RDH: NOVEMBER 2022

05/11/22

Art and Ecology Podcast.

Studio Time with an assistant!

08/11/22

Painting in RUA has SOLD!

11/11/22

It all adds up.

12/11/22

“You know in the back of your own mind if criticism holds any merit for yourself.”

13/11/22

Studio time - short but sweet stint today. Good progress on three pieces. A little too on the nose in some areas but very productive otherwise.

17/11/22

VAI Get Together day 2. Highlight was listening to Samir Mahmood talk about his practice.

19/11/22

Progress on “Feeling Stretched” and “Red Lines”. Getting there. Colour choices needing a tweak though.

20/11/22

Belfast trip with the family. Ulster Museum - Renaissance to Romanticism. Brueghel the Younger pieces very good and the Goya portrait on display is a special painting.

Great to get up with Jan and Imogen to see the RUA again.

26/11/22

Shocked and saddened to hear of Hugh O’Donnell’s passing. I got to know Hugh in applying for funding in 2018 and again in the run up to my solo show in Atypical in 2020.

Hugh was always so kind with his time - having a studio visit beforehand and his feedback and insight during the install was a dream. Hugh was a real presence and his life blessed all who spent time with him. Rest in Piece Hugh.

30/11/22

Priorities shifted about.

RDH: OCTOBER 2022

02/10/22

#Mousegate

Strange events

08/10/22

…notes complete. Need refined for easy consumption.

13/10/22

Crowd at opening of RUA in the Ulster Museum

Craig Donald's winning portrait: "Marinus van der Lubbe"

Alana Barton with her painting "Faeries".

Pictured alongside "Girl with Red Hair"

Royal Ulster Academy opening. Craig Donald won an award for best portrait! A great night all round and chuffed to see my little painting up on the wall with some wonderful artists.

14/10/22

Early start. Perhaps the X in X4 stands for extra-long.

The Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin

Works In Progress Space in the Hugh Lane

Mid Presentation

"O, To have a little house" by Michelle Malone at the LAB Gallery

Talk in the Hugh Lane couldn’t have gone any better. Pleased with the reaction and feedback from everyone and profoundly grateful to Basic Space for the opportunity to speak.

15/10/22

Studio Shot: 15/10/22

‘A Brush With… William Kentridge’.

charcoal - the indeterminacy of the point.

… at the edge of meaning.

“Give an image the benefit of the doubt… there is a danger in certainty.”

William Kentridge.

21/10/22

NB: Melancholic apostle image interesting.

22/10/22

World of proximities.

23/10/22

26/10/22

Sketchbook work.

David Lynch “The Art Life” - documentary

27/10/22

“The Art Spirit” by Robert Henri

30/10/22

“Cherish your own emotions and never under value them”

Robert Henri

RDH: SEPTEMBER 2022

03/09/22

Sketchbook work

06/09/22

A rough few days culminating in both houses testing positive for covid.

13/09/22

17/09/22

Still positive. Studio time but not feeling great to stay too long but it’s important to be in.

18/09/22

Weird. Lack of drive. Putting elements of practice off too easily - by the same token I may be a little too harsh on myself as I’m still getting over being sick.

Life and Art are (hopefully) a long game.

24/09/22

Surprise purchase.

Studio time. “Four of Five” finished.

RDH: AUGUST 2022

02/08/22

Getting a little anxious as word gets closer…

03/08/22

“Girl with Red Hair” has been preselected!

07/08/22

Work dropped off to the RUA.

Visit to the MAC for Ron Mueck exhibition.

14/08/22

15/08/22

Can’t just be sitting around waiting…

Some sketchbook work started.

16/08/22

Drawings finished up from yesterday. Studio time now and some painting with the niece.

GOT INTO THE RUA SHOW!

17/08/22

‘A Brush With … Lina Iris Viktor’

“I think using a limited palette gives you more freedom.”

L.I.V.

Another layer on ‘lovers’ piece and a clean palette needed.

18/08/22

One Year!

20/08/22

Studio. Bit of burning on “Catherine Study”.

21/08/22

Good progress on “A Lovers’ Harvest”… man’s face works and doesn’t at the same time. Need to come back with fresh eyes.

There are aspects about “A.L.H.” I need to jot down:

• Fracture

• Loss vs Hope

• Memento Mori / Passing of the Seasons

27/08/22

Adam Pendelton on “A Brush With…”: “Masks conceal and evoke.”

Studio time: Grass - too much? Go lighter? Lovers - more sculpting? Background - more solidity?

A lot more questions than answers at the minute. Less writing, more doing. Retrospective analysis is much more succinct and compelling (?)

PTO…

Although, in hindsight, creating a short, concise list of things to look at, attempt / rectify seems to pay off more often than not.

“A Lovers’ Harvest” finished.

Detail of “A Lovers’ Harvest”

31/08/22

Submitted… finger’s crossed.

Never far from thoughts.

RDH: JULY 2022

02/07/22

Studio - moth wings getting there. .. dusty. Struggling with top colour. Tried green and purple. White is too close to the magpie moth tones.

Little studio buddy today

'Mothman' detail

03/07/22

In my own head yet again. This time it feels vastly different. Other concerns are taking precedent and pushing issues into the background. This is never a final solution I know but it is positive that mindset has altered accordingly.

More progress to ‘Mothman’ this evening.

08/07/22

“The artist has to put before the eyes of the public forms and poses which has existed previously in the darkness and confusion of an irrational mind, or one which is beset by uncontrolled passion.”

Goya

10/07/22

13/07/22

Sad to be missing the opening of the Boyle Arts festival tonight.

view at King's House, Boyle - image courtesy Daniel Coleman

Sketchbook work instead.

14/07/22

Asked to give a talk. Delighted.

16/07/22

Nearly fell asleep. Not a good start.

Studio - at a bit of a crossroads. This along with paints needing freshening up is why I’ll focus on drawing up new canvas / boards.

17/07/22

Studio again.

It’s so strange. Things are so good at the moment. Just… negative voices. Popping in and wearing down. Keep active mentally. Support system. Breathe.

18/07/22

When a lead weight is released, you float and rise. Getting there.

‘Mothman’ finished. Trying to stick to the less is more philosophy.

19/07/22

D.T.M.

20/07/22

Sketchbook work.

21/07/22

Short but very sweet stint in the studio. A good start on three pieces.

22/07/22

Ulster Museum trip with my girls!

Stuart Calvin’s show in Atypical is excellent and heartfelt. The Alexandra Lethbridge exhibition in the GoldenThread is worth seeing.

Stuart Calvin in Atypical Gallery

Alexandra Lethbridge in GoldenThread

23/07/22

Small progress in the studio. Hair in little portrait piece turned out way better than I thought it would. Best off leaving it alone!

30/07/22

‘Who Threw That?’ finished.

I think sometimes taking a risk can be as simple as not putting a mark down at all.

31/07/22

Compliments can’t be the ‘be all and end all’.

RDH: JUNE 2022

04/06/22

Studio. ‘Mothman’ finally being looked at after several years of hibernation.

Also, a surprise grasp on a 2020 sketch, ‘Peek-A-Boo’. Tall thin canvas has gone muddy.

05/06/22

Small magpie moth - colours?

One for sorrow. Fitting for a self-reflective piece about anxiety relief measures.

07/06/22

Postcard. visual feedback or [illegible].

08/06/22

The Odd inclination vs the Even inclination.

‘From the Creek Billy thought gleefully of the Ten-Foot Lady and the time her only decent leg fell and ended up on the wrong side of Belfast.’

PAULA REGO: 1935-2022

An absolute powerhouse, unashamedly honest artist whose work will resonate for generations to come.

“Dog Woman” Paula Rego 1994 Pastel on Canvas

11/06/22

Can you distill the feeling of an image with another or via another form of communication?

C.C.

12/06/22

Fast studio session. Some tonal values layered.

14/06/22

Went to sketch. Didn’t happen.

18/06/22

Darker red/brown in shadow? Little finger slightly bulbous under the nail and looks too long but it checks out in the source material and subsequent sketch from it.

Is it finished? The age-old question. The risk of overpainting is high. Should rest on it for a while.

21/06/22

Sketchbook work on the longest day of the year.

25/06/22

Whistle stop visit to Belfast today. Dropping ‘Saint and Sinner’ into RUA for delivery to the Boyle Arts Festival 2022. Also took a quick peek into the MAC to see Claire Barclay: Thrum. Interesting scaling of otherwise ordinary day objects/materials - allowing the viewer to reassess their relationship to them and their place(s of origin).

Claire Barclay: Thrum in the MAC Belfast

26/06/22

Less really is more. ‘Peek-A-Boo’ finished. The hand finally belongs to the face and the origin of the disc’s hue stems from a background colour within the hair. Tying up loose ends.

RDH: MAY 2022

05/05/22

… a week of lists.

07/05/22

Sign and date everything!

Studio - listening to a Philip Guston podcast takes its toll.

19/05/22

Cockchafer beetle

21/05/22

“I.t.P.” - some areas making progress, others are regressing. Background is quieter but the figure in the water still has a lot to be desired. Over-worked in parts and too illustrative.

“Distill expression down to it’s pourest form.”

Patrick Graham

23/05/22

Applied.

26/05/22

One of the above is going to Boyle!

Selected to be a part of the 2022 Boyle Arts Festival.

27/05/22

Lenny II is here!

28/05/22

Today took a turn. So Scary.

31/05/22

Sketchbook work.

Bugs, parasites, critters - incorporation?

RDH: APRIL 2022

01/04/22

First bath.

02/04/22

…only to have the computer crash.

06/04/22

The best of intentions.

07/04/22

Sketchbook work. Blowing off the cobwebs.

08/04/22

CCA Derry

Great to meet a good friend for a coffee and a chat.

10/04/22

14/04/22

Need to find a centre ground in practice. It’s been an amazing 18 days with the beginnings of family life.

Red Head Redemption?

16/04/22

Nari Ward on ‘A Brush With’

“Chance is a material.” - N.W.

Really pleased with how ‘Girl with Red Hair’ turned out. Little bit of ogham incorporated into the sleeve - hangover from the Catalyst residency? No bad thing.

18/04/22

Delegate. Divide (time) and Conquer.

23/04/22

Just seen EMIC on ‘The Art that Made Us’ on BBC.

Incredible! So delighted for EMIC. What a platform and in such amazing company!

24/04/22

Some good movement in the studio today. There does seem to be a struggle with imagery at the minute. Solution: back to the drawing board. Literally. Setting time aside for drawing will help no end.

One Month old!

28/04/22

Sketchbook work tonight. Limited but worthwhile.

30/04/22

Little comparison to W.C. Honoured.

Studio time. “In the Pond” is getting there but need to be careful not to over paint.

…some interest in a selection process?

RDH: MARCH 2022

01/03/22

So pleased to have been asked to contribute in the latest issue of Visual Artists Ireland News Sheet.

Meteorological Spring is here.

Nice to catch up with the Ogham crew again.

02/03/22

Loose drawing in response to J.A.’s prompt and RMc’s drawings.

03/03/22

…done now…

05/03/22

Belfast. ‘Don’t Look’ piece is done I think.

• Smooth out the dog / red?

• New piece / Loosey Goosey

* LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE SPACE! *

Nearly ruined ‘Ode’ piece with a flood of red. Hopefully brought it back.

06/03/22

Didn’t stray too far.

07/03/22

Really good chat with writer for ‘Ogham’.

08/03/22

It’s never going to be finished!

12/03/22

Final day of ‘Ogham’ residency.

Painted me wee heart out, finishing two larger pieces and having some fun with the smaller study of Stephanie Tanney’s casts.

Wet walk home.

13/03/22

A slight onset of melancholia creeping up now that the residency is over. But, the show is still to come!

15/03/22

A process of threads?

All of this is temporary?

A pause in the process?

Settling of the sands?

THIS IS NOT THE END

17/03/22

Exhibition open to the public today.

20/03/22

Louise Bourgeois - “A spider creates from it’s own body.”

Pregnant with atmosphere, enigma.

New work in progress.

Great to get painting in garage today and get palette cleaned up.

27/03/22

Imogen Rhonda Kielt, born in the early hours of Mother’s Day. 7lbs 6oz. Perfect and everyone well.

Can see so many loved ones’ faces in this tiny new one. It’s just incredible.

29/03/22

Working to find a rhythm.

31/03/22

Belfast Bound. Helped add some chalk to Joy’s Entry for Rachel Macmanus’ superb performance. So good to see the show in the flesh blown and all involved in the project at Catalyst Arts.

It’s been a great experience at a time I will never forget.

RDH: FEBRUARY 2022

01/02/22

Daft Punk Live - Alive. Frantic.

Sketch with music on in the background. No Show and Tell, just Tell.

05/02/22

4,000 weeks. Poetics of space.

Great to meet up with J.A. and S.T and to see Catalyst’s new space.

Edy Fung in the GT Gallery

Ronnie Hughes in the MAC

Quick jaunt to the GT and to the MAC in the morning. Edy Fung’s and Ronnie Hughes’ work were great! Hughes’ translucent layers of paint suck you in and grab hold. Shimmering colour clashes.

Head is buzzing with ideas. Exciting!

06/02/22

Mary Beard’s Forbidden Art. - Pan and the She-Goat.

Daphne Todd - painted recently dead mother.

“Violence will always be a part of the human experience.”

Mary Beard

It’s been an odd weekend. Great but odd.

Ideas are starting to be slid into place about how ‘Ogham’ will be approached. Churning away so keep faith.

It’s been a limbo sort of a day. Feeling the need to do SOMETHING - but not being able to find the energy.

Reading, research, drawing, responding.

Readymade… Domestic

So, actually I retract the ‘limbo’ statement. I did do things today. I was productive. It’s just there wasn’t any tangible outcome. Case and point… 7th page.

07/02/22

“An Ode Study”

Sketchbook with Daft Punk on - upping the tempo.

08/02/22

Fabric search.

Carving out ideas. Scrap yard.

09/02/22

H.B.M. Looking forward to getting into the garage this weekend.

Let’s give it a goo!

12/02/22

Aoife Dunn - IMMA: Socially engaging sculpture.

May have slipped a disc. Acetate sketches.

SUN - MOON - HOME

14/02/22

Image sorting today.

16/02/22

Meeting. Repetition and extremities. Develop and evolve.

17/02/22

J.A. Studio Visit!

19/02/22

Studio time! Finally! Using just titanium white and charcoal - both willow and compressed - to work up images. Going back to my process’ roots - year 2 in art college. Two new works started.

Studio Wall: 19/02/22

22/02/22

‘Ogham’ has begun. Dog study - black dog. Great to see what S.T. is doing in the space and Rachel’s response.

“Black Dog”

SLOW AND LOW SHOOTING STAR.

24/02/22

Snow! Appointment done.

ogham chair in the snow

25/02/22

Belfast bound. Scared guide dog on the 212.

Great to get into the space at Catalyst and set up for the next two days. Began working on two pieces. ‘Don't Look’ in ogham.

Set up of 'Ogham' Residency in Catalyst Arts

Cast of my mouth by Stephanie Tanney

The fourth wall is glass. Casting of mouth by S.T. Reminds me of ‘Red Dragon’ from the SotL prequel of the same name.

26/02/22

Day two in the space. Time is not our friend but still have to remind ourselves that there’s no end goal needed. Just to respond and be creatively present.

So good to meet Rachel and see Steph’s process in the flesh.

My 'ogham studio' in Catalyst Arts

Two Works in Progress

Artist Rachel MacManus working in Catalyst Arts

Panorama of 'Ogham' residency set up

"An Ode to Black Dog" Painting in Progress

N.P.

28/02/22

‘Offsite’ chats with Catalyst! Refreshing.

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"

RDH: DECEMBER 2021

01/12/21

OMG! ARRAY have only gone and won the Turner!

Amazing!

02/12/21

Make the most of tomorrow.

03/12/21

Sadly just a short stint in the studio.

05/12/21

“Infant Terrible” finished. - Less is more.

09/12/21

Dire.

14/12/21

Tinnitus - bit of a surprise.

Great to finally see John Rainey’s ‘SLIP TANK’ in the Naughton Gallery today. Hands down, the best sculptor in the North.

15/12/21

“The impulse to discover and re-contextualise rather than to generate a picture reintroduces questions of intention. Why did they pick that? What did they do to it? To what end?”

‘World of Art: Contemporary Painting’ by Suzanne Hudson

16/12/21

Fractured narratives.

Sketchbook time. Good to do something creative for the first time in a long while.

18/12/21

Light at the end of the tunnel?

21/12/21

‘The Sky Gives Way’ Solstice performance by Méabh Meir and Emma Brennan with Array Collective.

22/12/21

New year will be a fresh start. Exciting!

23/12/21

Christmas Eve-Eve. News from yesterday have just evaporated the angst that has been looming overhead the past few weeks. Can now settle down and enjoy the holidays with the family minus the worry.

27/12/21

A Clean palette and tidy studio.

28/12/21

Very early rise. Studio time FINALLY!

Topography of Man - surveillance?

30/12/21

With two pieces at a treacherous crossroads, there is that leap of faith needed. If they go sideways then that’s alright. It can be rectified or started again.

There is that strange debilitating fear when work is at a junction like this. It’s easy to kick the can down the road and avoid messing any work that has gone before.

"Label"

"Under Surveillance"

Last day in the studio for the year. Maybe this added to the frantic energy but “Label” and “Under Surveillance” have changed beyond recognition. Darker and Simplified.

Fresh eyes will know whether to continue working or not. A good day.

RDH: NOVEMBER 2021

03/11/21

Some good sketchbook work today.

04/11/21

First room in Golden Thread show

Mark McGreevy (l) and Dougal McKenzie (r)

National Common Sense Day. “Portrait of NI: Neither an elegy nor a manifesto” in the Golden Thread Gallery. Interesting layout, gathering work of a similar ilk throughout the decades together.

Anne Tallentire at the MAC

Charys Wilson in QSS

Anne Tallentire’s “But this material…” in the MAC; great use of spatial interaction with the work and the gallery space. Some really strong work in “The presence of Absence” exhibition from the MFA 2019 cohort group show in QSS.

Really enjoyed the opening of the “Salonathon Show 2021” in Platform - seeing my work alongside some great artists and meeting up with familiar faces!

05/11/21

Wincing the odd time.

06/11/21

“Portraiture exposes the gap between the interior and exterior selves.”

-unknown-

Priming is all today amounted to.

08/11/21

Didn’t realise the gravity…

11/11/21

What was thought to be a dud - must have turned out alright!

12/11/21

Several pieces sketched up today.

13/11/21

Detail of “The Doctor will See you Now”

Really good day in the studio. “The Doctor will see you Now” finished! This new philosophy of keeping it loose, not striving for a realistic perfection, which is ultimately unattainable anyway, seems to be working.

I have a tendency of focussing on niggles to the point when the paintings get tight and the imagery too self aware. Learning to let go and step back a stage or two sooner seems to work for me.

“The Doctor will See you Now” Oil and Charcoal on Canvas 150cm x 100cm

16/11/21

Didn’t get accepted but that’s OK. Sketchbook work tonight to get brain working.

17/11/21

"Tilt [At Windmills]" in CCA

"Tilt [At Windmills]" in CCA

Very quick trip up to Derry to see “Tilt [At Windmills]” with work by Jarkko Räsänen, Fionnuala Doran, Paul Moore and Robin Price in CCA and “The Shrinking Universe” by Eva Rothschild in VOID.

"The Shrinking Universe" at VOID

"The Shrinking Universe" at VOID

20/11/21

Blocking in and working out logistics on three pieces today.

29/11/21

Nervous but that’s pretty much down to the unknown factor.

RDH: OCTOBER 2021

02/10/21

Point of order today: DO NOT OVER PAINT!!!

Think “Rex Aegypti Penultimus” is finished.

05/10/21

VAI GET TOGETHER 2021

Rediscovering private and personal spaces / rituals.

06/10/21

Chanelle Walshe - self organised self-curation.

Duc Van Pham - Breaking down the figures - is this a way of adjusting / adding narrative?

Keynote: Christian Jankowski - “The Hunt” “Casting Jesus”

Beuys - difficult.

07/10/21

Why do we put people in boxes?

Superflex - interspecies living - “Flooded McDonalds”.

10/10/21

Dosed to eyeballs so not going anywhere fast.

12/10/21

Some sketchbook studies tonight.

13/10/21

Two new canvases begun today. Little and large.

16/10/21

Strong sense of self.

Good progress in the studio today. Didn’t mean for the small one to go Holy.

20/10/21

Accepted into Platform Arts group show!

Detail of “Lady of the Manor”.

Getting there with “Lady of the Manor”.

23/10/21

Globalist cheerleading.

24/10/21

Wardrobe fiasco.

Detail of "The Doctor Will See You Now"

"Lady of the Manor" with "The Doctor Will See You Now"

“Lady of the Manor” finished.

25/10/21

Day trip to Belfast to deliver “Saint and Sinner” for Platform Arts group show.

28/10/21

HALLELUJAH!

29/10/21

Definitely been distracted lately but the blinkers need to come back on.

30/10/21

As it’s the season for it, here’s a golden oldie from 2003. This photo was taken for a GCSE Art project where my cousin Aidan dressed as the grim reaper holding a very rusty scythe. Our cat then walked along the tin roof behind him, jumped on his shoulders and then proceeded to stroll across the top of the blade. It all happened purely by chance and made for a great photo.

31/10/21

Early morning tonal work to “The Doctor Will See You Now”. Slow and steady progress but definitely best to stop when I did to give new layers a chance to dry.

Detail of work in progress - “The Doctor Will See You Now”.

Merry Halloween.

RDH: SEPTEMBER 2021

02/09/21

Organised ‘used imagery’ away into respective folders.

04/09/21

Acetate transfers onto canvas.

05/09/21

King Farouk onto pyramids? … GREEN LIGHT!

Quitting while ahead today but so far so good.

06/09/21

Scanning.

07/09/21

Such a mover! Beyond happy and proud and excited for things to come.

08/09/21

Some good groundwork done on the two smaller pieces.

09/09/21

Sketchbook work.

11/09/21

Tidy and apply sort of a day.

12/09/21

“Painting as an act of assembling different references.” - Ralph Rugoff

Finished “Saint and Sinner”.

13/09/21

Excited for VAI Get Together ‘21.

14/09/21

A long night of scans, and resizing drawing works.

15/09/21

Layers and layers, back and forth. Named due to facial expression.

18/09/21

Long shift in the studio but finished “Unimpressed”. Front hand is rough but if there was more done, it could ruin the whole piece.

22/09/21

… relished in the relationship between the paint mark and the drawn line - their harmonious and, at times, antagonistic tendencies.

Good bit of progress to “Rex Aegypti Penultimus”.

Applied and a waiting on.

25/09/21

<— This will be tough!

A nice couple of hours in the studio today. Pushing and pulling on “R.A.P.”.

26/09/21

Really good live chat with Clinton Kirkpatrick on Instagram. Nervous but thought it went alright.

28/09/21

Sketchbook work.

Huge congratulations to Array Collective for opening their Turner Prize exhibition. Everything is crossed!

30/09/21

Wake me up…

RDH: JUNE 2021

03/06/21

Canvas stripping, stretching and some sewing experimentation.

04/06/21

Priming canvas is such a messy business!

05/06/21

Once the work is made, build bridges to your audience.

Artists need to band together!

Anne Imhof - finding refuge in the blur.

Sketched up new canvases.

06/06/21

Easily worked up - relax.

09/06/21

Finally getting round to cleaning garage and setting paint out. Asked if I’d like to be featured in a takeover. Chuffed!

Bit of a mixed bag in studio today. On wooden piece, that image just sucks you in and spits you out! With the large canvas started (‘Man Digging’ - working title) it’s quite a forgiving composition and palette working well so far.

10/06/21

“An archive of emotions”

Dr. Kate McLean

Didn’t get shortlisted.

11/06/21

12/06/21

Reading group outside this morning.

13/06/21

Some good, solid progress today.

16/06/21

So grateful to be included in Paint-Tube Dublin by Louise Wallace.

Sketchbook Studies

18/06/21

First vaccine received today!

19/06/21

Work on small portrait today - title undecided as yet.

‘The Eternal Bride’ myth.

22/06/21

Memory is forgetting.

A little mid-week push.

23/06/21

“A Brush with … Julian Opie”

So so close to finishing “Moon Boy”.

24/06/21

Some good sketchbook work this afternoon. Looking forward to getting to Belfast tomorrow.

25/06/21

Great to get into the MAC shows today, sadly didn’t have time to get round anywhere else.

Ambera Wellmann

Maya Balcioglu

Jaap Pieters

Will have to wait another little while for rings.

26/06/21

Studio time!

“Moon Boy” finished!

30/06/21

Ballyliffen

RDH: MAY 2021

01/05/21

NB: Take a little more time…

"History Repeating”: Good Start!

02/05/21

Admin all day long!

03/05/21

Sketchbook work with snooker on in the background. Not a bad combination

04/05/21

passing-time.org : great concept for a website showcasing work.

05/05/21

Submission unsuccessful.

Studio time eventually… come the weekend I will probably try and figure out a way to block out the planes so that I can paint the red container background in one motion. Right now its all a little scrappy and stop/start.

07/05/21

Belfast bound. When walking around the town I hear ARRAY have been nominated for the Turner Prize! Amazing news and thoroughly well deserved! This feels like it could be a huge boost to Belfast / NI art community going forward.

08/05/21

Rodin’s “Gates of Hell”

…has to reflect your own practice. We all think and experience the world differently.

Weekend screening of ‘Painting After Postmodernism with Barbara Rose’ courtesy of The Brooklyn Rail.

… permit the accident and then aim to control it afterwards.

Concept of space - innovation of contemporary painting regardless of abstract or figurative work.

09/05/21

Initially didn’t feel in form for studio today but it really does pay off to just do it and go in regardless.

Masked planes and now I’m fairly content with the more solid / rusted container in the background.

10/05/21

Sketchbook work.

12/05/21

The over-thinking / perfectionist side is in overdrive.

Perhaps it’s the large scale that is showing up it’s flaws. Embrace the flaws? Easier said than done - however I do seem to appreciate other artist’s little oddities in their work that could be seen as inaccurate. One person’s poor areas are another person’s highlights I guess.

There’s a lot to be said for confidence in the work and/or the process. Here’s to letting go.

13/05/21

Finally bit the bullet in some respects. “T.H.T.H” sold!

14/05/21

Memory is so imperfect.

15/05/21

A lot of doodles and not much substance.

Joan of Arc will be the elephant in the room today.

Figurative -> Genre

Abstract -> Colour / Editing

Perfectionism is stifling “History Repeating” It’s getting there but extremely slow and frustrating. Straddling between realistic and looser motifs. In two minds when in the thick of it all.

Listening to ‘Jo’s Art History Podcast’ in the studio.

16/05/21

Rearranging storage space.

17/05/21

OFFSITE from Catalyst Arts. Peer Support / crit group was excellent and definitely well worth expanding on.

Patterns of People.

The act of Keening / Post-memory.

18/05/21

Paint the fence.

19/05/21

That ‘I want to be on my own’ kind of feeling.

“H.R.” - truly, these planes are the bane of my life at the minute. Whatever the case, regardless of how they are (in my eyes) I’ll want to push on and be done with this canvas by the weekend….

…are they finished? Dare to hope.

IMMA talk with Chantal Joffe and Katy Hessel - ‘The Artist’s Mother’.

‘Attempting the impossible’ - the best definition of portraiture and painting.

Just submitted “Shock” and “Gathering Thoughts”.

20/05/21

21/05/21

‘The Training of Memory in Art and the education of the Artist’ by Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran.

Cart and standing figures worked on today. Trying to strike a balance between the light tones of the ground, the bodies and the cart.

22/05/21

25/05/21

Work and yard work.

26/05/21

“History Repeating” finished!

28/05/21

Saltz v Scully.

Started putting paint down on one of the smaller pieces and just decided to call it. Whether the smaller works are tripping me up on where to go next or they’re just not exciting me enough to push on. I’m not sure.

30/05/21

When asked if I would be willing to help Ciara McMullan, an architecture student with a project, I was happy to fill out a questionnaire and make some small works on canvas and glass to include in a study model of a studio / exhibition space. I was blown away to see the final results of the project. Some fantastic ideas.

Internal shot of Ciara McMullan’s art studio / exhibition space project.

31/05/21

Late night sketching to finish off the month. The past few weeks has seen an unusually singular focus / pandering to one specific canvas. Typically I jump from one work to another with usually three on the go at once. I always thought this helped keep the head and the eyes fresh. I wonder if this may explain May.

Slight sense of fatigue creeping in. At least there are avenues to explore in terms of going about fixing it.

RDH: APRIL 2021

01/04/21

“A Brush With… Ali Banisadr” - audio-visual synesthesia.

02/04/21

Palette is cleaned and managed to get some good work on “On Gilded Steps”.

03/04/21

Added some gold aerosol for the edges of the steps. So close to finishing it up. Very frustrating as last week one of the figures that was working the best is now the last piece of the puzzle yet to fit.

05/04/21

“On Gilded Steps” finished!

09/04/21

…apparently it was coming but it was a jolt and now a growing sense of uncertainty.

10/04/21

“Seven Types of Ambiguity” by William Empson.

Ambiguity has to be purposeful, holding multiple elements in suspension - that’s when the ambiguity works and has a function.

11/04/21

Such a leap from what was happening last year.

12/04/21

Catch up on webinars. Is ‘brand’ a dirty word?

13/04/21

Episode 27 of “Jo’s Art History Podcast” is live! Always strange to listen to yourself back but I really did enjoy the chat with Jo.

Some good sketchbook work tonight.

14/04/21

Re-watching Rego Documentary.

“Gathering Thoughts” gathering momentum.

16/04/21

Quick run to Belfast to lift “Hotel ‘78” from the RUA.

17/04/21

Studio work: less will be more with “G.T.”. Progress made but very slowly. I could have ploughed on this evening but I thought it was best to quit for the day while I was ahead.

19/04/21

“Leonardo" on Prime. Fast and loose with facts but still fun to watch.

22/04/21

Yesterday saw a long overdue clear-out of the office and the start of a fresh lick of paint.

25/04/21

I think I’ve taken “Gathering Thoughts” as far as I can go.

27/04/21

A solemn anniversary.

28/04/21

Submissions made. Fingers crossed. Primed large canvas today which took several coats. Barrow + woman with dogs / butcher?

Starting to get excited by a piece that hasn’t even been started yet.

29/04/21

Decided against ‘woman with dogs’ and ‘butcher’ imagery and opted instead for early biplanes of the RAF. This way I can instead swap scale instead of orientation and hopefully not overcrowd the composition. The red container behind the medics should be kept and then adding the planes using tonal differences / slightly different register. There and not there. Pillers - might be best to paint them out. There will probably be remnants of them as layers are added.

30/04/21

A broken up sort of day.

RDH: MARCH 2021

04/03/21

It’s been a full on week - trying to ease myself in slowly and find my footing again and knowing my limits.

Evenings = questions

05/03/21

UPDATES

06/03/21

Handwriting is a microcosm of the personality.

A good start to “The Infamy of Crete”. Muddy palette so far but for now it’s working.

11/03/21

SorT? tech-check. Target -> 1488 (done).

Bullet points for a smooth six minutes.

Could easily fall into the trap of not doing anything this weekend but I know how it would make me feel if nothing was to happen. Try your best - productive variables.

12/03/21

Good God this text is heavy!

Taking time in the studio. The little pieces of canvas / glass that I’ve been asked to put something on for a student’s project was actually a really good loosening / warming up exercise. I have plenty of little strands laying around and could put paint down / play / experiment / make mistakes for twenty minutes before moving onto wall works. Not a bad idea.

Gold Leaf for step edges possibly?

13/03/21

Some really solid background work to “On Gilded Steps” - a lot of blending work. The scratching around the figures - lets try and keep some of that!

15/03/21

Scanning.

16/03/21

Having to go up above to finish online work just sucks.

18/03/21

Waking up at 4am - chocking. Not good.

WHAT Panel talk

Miriam O’Connor: different coping mechanisms - access to the studio so important - adaptability key to productivity - art to navigate trauma in life - art practice is tool for survival

Austin Ivers: teetering between the two poles of anxiety and boredom.

19/03/21

Really enjoyed taking part in the panel talk yesterday and the podcast is out today. So happy it was recorded before my voice left me completely.

Some more work to “On Gilded Steps” today.

20/03/21

Darkness in control.

“O.G.S.” - Steps are really annoying me. In hindsight I probably would have set the steps differently. now, however, with the background nearly prefect as it is, it could be a disaster to try and adjust the steps and lose that backdrop. I have this painting by Rembrandt rolling around in my head at the minute.

“The Conspiracy of the Batavians under Claudius Civilis” - Rembrandt - 1661/1662

What a game!

21/03/21

Should the bull’s head go black? - went a little too far with it today but it’s fixable.

25/03/21

Remnants of childhood 'treehouse'

Drawing of myself huffing, aged six

Scaling sketches down in scanner is probably a good move. A few good drawings of old family photos tonight.

26/03/21

“T.I.O.C.” looks more like an etching at the minute.

Loose! Emphasis on LOOSE!

27/03/21

Last night was a total nightmare. Floating, panic and chased by a hooded killer. Once caught a falling sensation would wake me up but once I dozed of I was straight back into the nightmare and repeated this process around four or five times.

‘Create and curate your own archive’.

Farewell Fernand.

28/03/21

Marta Dyezkowska Talk

memory / identity / trauma

We should be able to close the door on loss.

Standing with back to camera, an act of defiance against process. Mix memory with current state.

secondcollectivebelfast.com

Really enjoyed this talk today! Watching and listening in made me really nostalgic about LOFT. We should be proud of what we were able to achieve with that space.

29/03/21

“The infamy of Crete” - finished. Not perfect but pretty solid.

30/03/21

Little bit of “T.I.O.C.” was really bugging me so I crept into the studio and fixed it last night.

Today was a case of drawing up a few smaller works and putting down basic paint layers. A promising start.

31/03/21

A quick up and down trip to Belfast for an appointment.

Surviving or THRIVING? - Panel Two Podcast!

On Thursday 18th March, I took part in a panel exchange regarding support and wellbeing in the visual art sector in Ireland. This was the second panel talk of which there will be a total of six - each one focussing on different areas of the creative sector in Ireland. Host by Dr Maureen Gaffney the other artists on the panel were Miriam O’Connor and Austin Ivers. Click below to listen to the podcast!

Surviving or Thriving? was created by the Waterford Healing Arts Trust with the Arts Council of Ireland and I would like to thank them for inviting me to speak and to Visual Artists Ireland for providing support for this panel.

It was great to get to know Miriam and Austin in the lead up and wonderful to hear their thoughts on being an artist during what’s been a rough twelve months.

The other Surviving or Thriving? events run up until the 1st April 2020 and more information about upcoming talks and workshops can be found here.