mixed medio

RDH: July 2025

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!

RDH: APRIL 2024

02/04/24

Utilise own advice! Get pro-active!

04/04/24

Not being idle within practice is key.

LNAB

07/04/24

“A Brush With… Nalini Malani”

…slippage of imagery…

Clothing detail work on “Last Fancy Dress” and a promising start on “They Had It Coming”. Keep it raw - how do you describe that?

11/04/24

Submission 1.

16/04/24

Submission 2. Ran out of time for drawing work.

17/04/24

Sketchbook work.

S.A.W.E.D.

18/04/24

Submission 3 - an open call.

21/04/24

Studio - pre paint notes:

  • Headscarf - maroon?

  • Background - a sickly yellow / green (not unlike “Amy Study”.

Now that the canvas is covered (no more blankness) - it’s show time.

24/04/24

Dublin bound. Really bad that I have gotten out of the way writing in this. [slaps wrist].

S.V. confirmed! Class!

Popped into the LAB Gallery to see “Emergency Knowledge: The Missing Archives - Vagabond Reviews”. Great to see Save Our Sperrins highlighted among other important causes.

25/04/24

OK, so I’ve been putting this off for a while and now, it seems that bus time is usually RD time these days.

Project idea I had maybe ten years ago: record a sitter - up close in portrait whilst asking questions - mix of mundane and psychological. Between each question - leave around 20 - 30 seconds. The sitter remains silent throughout - more of an introspective process. The idea was to then take still of video and convert to painting.

What if…

test demo screenshot from 2014

instead of a static camera on tripod (that I tried back in 2014) - the footage moved in, out and around the sitter?

And…

instead of working off individual stills on separate works - merging onto one surface. Showing a variation in composition, scale and method of painting depending on the image taken throughout the test?


So, let’s take stock…

Four submissions done in past 6 weeks plus an SV!

Sketchbook work tonight - since brain is firing on a few more cylinders than usual.

27/04/24

Four years. Surreal.

28/04/24

Studio time.

Well, after nearly losing it on the skin tones - “THIC” turned out better than I could have hoped. A strange feeling.

30/04/24

“mother tongue” in the MAC - GREAT!

Dorothy Hunter’s work took breath away! Bloody brilliant.