[To see my Paintings for Sale - click HERE].
Photo: Smithfield Horses
Perhaps I’m just older now, but these days I find the redesigned Smithfield just as much out of place and time as a horse market in the centre of a city.
On the other hand cycling on cobblestones hasn’t bothered me since I hit a 30-mile stretch in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. That was in 1992, a time when I was happy with Smithfield, and found horses there perfect.
More Photos
• Smithfield Cobblestones
• Dublin, A Horse
• Graffiti Doors of Dublin Lanes
• Loads of Photos
Dog-Dog, The Gallery
The long requested and promised gallery of photos of Dog-Dog is now here.
There’s now a permanent link to the dog’s gallery from the top navigation buttons and from the sidebar photo. New photos will continue to be highlighted on twitter
Photo: Stag, Jackdaw
Yesterday, to deliver a painting, I cycled from the studio into town. 8 miles should be unremarkable but as I’ve yet to collect my repaired wheel I’m riding on a severe buckle caused by 3 broken spokes.
So returning home I opted for a slow photo-cycle away from the usual route of the quays, and zig-zagged through the small streets parallel with the Luas tracks.
Eventually I reach Parkgate Street, and leave town by the relative peace of the road between the Park and the Liffey. I leave my camera swinging around my neck.
At Islandbridge I caught a glimpse of this stag inside the Park, and as I made my way to the gate with my camera, a jackdaw landed on his back. So 2 miles from O’Connell Street I was thinking, I like my Dublin.
More Photos
• Dublin, A Horse
• Little Yellow Flowery Things
• Literary Parade, St Patrick’s Park, Dublin
• Loads of Photos
Opposite Hand Drawing
Last year when my painting arm went out of action due to tennis elbow, I resolved to teach myself to paint using my other hand. It took some time but I got there ultimately doing some paintings entirely with my left hand, paintings that I have sold since.
The start of that learning process for me was to draw. For subject matter I decided on drawing a series of people based solely on their avatars on twitter.
This is, or at least was meant to be, the writer, Ken Armstrong - on twitter as @KenArmstrong1
Most of the other drawings are probably destined for American Hell
Some Other Drawings:
• Neil Gaiman: Left-Handed Drawing
• Genoa, A Sketch
• Sketchbook Figures
IBA 2010 Paintings Sale
Here are the paintings I exhibited at the Irish Blog Awards in Galway on March 27, 2010 at the Radisson Blu Hotel.
By Muckish 1
SOLD
Guinness Gate
SOLD
Kansas West
165 Euro
Muckish
SOLD
Sheep, Wall II
SOLD
The Cottage
SOLD
By Muckish 2
165 euro
Birds, Wires 8
SOLD
Birds, Wires 9
SOLD
Sandycove
SOLD
Hill, Trees III
SOLD
Hill, Trees IV
Youghal
SOLD
Caherdaniel
Not for Sale
Irish Blogs
Not for Sale
Dalkey
unfinished
Q Maeve Br
SOLD tbf
Liffey Bridges
SOLD tbf
Genoa Boats
unfinished
Muckish fr…
unfinished
There are 12 new paintings. Several have sold while I was putting this page together. There are also 6 older paintings, and I’m reducing them from the normal online price to that they match the new paintings - just for this sale.
One older painting is not for sale; I simply brought it to Galway to let it be seen in the “flesh” by people who would never get the chance to visit it in my studio.
There are also 5 unfinished paintings here. They’re not - yet - for sale, but I wanted to share them in Galway because showing paintings in progress is something I do on the blog, and because I was going on about them so much in trying to finish them.
If you prefer not to use PayPal you can pay me direct - by cash or transfer or cheque/check. I actually prefer that as it saves me paying fees to PP, but work away on the PayPal links if you prefer to pay that way.
It’s not Yogurt, it’s a Camera
Twice in my life I’ve been given a bouquet of flowers. It didn’t mean I was better than anybody who didn’t get flowers those days, but it was nice.
And when the bar finally closed in Galway on Sunday morning, in time for this photo, taken as the sun rose to shine through my glass trophy onto my sausages, rashers and black pudding, well, it felt very nice.
I’m at my most self-absorbed when approaching a show. From the painting to the logistics, the fear of not being ready and, such is the oddness of showing pictures you’ve painted to people, the fear of actually being ready - I’m a nervous basketcase.
My brain shuts down all functions bar breathing and some limited movement. Sentences cannot be formed. Things will be dropped. My ears will refuse to tell my brain they’ve heard speech.
On Saturday afternoon, 22 of the 24 paintings going on display were yet to be wired. And labelled. Oh and signed. And my steel display framework was yet to be put up, in a room I find full of glass tables, with a fire escape right where I’d planned to erect it, and just 2 inches to play with for most of the ceiling area. I was nervous. Apologies if you spoke to me during this time. Or listened to me.
With the pain in my chest and the sickness in my stomach I was thinking that I will never put myself in this situation again. Never. And yet in a moment of lucidity during soundchecks while screwing eye-screws into canvases I caught myself almost dancing to Beyonce.
The sickly nervous stretch I got through, thanks only to support from friends in Galway, to encouraging words, just as my ears were shutting down, from FatMammyCat, and from help by Alexia and Clara.
But. You know when you go to a wedding and you manage to get in several great conversations? Well such is the energy and talent in the room, that the Irish Blog Awards is quite a good wedding.
You want to meet so many people. You fail to meet so many people. You actually see so many, and yet time permits only a nod, or a howaya, or a see ya in a few. And yet still the main reason Sunday felt so fantastic - ignoring, if you will, drinking until breakfast - was the conversations I did fit in.
It’s impossible to recount all but some of the longer moments I got to enjoy were with Maman Poulet, Walter, Sentence first, Val’s Kitchen, Sweary Lady, Website Doctor, Lisamareedom, James Gallagher, Sniffle & Cry, Mr. M, Laughing Lion, Bock, Beanstalk, Nialler9, Right Click Radio, Nick McGivney, The Voyage, Brian Greene, and Manuel Estimulo.
But it’s so much more than that. There isn’t a dead second in there. While I tried to direct comments at so many people I wanted to meet, I had countless people come up to me to make the nicest comments about paintings, photographs, the webcam, the cottage, the cycling, the cartoons, the studio, and most of all, the dog.
It was overwhelming.
Winning an award is lovely. Being in a group with these blogs is an honour:
• Sentence first
• Etsy Ireland
• Ronan Lyons
• Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer
• Organic Growing Pains
Thanks to everyone who helped me and who put up with me. The Radisson staff were great. Thank you to those who played in my free painting thing - I’ll announce the winner shortly. Thank you to those who bought paintings. Thank you to those who laughed at this Irish blogs painting or took a photo of me.
Thank you Conor O’Sullivan & iQ Content. Thank you to the judges for wading through my little world that is Bicyclistic. Thank you for the dozens of tweets that greeted me after I watched the sun rise, and continued to pour in since.
Thank you to those I’ve ignored while getting ready for the show. Thank you to everybody who contributed to making it such a superb night, including red shoes, videos, and props.
Most of all thank you to Damien for the kind words about the paintings, for including me in the event, and especially for putting on the event.
Never again? I’d do it tomorrow.
My Studio - Audio Slideshow
Eolai from Markham Nolan on Vimeo.
A few days ago, while I was preparing for my show at the 2010 Irish Blog Awards, I had the pleasure of a visit to my studio by Markham Nolan. While I worked away Markham took dozens of photos and then recorded a short interview.
Technical problems meant you’re spared listening to me and instead get the wonderful sounds of The Redneck Manifesto.
Check out Markham’s site for more background on the project. I think he took some lovely photos.
Irish Blogs 2010
And what a weekend that was. I’m not really sure where it started.
In the early hours of Friday morning, towards the end of the final 48-hour painting session where I tried to finish 5 million paintings for the Irish Blog Awards Show, I started painting this picture on Irish blogging while on a tea break.
When brushes were downed and I was headed to Galway, a couple of more tea breaks from painting the real paintings meant that this picture was by then a blotchy red underpainting with the ink splash from the Irish Blog Awards logo.
In Galway I woke up at 4am, and added the text and the twitter fail whale elements of the birds, net, and waves. About noon on Saturday, the day of the awards, I finished the red background and went to the hotel for set up.
And then, my nerves aside, the weekend just got better and better such is the quality of people that were at the 2010 awards. But more on all that later.
The photo is not great, with the bluey black coming out brown, but you get the gist.
Update: See all the paintings exhibited at the Irish Blog Awards 2010 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Galway.
Update: It’s not Yogurt, it’s a Camera - my time at the 2010 Irish Blog Awards.
Painting Giveaway #9: How Many Sheep & Birds
There’s an exhibition of my paintings in Galway this weekend at the 2010 Irish Blog Awards. You can have a free original painting of your choice from the prizepool if you tell me what number you get if you add the number of sheep and the number of birds that will feature in paintings exhibited.
It’s not a trick question. As a fan of mathematics I know you can’t add sheep and birds, but you can add numbers so if I exhibit 2 birds and 1 sheep the answer is 3.
And I’ll give you a clue - I don’t even know at this stage.
We won’t know the answer until Saturday (though I’ll probably know on Friday!) so I’ll keep the competition open until I hang the paintings.
The 1st person to leave a comment telling me the correct number, or the person closest if nobody gets it, wins. (NOTE: If you’re reading this post on FaceBook you need to go HERE to leave your answer)
Just one guess each please. In the event of a tie the earliest submitted answer wins.
The the prizepool was extended up to 21 paintings today. They’re also for sale so it’s possible you could have a choice of less than 21 when the competition closes. (I’ve kept today’s 5 new additions at half-price until the competition ends).
Usually I leave the guesses in moderation to add to the suspense, but for this competition I’ll approve them as they come in so you can choose a number nobody else has.
I’d appreciate it if you spread the competition by blog post, tweet, facebook etc. Good Luck!
UPDATE - Numbers taken so far:
3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, 43, 47, 49, 54, 56, 60, 63, 68, 77, 112, 121, 198
Photo: Liffey, West
The scene from across the road to my studio as you look west along the north bank of the river Liffey at Lucan. This was taken as I popped down to the village for milk or bread or something else life-sustaining.
About 4 miles from where I grew up it’s where childhood walks of stealing up river along the south bank ended.
Although I still refer to it as West Dublin it’s technically where counties Fingal and South Dublin meet, with County Kildare a mile farther up river.
More Photos
• Dublin Snow Photos
• Oifig an Phoist
• Dublin, A Horse
• Loads of Photos
