2025 in Pictures

It’s been a year with highs and lows, both personally and professionally. But, taking stock and looking back at the last 12 months - I have to be grateful for so many things, that the positives undoubtedly outweigh and null the lows by some margin.

So, by going month by month, here are some visual highlights of the year that was.

January

Fresh eyes on "Gathered"

'Call me Mother' by Sarah Maple in Naughton Gallery

Chilly morning on Royal Avenue

'Misaligned' by Katherine Penney at Ulster Presents

Storm Éowyn has an impact

Eileen Leonard Sealy at the LAB Gallery, Dublin

'Otherworld Trouble' by Dervla O'Flaherty in Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich

February

Malcolm turns one!

'Watch Carefully' sketch

'Gathered' in annual Catalyst member's show

On the road to Ballyliffen

'Summer Visits' sketch

Belfast Visual Arts Forum in the Great Hall at Queens

'The Goose and the Common' by Array at RUA RED

March

The Irish Palette show in the Engine Room Gallery, Belfast

Latesst copy of the Visual Artists' News Sheet lands

'The Crush' by Sian Costello in PS²

Studio shot with works at various stages

April

'Stay a While' by Stu Calvin at the Golden Thread Gallery

'Decoys + Ghosts' by John Rainey in Golden Thread Gallery

'We Lose Sight of the Night' by Aisling O'Beirn in the MAC.

'What an Asshole' sketch

May

'Re/cusp' by Molly Martin in PS²

Lucian Freud print show at Titanic Belfast

'The Weight of Inheritance' in progress

Visit to the RHA Annual Exhibition

'Dynamic Duo' sketch

June

Detail of 'The Weight of Inheritance' finished

Sophie Calle at the Golden Thread Gallery

Mohammed Sami at the Douglas Hyde Gallery

July

Maria Horvathova at Arts for All

Husk Bennet in 'Shopwork' show at Vault Studios, Belfast

Studio Shot with 'The Woman with the Dogs' and 'To Conjure' in progress

Little self-portrait study finished

August

Chloe Austin at Platform Arts

Fresh Canvases stretched and ready to go

Compositions ongoing

Fun in Portstewart

Early stages of 'Better, Worse or About the Same'

September

'Glimpses' by Jen Alexander at Threshold Gallery

VAI Get Together at TUD, Dublin

Kathy Tynan at TBG+S, Dublin

More progress on 'Better, Worse or about the Same'

Close up of 'Kiss with a Red Flag' in progress

October

Delighted to be a part of the Arcade Studios' Royale Arcade group show.

Detail of finished work - 'Better, Worse of about the Same'

VAI's Belfast Peer Support Programme in the MAC

'Kiss with Red Flag' finished

'Sea Skin' by Niamh Seana Meehan in the MAC

EMIC piece on Lower Garfield Street

Rounding of the Peer Support Programme in the MAC

November

Uncovering degree show works from 2010

yet to be titled

Close of of figure in 'To Conjure' in progress

Terence Philip Flanagan - Art Unwrapped at Ulster Presents

December

'To Conjure' finished

Sketching in the park

New works beginning

Artist Talk in Banbridge's Southern Regional College campus

'Milena study'

Festivities

Visit to Pomeroy Forest Park

With an international excursion, group shows and a solo exhibition coming up, there is plenty to look forward to for 2026.

2024 in Pictures

JANUARY

Niamh McCann at the MAC, Belfast

Strike Captain Study

'Three in One' drawing - 3 Cadets

First completed painting of the year - 'Restraint Study'

Blizzard-esque

Sinead McKeever in QSS

FEBRUARY

Help in the office

New addition to the Family - Malcolm John Kielt

Golden Thread in Threshold

Ciarraí MacCormac in Catalyst Arts

Overturned Roots

Only saving grace of a lost work

'Upstanding'

MARCH

Vault

DLB

VOID in Derry

A crack in Dublin

Fun in the tub!

APRIL

Éabha Campbell in Catalyst

Large and small works on the go

Sketchings - 'on the tube'

Vagabond Reviews in the LAB Gallery, Dublin

Down the Hill

Mother Tongue in the MAC

MAY

Hit the North, Royal Avenue

FGB in Vault

Northern Lights

Raindrops incorporated

Rally Day

Progress - only two will survive

Deirdre O'Mahony in the Douglas Hyde

JUNE

Steps forward and backward

Cameron Stewart in Arcade Studios

Eslam Abd El Salam, Phillip McCrilly, Tara McGinn & Sorcha McNamara - Catalyst Arts

Matthias Oostrik - Belfast Photo Festival

Lough Views

ArtsFest Opening - ~ArtsForAll

'Four Years On' finished

JULY

Early stages

'Centra Bag' Pen on Paper

Apprentice

DIY holiday work

North Coast Sunset

AUGUST

Stoic snap in the studio

Caravaggio at the Ulster Museum

Golden Thread Re-Opening

'Turn to Page 5' detail

more works on the go

SEPTEMBER

The Weight of Light: Conor McFeely and Pascale Steven at the MAC

1,2,3

Late Night Art East - Creative Exchange

QSS at 40 opening

Studio shot

OCTOBER

Royale Arcade show at Arcade Studios

Laura Nelson at Vault Studios

'Restraint Study' in situ at Royal Ulster Academy show in Ulster Museum

PS2 Tour

Blowing Up

NOVEMBER

Office wall

'I see his blood upon the rose' show at the MAC

VAI's Get Together at IMMA, Dublin

Brian Maguire at Hugh Lane Gallery

DECEMBER

An experiment with moss

Christmas Letters

Detail of work all but complete - will be part of group show in new year

2023 in Pictures

JANUARY

Three works in progress on the studio wall

'Soldier Boy Study'

Close up of 'Adrift Study'

A foggy January night

FEBRUARY

'A Matter of Fiction' - completed in the studio

Mirror Mirror

Late night sketching

MARCH

Hand work

Taking Time over 'Soldier Boy'

Our beautiful girl turns 1

APRIL

Detail of 'Check your Pockets'

Some works rattle on until they cave

Gradient added to background of 'Soldier Boy'

MAY

Louise Wallace at the MAC, Belfast

Niamh O'Malley at the Golden Thread Gallery

Ciarraí MacCormac

Stunning work by EMIC in Belfast City Centre

Two works in progress - beast and the beauty (working titles)

Trip to the river

Daniel Coleman in the RHA, Dublin

Mags Geaney at the RHA, Dublin

Avril Corroon at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin

JUNE

Two new works - a little on the personal side

Charys Wilson at the Golden Thread Gallery

Eimhéar Atkinson at the Belfast School of Art Degree Show

'Adrift Study' in Catalyst Auction show

'Small Earth (Eden)' by Katherine Sankey

JULY

Detail of 'In a Huff'

Matthew Wilson in Threshold Gallery

'Put it Away'

Wonky Studio Shot

Baby number 2 - coming 2024

Detail of 'Marina' - in progress

AUGUST

Still from 'The New Dawn Fades' by Clare Langan - Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast

Imogen

Drawing of Christmas dinner - circa 1997

London bound

Part of the Catalyst Members' Show

Detail of 'Marina' background work

Sunset over Glenshane

Beginning of 'The Night Draws Near' event by Array Collective, Ulster Museum Belfast

SEPTEMBER

Chloe Austin at PS2, Belfast

Korakrit Arunanondchai at the MAC, Belfast

'Marina' completed

Banu Cennetoğlu at VOID, Derry

New works in progress

OCTOBER

'Indifferent Study' in progress

Detail of 'A Séance in London' in progress

'Red Lines' on display at the Royal Arcade Academy Exhibition

VAULT Studios, Belfast

'Defy the System' drawing

Studio Shot - Early October

'Amy Study' in early stages

Deferral / Echo by Kwok Tsui in CCA, Derry

'Messy Business' show at QSS, Belfast

Juggling too many works at one time.

Atoosa Pour Hosseini at Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin

NOVEMBER

Cameron Clarke at DAS, Belfast

Save our Sperrins exhibition at 2Royal Avenue, Belfast

'Indifferent Study' finished

'Amy Study' finished

Detail of 'A Séance in London' in Progress

DECEMBER

Additions and Omissions

Andy Warhol at the Hugh Lane, Dublin

Hands detail coming together

re-working an old canvas

Final studio shot of the year.

2022 in Pictures

January

Detail of "A New Normal"

Supermoon

Sketchbook work from childhood photographs

February

Ronnie Hughes' 'Isobar' in the MAC, Belfast

Notions for ideas in the snow

Catalyst Residency - early beginnings

Cast of my mouth by Stephanie Tanney

Temporary studio space in Catalyst Arts

Artist Rachel Macmanus hard at work

Ogham residency in full swing - late February

March

Final stages of work for Ogham in Catalyst

with artist Stephanie Tanney and curator Jen Alexander in final moments of residency

painting in progress - hair colour undetermined

Mothers' day - little Imogen is born

very early morning sunrise

back home and doing / adjusting well

at the closing night of Ogham exhibition in Catalyst with artists Rachel Macmanus, Stephanie Tanney and curator Jen Alexander

April

Quick sketching work

Ciarán Ó Dochartaigh at CCA Derry

'Ogham' work returned to the studio

'Girl with Red Hair' finished

Emic in 'Art That Made Us' documentary series

May

Decisions, decisions

Drawing from historical imagery

June

'Mothman' detail - in progress

'Peek-A-Boo' close up

Claire Barclay at the MAC, Belfast

July

A studio assistant sleeping on the job

beginnings of a small piece

Studio wall shot

Powerful work by Stuart Calvin at Atypical Gallery, Belfast

On show at the Boyle Arts Festival, Roscommon

August

Ron Mueck at the MAC, Belfast

Sunset at Portrush

detail of skulls

little and large

September

a conversation in pen

'Four of Five' detail I

'Four of Five' detail II

October

a packed opening of the RUA exhibition in Ulster Museum, Belfast

'Girl with Red Hair' in RUA

Giving a talk about practice in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin

Springing on with new works

November

Imogen's first trip to the Ulster Musuem - infront of Alana Barton's work

Proud daddy and daughter moment

detail of eye in progress

December

The last works completed this year.

Stunning painting by Daniel Coleman at the MAC, Belfast

The opening of 'New Exits - 10 Years of Painting Shows' in the MAC, Belfast

2021 in Pictures

January

Frozen Lake in Hillsborough

"Shock" - first finished work of the year

Studio shot - all three works would be abandoned

Sketch of female police officers

February

"Shock" on display for FirstSite show

Freshly squeezed paint

Home with a dash of snow

Back and forth on work that didn't survive

Two out of Three works survived!

March

Detail of hand - in progress

Early stages of 'On Gilded Steps' detail

Horn detail for "The Infamy of Crete"

Early Spring Studio shot

In a Huff - aged around 8

April

"On Gilded Steps" detail

Longer evenings mean longer walks.

Collecting work from 2020's RUA

Little revamp of the office/drawing space

"Gathering Thoughts" finished

Cherry Tree in full blossom

May

Layering of biplanes for "History Repeating"

Spring clean of painting storage space

Detail of "History Repeating"

Sketch from a Victorian Photo

June

Studio Shot June - with "History Repeating" on right

Three pups in a bed

Drawing from a cult 60's film still

Detail of "Moon Boy"

Ambera Wellmann at the MAC, Belfast

Maya Balcioglu at the MAC, Belfast

July

"Galamseyer" - shrub detail

Early stage of "Life is But a Dream"

A low flying balloon over the garden

Sunset over Slieve Gallion

Finished - "Galamseyer"

August

On the Cover of Geraldine O'Kane's book

Wedding Day

Detail of "Life is But a Dream"

Drawing of a dangerous individual

September

Early days of compositional juggling

First image of new addition-to-be

Memory of 1993 sketch

"Saint and Sinner" - detail of finished work

Detail of "Unimpressed" painting

Close up of "Rex Aegypti Penultimus"

Minimal sketch study

October

"Rex Aegypti Penultimus" - finished work

Cold day in the studio with multiple works

Close up of "Lady of the Manor"

Detail of large multi-imaged canvas

November

Portrait of NI exhibition in GT Gallery, Belfast

Anne Tallentire in the MAC, Belfast

Took part in Platform's Salonathon show

Drawing up a new batch of canvases

"The Doctor will See you Now" - Finished

Eva Rothschild in VOID, Derry

“Tilt [At Windmills]” exhibition in CCA, Derry

Three paintings at different stages

December

John Rainey in Naughton Gallery, Belfast

Array Collective welcoming the Solstice

"Label"

"Under Surveillance"