drawing

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: 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!

RDH: April 2025

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01/04/25

02/04/25

“Trauma = fragmented memories / flashbacks.”

05/04/25

‘A Brush with… Celia Paul.’

Rembrandt’s eye’s defy death!

Sketchbook work early in the day. Paint out - let’s go!

“Art is how you give form to your deepest instincts.”

Celia Paul

A really solid start to “Uniform Hate”. Basic background colours and tones down.

“Self-Portrait between clouds” - using shape inherited from previous composition underneath as elements of the background. Perhaps a little more tonal subtlety - too contrasty at the present time.

Overall, a good day in the studio.

08/04/25

the week off was great, bar some setbacks.

… a little overwhelmed… just need to breathe, take a step back and be thorough in the work at hand. Only mentioning as a little vent was needed as well as reasserting that it’s ok not to get own work done every once in a while. Frustrating, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. It’ll be ok.

Stuart Calvin at the Golden Thread - Stay a while - Great! The work sits in that strange space between fragility and hope. The draped, almost human form reminds me of the cloaked figure in Ferdinand Hodler’s ‘Night’ - grief / fear made solid. Here, there’s the possibility of (neon) light creeping in Definitely one to stay a while with!

12/24/25

Fire on the Glenshane

13/04/25

Studio with Imogen and then onto own work. Building up self-portrait study. Back and forth and back again…

…well, that didn’t go as planned! Back to the drawing board.

16/04/25

An awful morning.

Presentation of commission - nice words and thoughtful comments.

17/04/25

“Decoys and Ghosts” in the Golden Thread by John Rainey. Vibrant, playful and quietly unsettling body of work. Fantastical morphings of classical figures and animal forms reimagined with vivid colour and bolt, unexpected shifts in anatomy. Sculptures feel like artefacts from another planet - cheeky, strange and incredibly precise. The traditional bust is unpicked and reshaped into something wholly new.

See H’s book for feedback / homework. Not for these pages!

19/04/25

I know with the utmost certainty that this will not be an easy or quick fix.

21/04/25

Studio time.

Brought little self-portrait back from the brink of the abyss. I think working from the sketch which was done at the time in the early pandemic (where head was shaved at home!) is throwing off what is in my own mind / self-image. Perhaps that should be the advantage? Beard too generous.

Imogen’s D entry - 21/04/25

23/04/25

Aisling O’Beirn “We Lose Sight of the Night” in the MAC. Strangely calming and thoughtful exploration of climate and environmental change through the lens of science and art. A beautifully reflective collection of installation work rooted in celestial mapping and light pollution.

Open call applied for! Had hoped for some sketechbook time but that wasn’t to be tonight.

25/04/25

27/04/25

The Week in Art

Sketchbook work and admin work. Another sketchbook done - another began.

Move away slightly from direct narrative compositions? Semi-historical? Whose history?

RDH: 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.

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: 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.

RDH: NOVEMBER 2024

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01/11/24

Pretty sure this is Dad in the Vectra circa 2000.

02/11/24

H, F & M.

…taking a back seat.

04/11/24

Escalation

05/11/24

Late night home.

06/11/24

The fun never stops!

07/11/24

Collected. No late night art for me this month. Exhaustion has taken over.

08/11/24

Proposal started. Excited to stretch and prime canvas tomorrow! Nerd Alert!

In the chaos of the past few weeks, I forgot to note that I’ve had a lovely delivery of a 10m roll of canvas and primer.

09/11/24

Didn’t realise I had so much primer! Two canvases, stretched and primed with one coat (plus one bloodied thumb).

Sketchbook time - this definitely needs time allotted to…

… came back to finish off the two drawings started earlier on. It can be done - just needs some discipline and manoeuvring.

10/11/24

‘Natural Alignments’

GET OUT THERE!

***Updating from loss and eventual return of diary***

12/11/24

MAC Show - beautiful and just a joy to immerse yoursself in. Wonderful homage.

Weird seeing D.M.’s paintings again after so long. Remember getting my graduation photos from NWRC in front of them.

17/11/24

Can’t believe I’ve lost track of RD. First time ever in fourteen plus years and quite annoyed at myself.

ADAPT - MOVE ON - WORK

Primed canvases with second coat. In terms of C’s submission, materials gathering and experimentation ongoing.

18/11/24

Dublin - Day 1. Lights out in middle of set up.

19/11/24

GTG a great success. Good night had by all.

20/11/24

Dublin Day 3. Brian Maguire in the Hugh Lane. Glorious large scale works and great to see some old favourites I first saw in VOID a few years ago.

Douglas Hyde Gallery - ‘LAND’ group show. Beautiful video work from Pinar Öğrenci in situ - videos on display will change to change throughout the run. Tried to get into another space - was not allowed with suitcase in tow.

Lastly the LAB before the bus home. Vanessa Daws’ show inspired by endurance swimming pioneer Mercedes Gleitze. Great show but still filled me with anxiety looking at open water.

Home … and finished submission.

21/11/24

Reunited with diary!

24/11/24

Studio - started commission. Beginning to incorporate moss into c.m.s piece - painting into the final layer of primer. Waiting game.

More progress on ‘L.Y.s.V’.

Love was spread a little in the studio today - bits and pieces worked on in different areas. Covering all the bases.

27/11/24

Dublin again!

28/11/24

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: 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: 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: MAY 2024

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02/05/24

Late Night Art Belfast

A busy busy night!

05/05/24

Added crow / plague mask to soldier’s face. Not sure where, if anywhere, it’s going to go. Ran it’s course perhaps? Palette cleansed.

…action painting?

08/05/24

“Gallery Visit” showing in ArtFest 3!

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

09/05/24

Would be good to start thinking about plan…

10/05/24

12/05/24

Drawings to acetate. Cuprinol spillage - use to benefit? Bleached out wartime work - it reached the end. So, today in the studio - rather than painting… worked on drawing up new canvases. NB: Paint needed through the week.

Three works started - went for a dander in a thundery downpour holding a couple of the new canvases over my head. Letting the heavy raindrops move the unfixed charcoal. Funny, the momento mori could have done with a few more and the ‘Tesla’ a little less. HINDSIGHT!

Studio Shot - 12/05/24

12/05/24

Hold the family close. Bus decompress time.

18/05/24

19/05/24

20/05/24

If you’re going to do something, do it right!

26/05/24

“Week in Art” Mona Lisa interview really interesting. “The living earth”.

“Talk Art” Shaqúelle Whyte.

Solid progress. No titles as yet - Hindsight? Could work for all three really.

29/05/24

Dublin.

It’s always sunny in Dublin.

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: JANUARY 2024

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02/01/24

Uncertainty is where the magic happens.

Organising ‘used’ imagery.

03/01/24

…back to the drawing board.

04/01/24

… strengthened my resolve. Sometimes you are too close to the work to see the threads / connections running through it - so another eye is always greatly valued.

…stagger (they talk).

06/01/24

For now, less writing for the sake, less procrastination and more doing please.

Late night sketchbook work - three cadets on the one page.

07/01/24

Second night in a row where the dreams were really messed up.

14/04/24

First day back in the studio for the year. ‘séance’ darkened down by layer of charcoal.

‘Restraint Study’ finished, and palette is clean as a whistle!

18/01/24

Snow Day.

more drawing = more ideas = more work

Andro Wekua: Louisiana Channel (Hand on the shoulder).

Words to Action.

21/01/24

Saltburn - good but gross.

Sick all weekend, missed Watty’s All-Ireland glory. A real dud of a weekend.

22/01/24

Storm damage.

23/01/24

25/01/24

…peaks and troughs. 2020 was unique in that time seemed to last so much longer. Suck it up.

Late night drawing.

28/01/24

A weekend of nesting.

29/01/24

Lost… looked up and down the road, in and out of fields. Came back.

31/01/24

Using vagueness, opens more possibilities for the viewer.

2023 in Pictures

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JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

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: 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.