the grim reaper holding a very rusty scythe. Our cat then walked along the tin roof behind him, jumped on his shoulders and then proceeded to stroll across the top of the blade. It all happened purely by chance and made for a great photo.

31/10/21

Early morning tonal work to “The Doctor Will See You Now”. Slow and steady progress but definitely best to stop when I did to give new layers a chance to dry.

Detail of work in progress - “The Doctor Will See You Now”.

Merry Halloween.