2020

you could not dream it up could you?

This year has been one of the most amazing I’ve had in my life.
in early January I was invited to be a tutor on the trip of a lifetime in a remote part of Kerala, India, with Art Holidays Kerala.

I was so inspired there and on my return and I was all fired up to paint up a storm in response to the trip.

Here are some of my watercolours from my photos.
I will write another blog dealing exclusively with the trip and the work so far resulting from it

A couple of women from the fish market in Thallassery, Kerala, January 2020

I also stated a new short term job as art tutor in the Watergarden, Thomastown, co Kilkenny

Then

COVID 19 changed all our lives.

So I ended up working in Jerpoint community as a carer/cleaner/art tutor.

Every minute seemed precious and at weekend in August I went plain air painting.
in the photo above I have won first prize on the first day in the Wexford Plein air festival!

it’s been a rollercoaster of a time.

Masseys and more

Masseys are a kind of tractor to those who do not know.

Mary’s Massey

Here is a little Massey that is still working. Like an old farmer it will work till the days it dies. It could not care less about fashion just practicality. I love these old tractors for their character and strength. They are slow, low tech., easy to fix…..if you can get parts. Ours, the one below is a David Brown and is used to run the log splitter and pull a little Harrow. As I am not a true countrywoman I’m not sure what the others are 😂😂😊

David Brown

February 2019

A watercolour from a large charcoal sketch from a photograph of a neighbours 13.2 Palomino stallion

I am very busy preparing for my exciting times ahead.

Kerala next January, imagine sun sea and painting as well as experiencing a new country. I am so excited and will be running some watercolour/yoga weekends in conjunction with Mulvarra House St Mullins

Exciting times ahead

Boss Sardinia October 2017

2018 was a busy year with its challenges both personal and business wise.

I was accepted in the very prestigious Craft group ‘Form’ Designed and made in Carlow. I am concentrating on my textiles for this group as it is a craft group.

Freemotion stitching on a synthetic felt vessel

Batik and Nunn Felted silk chiffon wraps

Ive been asked to facilitate a watercolour workshop in Kerala in January 2020. I’m beyond excited about it!

I’ll be collaborating with Mulvarra House in St Mullins, a lovely spot overlooking Brandon Hill Andy the river, running painting weekends and the like.

I got dug I to my watercolours as well and had a very successful year between exhibiting in Bally Maloe in their beautiful exhibition space and made some nice sales there.

I participated in Art in the open in Wexford at the end of June.

A little boat at the Safe Wexford

I showed some work in Thomastown Scouts Den in August where I must say I was pleased with sales …….not a tractor left!

Nicks David’s Brown SOLD

Kilkenny Arts Festival….2017

Around the Mountain

An Exhibition of recent watercolours from my meanderings to and from the Mountain.

The Scouts Den. (the old girls national school) and the Kilkenny Pop Up Art Gallery John’s Bridge Kilkenny

i don’t come off the mountain much except to go to work, for a variety of reasons.

Below are a few of the paintings that Were in the Show

 

 

 

The year to date

Boy have I been busy. I had a piece accepted for the Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Exhibition in The Bankside Gallery in London…..right next to Tate Modern!!! So Exciting and very expensive to Ship a painting by Art courier to UK. It was well worth it though. I went over thanks to funding from Carlow CoCo Arts Acts Grant….

 

 

Last Autumn I spent a good while experimenting with making my own inks from Walnuts and Acorns…Here are some  of the resulting works….

 

I put three postcard sized works into the Jack and Jill Foundation show Incognito in  the Solomon Gallery. A Fundraiser where postcard size works by all kinds of artists are for sale for €50. The names are not seen until the work is bought.

Here are two of mine. They are distorted here as they are 5×7 not square

 

 

 

Christmas time

 

Here is a walnut ink drawing from the very first watercolour that I did here, before we did the house up.

Christmas has come and gone. The poor turkey is still in the fridge to challenge my culinary skills. I’m not the worst cook and many think me not great, which is not true. I just get bored having to do it all the time.

One thing I never get bored of is making things.

This year I indulged my inner witch and spent much time making inks and playing with the saucepan and leaves and things called mordants and such like.

Making ink from the remnants of walnuts under an ancient gnarled walnut tree in Camphill Jerpoint. Outside Thomastown. To help make ends meet I have become a night care worker, with Camphill in Jerpoint. I am not sure how good I am but they have hung onto me even though one of their oldest and dearest passed away in my care. Karl was a well know artist and character and he is missed by many. They tell me it is an honour to be chosen to be present at such a time and I will run with that.

I also made acorn ink from the dropped acorns of ancient trees in Poulmounty woods on the road to New Ross from my home.

Here are three new watercolours that I made into Christmas cards this year and I will be promoting these for next year.

 

 

Autumn’s bounty from the polytunnel…….a tutorial

 

Here is a little step by step tutorial of how I did this in my sketchbook…..a watercolour a day keeps the doctor away….

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hello Autumn

Summer is going fast. The leaves are turning. The blackberries are luscious and need picking.

I have been busy painting so here are some samples of my watercolour diary….a watercolour a day keeps the doctor away…..not the winter though.

 

I will soon be working with Camphill in Jerpoint as a carer part time, doing relief. Another chapter begins in my my multifacetated career.

I spent a good while starting to clear out my studio to make space to allow me to turn into a space which will be adaptable to be rented as accommodation and to run the odd workshop. I cleaned out the mobile and took it all to the dump. I intend to use the mobile as a work/storage space for art materials books etc……

 

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May workshops

Back to Ferrybank yay! This time we are doing some very simple introductory silkscreen on fabric. I fond dealing with being a mobile studio a bit difficult sometimes. If I could do this in my studio it would be simpler! However it does not lower the quality of the work. Bearing in mind none of these women had ever used a screen before I think they did fantastic work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have just finished in the Watergardens Thomastown doing six weeks felting with some of the clients of Camphill. We had great fun and everybody made an egg cosy, a piece of flat felt, a purse and started two collaborative pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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