Oils on canvas (50×40cm) I found this quaint old coffee grinder in a shop in Miltown Malbay, County Clare and could not resist doing a still life painting. Cute cups, tea sets and all kinds of lovely items can be found in the shop.
And, of course, being a coffee lover, the subject matter kept me refilling the cup. Not good when you are painting as too much caffeine gives you a shaky hand!!
Oils on canvas 50x70cm. 
Oils on canvas
One of the quaint, old family stores in Kilrush. Hardly anything has changed over the years and this shop is absolutely fascinating – a step back into time in Ireland.
The shopkeeper, Donal O’Sullivan kindly posed for me when I told him I would love to paint his shop. I rearranged some items for artistic purposes but the painting is very close to what this fascinating old shop looks like. A definite place to visit should you ever come to Kilrush!!
This painting was quite a challenge and I could probably still work on it for many more months perfecting every little detail – but I decided that I don’t want to go down the ‘photo realism’ path as that is just not my style.
Even if I do use a photograph as reference, I leave most of the last sections and finishing touches to my imagination. To me, a painting must still look like a painting so I decided that this one is done….
maybe :)
To see a larger image... click here
And...
Why I have been such a bad blogger...
Truth is, I have been a bit ill… and very worried too. I don’t exactly know how to say this as I did not want to explain but I decided perhaps I need to tell you why I have been away for so long…
Well… besides being busy with teaching and painting – which helped to keep me sane, I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in July last year and had to have several operations, etc, back and forth to hospital and needless to say, quite worried.
When you are suddenly confronted with the big ‘C’, you realise how short life can be. I am so thankful for my wonderful family and friends and through them all I was able to keep a positive attitude and the future is hopeful.
I was lucky in many ways… I have wonderful doctors and the medical staff are brilliant. It always takes some time to ‘get into the system’ but because of my caring GP, I got the diagnosis and operations necessary. Now, I can only hope and pray that this horrible, deadly cancer will not return.
I love the sun… most of my life was spent loving the sun and being outdoors. But the sun can be deadly and I can only ask that anyone who has ever ‘loved the sun’ PLEASE take care!! No tan is worth dying for!
To my friends who knew and supported me through this time… I can only say ‘thank you’... you will never know just how much it means to me.
Oil on canvas 30×40 inches (commissioned)
A very special painting for my dear friend, Bridget, remembering a time when she and her dearly departed husband watched the dolphins at Spanish Point.
May your memories of that day always be with you, dear Bridget and comfort you when you feel alone.
Oils on canvas
I have been working on this painting for several months and now, I think, it is finished… The temptation to add more and more is an artist’s greatest dilemma… knowing when to stop!
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a bear native largely within the Arctic circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world’s largest carnivore species found on land. It is also the largest bear, together with the omnivore Kodiak bear which is approximately the same size. An adult male weighs around 350–680 kg (770–1,500 lb),[ while an adult female is about half that size.
Although it is closely related to the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrow ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet.
Although most polar bears are born on land, it spends most of its time at sea, hence its name meaning “maritime bear”, and can hunt consistently only from sea ice, spending much of the year on the frozen sea.
The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species, with 5 of the 19 polar bear sub populations in decline.
For decades, unrestricted hunting raised international concern for the future of the species; populations have rebounded after controls and quotas began to take effect. For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of Arctic indigenous peoples, and the hunting of polar bears remains important in their cultures.
Information source: Wikipedia
Oils on canvas
The Kilrush Art Group meets every Friday evening at the community hall but on Friday 16 October the hall was being used for another function so our group made our way to the Life Boat Station in Cappa.
I wish I had my camera but as usual, its never with me for the most spectacular natural scenes. Purples, pinks, bright yellow and gorgeous blues greeted us as we arrived at the station. The water was like glass and Scattery Island a silhouette in the distance. The ancient round tower with only a part of the church ruins I have seen so many times!
So, today (Saturday) after an art class, I painted the scene from memory! I wish I had a photograph but sometimes memory is even more vivid!
Oils on a round linen canvas. I had lots of fun painting this view of a boat/yacht sailing past Scattery Island, Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland.
The view is of the ancient ruins of the church and round tower on Scattery Island.
Oils on canvas. A different view of Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland.
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