[To see my Paintings for Sale - click HERE].
Original Painting Giveaway
To mark my 25,000th tweet, and a new painting sale about to start, I’m going to give an original painting away for free.
There are currently 36 paintings in the prizepool, and I’ll be adding another 18 new paintings to it over the life of this competition - which will run until Wednesday when the long-promised new painting sale should start. Should.
The first person to leave a comment on this blog (on http://bicyclistic.com - not on FaceBook or Twitter so that all answers are in one place on one timeline) telling me how many miles in total I cycled on my solo trip across America, can have their choice of a painting from the newly done up prizepool of paintings.
The idea of this competition is that anybody can play because anybody can guess, but if you’re familiar with my blog - or more specifically the journal of my cycle across America - then you might be in a better position to guess. But you don’t have to ready any of it, and can just guess.
In the event of nobody guessing (or working out?) the exact answer then the person whose guess is closest wins the painting. Just one guess per person please. On the off chance you are one of the handful of people on the planet who might actually know the answer because I once told you, well you obviously aren’t eligible to play. Where other rules aren’t specified, and prove to be necessary, common sense will apply.
Please don’t include your basis for your guess, or your workings, with your guess as it’s not fair on people who have guessed before you. If you do I’ll probably edit them out.
Note that paintings in the prizepool are also for sale so should any be purchased before the competition ends then they won’t be available as the free painting for the winner.
If you don’t like any of the paintings in the prizepool - either now or when the extra 18 paintings are added - well, someone you know might and I’d be grateful if you tweeted, blogged, shared etc. a link to the competition.
Photo: Goldfinch
Perhaps because of their beauty I’ve always struggled to take a good photograph of a goldfinch.
Yesterday one came to my balcony at the studio - for just long enough to know there would be no point reaching for the camera. More usual sightings are cameo appearances amid a clutter of branches or an overwhelming delight that is a charm of goldfinches making their way past you.
On TwitPic I posted an example of how they seem to know where both your camera and the sun is, as if to ensure you won’t get a good photo (enlarge it when you get there).
This photo of a goldfinch, taken in poor light, is the best I’ve yet managed.
Beautiful from every angle, it’s really a side view that does them most justice, for unlike their American cousins of the same name, European goldfinches are not canary yellow over most of their bodies but take their name from the yellow bar on their wings. The outrageous flag that is their face and head combination of red, white, and black, is also best seen from the side.
I do realise that outside the window I could hang some nuts and seeds to their liking, and then happily click away - but that’s not what I’m talking about.
More Photos
• Dublin, A Horse
• S is for Swans
• No Parking
• Loads of Photos
Liverpool Pier Head
This little painting I did today doesn’t do justice to the Three Graces of Liverpool’s Pier Head, but I plan to paint it again, larger and on site - maybe next year.
The Three Graces are, from left to right, the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building.
For my money the Royal Liver Building gets far too much attention and I much prefer the 2 other buildings, inside as well as out. My favourite is the building where I once studied, the oldest of the 3, the Port of Liverpool Building. It is also the former home of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, so you’ll still hear people refer to it as such, and it is magnificent inside.
Because even in my lifetime the terminal for the Mersey ferry has changed so much, I decided to play god and leave it out.
This painting of my mother’s native city was done for Mothers Day.
Montreal of Panic
About 20 years ago I stopped buying cards. The problem with making your own is that I tend to take too much time, mostly in fact not finishing them in time for the intended event. My studio and sketchbooks are littered with the beginnings of cards.
Here’s a card I did finish. If I remember rightly it was a little bit late but having put so much work into it I was determined not to abandon it.
It was done all the way back in 1993 for Brother the Younger’s birthday. Coming up with the idea, the story, and mapping it out, took more time than drawing it.
Irish Blog Awards 2011 - Scrapbook
Here’s a few photographs of my weekend at the IBAs in Belfast - presented in 1 big photo (just pretend it’s 1995).
Huge thanks to Damien for making it possible to meet so many people I enjoy reading, and being able to share my paintings with them.
Being with my paintings in a hotel in Belfast, while supping pints and drinking tea with those from the world of blogging, was a very fine way to spend a birthday.
Thank you.
Note: I’ve more posts to do regarding the awards, but this will do for starters. The paintings will be posted for sale online soon - but I want to finish a few more first.
IBA Through the Years
• IBA 2010 Galway - Em, I won
• IBA 2009 Cork - Auction of painting for IBA charities
• IBA 2008 Dublin - Review of the night
Paintings at Irish Blog Awards, Belfast 2011
There will be an exhibition of my paintings at the Irish Blog Awards taking place in Belfast at the Europa Hotel on Saturday, March 19, 2011.
I can’t tell you yet how many paintings will be there because I’m still painting them, as is my way, and whatever is finished on Friday will go to Belfast. Like last year I may, in the tradition of blogging, exhibit some paintings in progress.
Because I’m travelling up on the Friday I will make a concerted effort to have the paintings up for viewing hours in advance of the main event. Depending on the hotel’s own arrangements this may not be possible, but more importantly I myself may not be organized enough - at the events in Cork in 2009, and Galway in 2010 I didn’t manage it until very late. I will try though.
According to the the Awards MC Rick O’Shea, the doors for the main event are open at 7pm with kickoff being at 8.15pm.
If you want to say hello I’ll be sporting a lot of greying hair on my head and face, and come the start of the event I’ll be debuting a newly commissioned woollen jumper. I’ll probably be hanging out near the paintings but the bar will be an influence.
If it’s your first time at the awards I urge you to seek people out and say hello and make yourself known. It can all seem a bit of an in-crowd if you don’t know who people are. When I first attended in 2008 I had never met a single one of the 400 individuals in that room in Dublin - until the night before - but thanks to people saying hello I now know dozens.
For me the awards are a casual framework for celebrating blogging rather than a competitive event where you feel entitled or robbed. The other informal events sprouting up around the awards make for a great day and atmosphere all weekend. See Sabrina Dent for a list of other IBA related events taking place.
Back when I used to dream I thought I might once organize an art walk, of the sketching/drawing variety rather than viewing kind, along the same lines of the photowalk - for the morning/afternoon of the awards - but reality has reminded me that I will be consumed with sorting out my paintings.
Paintings exhibited will be for sale - unless I bring one from my own collection. After the awards I’ll make them available to my mailing list first (join it there in the sidebar) and then to everybody via here on Bicyclistic and twitter etc.
For details of where exactly in the hotel the paintings are on display and whether there will be a pre-show, you can follow me on twitter where I’ll report the progress of the paintings display, and indeed of their completion prior to display.
If you’re going to Belfast maybe I’ll see you there. Apologies if I’m quiet - I get nervous when exhibiting paintings (see my account of IBA 2010). Enjoy the weekend!
Photo Collage: Dublin - Back Lane Doors II
Growing up in Dublin West I’ve walked, played, and learned to ride a bicycle, against the backdrop of garage doors in back lanes.
Sometimes I walk Dublin’s lanes just to look at the doors, with their graffiti, rust, and peeling wood. Here’s a collage of 50 photos (to go with earlier collage of 40 doors). Click to enlarge it:
See earlier photo collage of Dublin Back Lane Doors
Other Collections of my Photos: (All on IrishKC)
• Photos of Genoa
• Dublin Walls, A Photo Essay
• The Walls of America
• The Walls of Cambodia
• The Walls of Kansas City
Heart Paintings
There are 4 heart paintings remaining from the Heart series, and given that’s it’s almost St Valentine’s Day it occurred to me that some people might like them for them for this reason. So I’ve reduced them from the €50 to €39 just until February 14th. UPDATE: These paintings are now SOLD.
2010: 12 Months, 12 Photos
One photograph from each of the last 12 months. I could’ve just gone with 12 photos of trees, or leaves, or wires, and I probably will one day, but here’s a mixture of subjects - all taken in Dublin.
More collections of photos and links to specific pictures can be see on the photos page. New individual photos can be seen in the Photos category where they are added to regularly
New Paintings Sale - December 2010
New paintings for sale, at up to 50% off. More paintings will be added particularly some cityscapes and larger paintings which were stranded at the studio by winter weather. Sale runs until end of December 2010. See more notes about the sale
UPDATE Saturday, Jan 1: Sale prices are now over. Watch for make-up sale week later in January, and feel free to purchase at regular prices as marked.
Update Thursday, Dec 30: As I’m now on my 5th day of the flu I can confirm no more new paintings will appear in the sale before it closes at midnight on New Year’s Eve. However I will reopen it for 1 week some time in January when I have strength to upload new paintings and indeed finish a lot of what is very close to completion.
[Update Sunday, Dec 19: See paintings in progress ].
And some older paintings also available for purchase:
You could help me by telling others about them - blogging, tweeting, status updating etc. Thanks.
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.
You can also save on shipping charges by collecting paintings from me at my studio in Lucan.
