RUA

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!

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: 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!

2022 in Pictures

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January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

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.

139th Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition: Virtual Tour

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Due to the ongoing restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ulster Museum has rightly chosen to close their doors until such time as it is safer for the public and their staff.

Sadly this means that it will be a few weeks before we can get to see the annual RUA show in person.

This doesn’t mean that we can’t explore in the meantime! The RUA have worked tirelessly to create a virtual experience for the 139th RUA exhibition which you can click through below or visit the Royal Ulster Academy website.

If you want to jump to see where my work is placed you ‘ll find it here.

Special thanks to the RUA and to Paul Marshall to designed the virtual exhibition.