Latest paintings...

Farm Cottage with Harebells, Northern Ireland (Oil on linen, 32 x 32)

Painting a Painting

I thought you might like to see a little of the nitty-gritty of actually painting a painting, so I have taken a series of photos of the painting that I did yesterday.

Here's the original photograph that I was working from, of the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland.

Here's the canvas.  It's primed Belgian linen, 32" x 48", and has had a yellow ground put on it.  I've drawn in the rough shapes of the composition in thin brown paint.

Putting in the sky, using a large metal palette knife and small watercolour brush....

Using the palette knife to apply the large marks of paint for the sea.

 

Using turps and a small watercolour brush to put detail in between the large gestural marks.

 

 

Marking in the dark areas of the foreground.

 

Using the end of an old paintbrush as a scribe to draw into the paint surface, revealing the coloured underpaint.

 

Putting in the flowers.  This is the tricky bit, and involves industrial quantities of paint and quick movements to keep the colours clean.

 

Inscribing into the paint.

Finished painting!

Harebells Galore!

The sun came out and the harebells were in bloom at the side of the road between Cushendun and Torr Head.

I think this is going to be a really big painting.....

Off to Northern Ireland

I'm off on my annual trip to the Causeway Coast this week.

I'm hoping for good weather at the Giant's Causeway again this year!  It can be very very changeable, but I haven't been let down yet, and always get a blink or two of sun between the rain showers....

It will be interesting to see the newly opened Visitors Centre at the Giant's Causeway, whose vast excavations were ongoing when I visited last year.  

I've been going to Northern Ireland for a few years now, and have seen a lot of changes.  You used to be able to pop along to the Causeway, park your car on the verge and walk down to see the stones.  Here's the stones...

And here's the new Visitor's Centre....

 The Giant's Causeway is being turned into a huge 'Experience' by the National Trust, with a vast multi-lingual interactive interpretation centre, and a park and ride facility at Bushmills (certainly no parking on the verge any more - there are fancy car parks paved with little hexagonal blocks now, but you've got to get there early).  

It's all meant to 'enhance your visiting experience', but I think it makes the whole thing more crowded and more processed, and actually takes away from the experience of exploring something natural for yourself.  

Anyhow, I'll see it for myself this week.

Catalogues arriving soon!

The catalogues for my solo show will be arriving any day now - very exciting!

Montbretia in August, Rinagree (Oil on linen, 32 x 48)

If you'd like one, or an invitation to the preview on Thursday 23rd February, let me know.  Send your postal address to judith@jibridgland.com

This is one of the paintings that will be in it - it's a big juicy oil of the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland, looking out over the cliffs and the stormy sea towards the western isles of Scotland.

For more details on the show, please go to Duncan R Miller Fine Arts