oil on canvas

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: May 2026

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01/05/26

‘Reflections’ - new sculpture outside Belfast Central Station from artist Kevin Killen and Golden Thread Gallery

There is one thing that I have been lacking in - a new year’s resolution that has slipped way down the pecking order - carving out time to draw. The sketchbook needs dusted off - badly.

03/05/26

So bloody close to the finishing line (whatever that is) with 'Meet at the Dolmen’. Essentially, its refining the robed figures and incorporating some structure into the treeline.

05/05/26

Venice. Surreal. It’s a very dimly lit city at night - giving it a strange presence. Familiar like a dream and stunningly beautiful. Except for the rat - size of a small dog (slight exaggeration) which jumped down from a low wall while I was locking a gate. Horrible.

06/05/26

Right, day one officially kicked off with a walk in the increasingly heavy rain to Piazza San Marco, down along the water to the Giardini. Stood in the slowest moving line for the guts of an hour, finally making it in. The hunt for a tote bag had begun.

German and British pavilions - great. 11am - all of a sudden, chaos erupted: Pussy Riot staging a protest outside the Russian pavilion. Dutch pavilion - locked in. Spanish pavilion, very good. Next to the central pavilion to see ‘In Minor Keys’. Crowds were insane - a real circus to the point I couldn’t see any work. Too many people clambering and bumping into each other. Should have went earlier. In saying that, Tammy Nguyen’s paintings were stunning.

A fly through the sculptures of the Nordic space to the Japanese pavilion. Loads of babies!

Leaving the Giardini, bumped into a tall, imposing figure all dressed in black… clocked eyes… immediately recognising him as an artist that has inspired my own practice… but could I pluck his name from the ether!? “Jesus Christ!” I exclaim to my simultaneous feelings of “I know him” and “what is his name!?” Moving on , it annoyed me all through lunch. About halfway through food, who walked into the restaurant but the man in black…. long story short - it was [redacted]! Knees went weak and shook his hand for far too long! Star struck.

Next up was visits to the Holy See, Icelandic and Scottish spaces before swinging past San Marino to check Mark Francis’ work.

07/05/26

Arsenale day. Started practically at the beginning of the queue, found this viewing of ‘In Minor Keys’ a way more enjoyable experience - more room to view work. Maybe the weather helped. Central space had so many jaw dropping moments - incredible works - Alfredo Jaar, Nick Cave to name just a couple. A quick regroup before the national spaces.

Lovely opening for Ireland, Chile was unnerving but great. Bit of a detouring boat ride for Eva gathering. Palazzo Grassi - Michael Armitage. Show was just sublime. Seeing this work I’ve loved in the flesh was just a dream come true. A little chat with a critic about Northern Irish snooker. Finishing the night off with a party - meeting old friends and new!

08/05/26

Slept in! That’s what I get for trying to sit and write in bed at 6am. A double Derry adventure from the heart of Venice all the way back to Dublin. Made it home in time to see the kids before bed.

One last look.

11/05/26

Missed the opening of Anna Vidamour’s exhibition in Atypical so happy to spend time with it today. I’m the worst patient.

13/05/26

Still not fully recharged. This coming weekend:

  • Breathe

  • Take Stock

  • Set out Plans

15/05/26

Evening studio session. ‘Meet at the Dolmen’ completed. Pretty happy with this one.

Architecture has it’s limits. Nature always wins.

19/05/26

Tim Patrick at Arcade. Beautiful works - fluid immediacy and could just sit and look all day.

21/05/26

Golden Thread visit after picking up charcoal at lunch. Frédéric Huska’s ‘Traces of a Traumatic Future’ - beautiful intimate works.

Sharon Kelly’s ‘Disposal of Fullness’. Stunning work as always. Stitches with hair.

24/05/26

Canvas stretching, priming - seeing where to go with this 3-person piece.

*****

Well, I didn’t get as far as I thought I would have. Now, that’s not to say I’ve been lazy today. Far from it. Two canvases stretched and triple primed. Thought I would have got to draw up the commission, checking which size of canvas will fit the image best. Not to be. I did get working on ‘Lessons in Silence’ - more backwards but still work nevertheless. At the very last moment before finishing and, clearly fed up with the lack of progress, I began blocking out the figure with the hat. First in charcoal and then with a dark grey/blue. Could this be the way to go? The colour might be too ‘on the nose’. What about that sickly pink that’s echoing on the cell walls to the left of the canvas?

26/05/26

How to get drawing back on the table.

31/05/26

… posthumously …

The figure in the hat has now moved to a pink silhouette and elements of the blurred female portrait have been muted in - lightening the darker portions (hair, mouth, shadows, eyes). A slightly more ghostly effect. Sketching up smaller canvases.

Where to next? Outer frame, more natural - greys, browns but try to keep quality of marks that are already there.

Art Journal: February 2026

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01/02/26

Canvas priming. Such a dirty floor… and then my pen decides to implode on the third line of a new art journal!

In between priming layers - want to try and finish ‘Melina Study’. It’s the robe that annoying at the moment. Too smooth - lack of texture…

‘M.S.’ finished - added subtle hint of texture and line to robe.

A strange sort of nausea…

02/02/26

…chilling.

04/02/26

Still trying to process…

On a personal note, I feel I’m getting better at distancing… …yes there are still some late night checks but it is definitely an improvement.

‘Considering Art Podcast’ - Joanna Whittle.

05/02/26

LNAB

Catalyst Members’ Show - happy with placement of ‘BWoatS’- up high, looming down on the viewer. Nice choice.

On the way home, hit in the face with milk. Stank to high heaven.

07/02/26

Third and final coat of primer on canvasses ahead of studio session tomorrow.

08/02/26

Mapping out works. Image from ‘Masque of the Red Death’ culled from seven figures down to three and a bit of fun mixing the scale of the Tirnony Dolmen. Feels huge. Medium canvas has three acetates on it. Sounds a bit much but for now, its working compositionally. The trick will be what elements to recede and which to bring forward.

11/02/26

When I’m tired, my right eye closes involuntarily.

12/02/26

Sketchbook work

19/02/26

Lunchtime visit to the Golden Thread Gallery - ‘Insight into the other’ - a collaboration with UH Gallery in Boston. Particularly fond of Nancy McCormack’s paint-manipulated photographs.

20/02/26

I had started thinking about painting ‘strategy’ when getting kids to bed last night.

Particularly the ‘Dolmen’ and the small (slightly doubled) portrait. Now, I did fall asleep mid way through something of a little eureka moment so I will try and recollect.

Want to try something with the Dolmen piece:

  • work on night sky first - furthest back

    • Build up with thin washes, skits of stars (toothbrush) and a light fade.

    • Elements of colours from the sky washes (pthalo, prussian, indigo hinted at in the ground / grass.

  • One of the hooded figures - carrying a lamp - adding energetic brushstrokes to the illuminated ground, edges of robed figures and ancient stones. DRAMA

  • The trick will be making the trees disappear - how they do in life when looking up at the sky at night. They aren’t a silhouette but almost an echo of what’s there - waiting to be lit or to come into focus.

  • Slightly thicker paint on light edges - loosen control of the brush a little.

For the ‘double portrait’: Off skin palette - again loosen grip of brush in areas, tighten in others.

Relinquish control to gain unexpected moments in the process…

22/02/26

The other night was writing - today was doing. Pretty much did what was hoped to ‘Dolmen Gathering’. Now there is an itch to possibly include something else… hint of nature / danger. The only word that seems to matter with this piece - atmosphere.

25/02/26

Eyes peeled on Venice announcement! Congratulations to Alan Phelan, Alice Maher and Rachel Fallon on invitations to ‘In Minor Keys’.

27/02/26

Sketchbook work - late night - finishing off sketches that were started mid-week.

Art Journal: December 2025

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07/12/25

‘To Conjure’ finished.

teacup poisoner. Ability to blend in - an unassuming, quiet figure who poisoned people in plain sight.

Brushes down.

09/12/25

Always a strange month, hectic in so many ways but hopefully there will also be time to work on my own stuff a bit. take time to reflect on the past year and taking some quality time with the family.

10/12/25

The Sketchbook quandary. Nearly impossible to carve time to draw when I normally would have - in the evening before bed. Looking at other options. Commute and breaks are most viable options for now. Will test.

11/12/25

Rolling back the years here. Sitting outside Belfast Art College on lunch - sketching, observing and dusting off the cobwebs.

14/12/25

Snapping recently finished works and a bit of cleaning - palette wiped and some acetates sketched out.

Drew up two canvases - could have been far more but stopped myself. Don’t want to draw up works just for the sake of drawing up - filling the gaps, breaking the silence.

15/12/25

In Southern Regional College, Banbridge today to give a talk to students.

16/12/25

20/12/25

Studio session. Three latest works out of the way and down into storage. When down, four of the larger damaged works could be cut and restretched. Will be interesting to see what, if anything can be salvaged.

‘A brush with, Luc Tiuymans’ —> “Authentic Forgeries”.

Good start to ‘Milena Study’ today.

Milena Pavlović-Barili was a Serbian born artist who never settled into one style or one city, finding fame in New York rather than Europe. Her death is marked by an air of mystery.

24/12/25

31/12/25

Ending the year with a lovely, if not a little chilly walk around Pomeroy forest.

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: 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?

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.

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: DECEMBER 2023

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03/12/23

Very cold in the studio. Can’t be a put off though.

Séance piece:

Wall and floor = re-adjust

Blue Figure = push back / get rid of

The woman in blue - basically taking away from the overall composition.

… Getting there. Simplified the back wall. Colours are all wrong but at least it’s going in the right direction structurally.

07/12/23

Warhol at the Hugh Lane, Dublin - Excellent

09/12/23

A round of image gathering is in order. Juices.

10/12/23

14/12/23

Isn’t it funny how a conversation can be the spark that begins to slot pieces into place…

Winter months are slow in the studio - always have been - there’s nothing new there.
What is different is the less time being allocated to focus on drawing [rephrase] not making enough time to focus on drawing elements. TIME CAN BE MADE!


”Artists reflect on what is happening”

Rachel Whiteread

SKETCHING

17/12/23

Studio.

Background work on ‘soldier’ piece and a new portrait started over an abandoned canvas.

Drew the charcoal into a fresh layer of white. Will see what comes of it.

18/12/23

Applied.

23/12/23

I do enjoy looking back over the year that’s about to pass. One eye on the past yada yada.

There has been no strict recordkeeping so an idea flashes in and then fades out only to pop in later in a diluted and obscure way where I struggle to recollect the initial instance. Should be rectified. Plenty of ways to keep quick notes.

Joints are aching from the impending dose.

25/12/23

Merry Christmas. Very mindful… so counting blessings and appreciating the little joys.

26/12/23

It’s been a strange one. Anything but restful.

Crow - Chimera - spark/spark/spark.

28/12/23

In the studio and had intended to clean palette ahead of some painting time tomorrow but there’s just too much good paint out to waste. Some looking and notes to aid tomorrow:

Séance in London - notes:

  • It’s a bloody séance - it shouldn’t make sense.

  • Remove shadows

  • Push fireplace back (cooler / lighter)

  • Chairs - are they needed?

  • Omit / darken bottom section.

Again, it doesn’t have to make sense. It’s a nonsensical act. Defying logic so the picture shouldn’t live by those rules.

Soldier Piece - notes:

(layer of white on right figure’s clothes done)

  • Alter skin tones - middle too cold, left too warm. Find a balance. Soldier has seen / committed horrors - bare this in mind.

29/12/23

A good solid day in the studio - and the last one of the year. Loads of coffee.

‘Séance’ - fireplace removed, chairs gone and front three figures blocked in again. Compositionally, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. How does one make an image ominous?

[insert researched answer here] e.g.: 'Fuseli’s ‘The Nightmare’

The little portrait study came about very quickly. A much looser approach so far and some nice elements in the painting. It does run the risk, however, of muddiness so must be mindful.

Last Studio shot of the year.

30/12/23

Asleep after lunch … never thought I would see the day.

…outline of concrete that covers crack in the wall outside. Repurposing shapes you see every day into works.

Five Uneven Steps.

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: 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: APRIL 2023

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02/04/23

“…entry point into an emotional landscape.”

“…photograph is just a vehicle to then deal with those subjects that I want…”

Matthew Krishanu on “A Brush with…”

Having a crack at “Check Your Pockets” again. Going to try attacking it from a different angle.

09/04/23

Easter Sunday.

“A Brush with… Mike Nelson”.

“C.Y.P.” - let’s just get something down.

Good progress on figure today. Looks solid but… it’s not sitting right though and when I looked again after cleaning brushes, only then did i realise… the issue is the background. Compositionally it’s fine but the colour choices and tonal values are all out of whack.

11/04/23

Over the Moon!

12/04/23

Beautiful postcard came in the post from Hang Tough Contemporary for Alana Barton’s solo show in Dublin.

14/04/23

Still pinching myself. Best foot forward!

16/04/23

Seem to have went and gone the long and awkward way about it but “Check your Pockets” is finished.

Some sketchbook work to finish the day off.

20/04/23

Special letter in the post.

23/04/23

Great to hear the Ulster Museum being interviewed in The Art Newspaper’s “Week in Art” podcast.

“A shared history, not a shared memory.”

Studio time - clothing an background work on “Boy Soldier”

2022 in Pictures

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January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December