Author Archive

Last Saturday, I took my usual place in the Avoca café in Suffolk Street for my treat of the week; a chance to sit down and think and sketch and look at the world from the height of a cup of coffee. This time, I didn’t stay long because I wanted to have a rummage around the shops to find some new trinkets to paint. I also spied a bunch of silver teapots and other silverware up on a shelf in the café  but I didn’t have the courage to ask to borrow one…Next time.

I saw precious little on my tour of charity shops and some of the plusher outlets (I was surprised that there was so little in Brown Thomas. I expected more). I also got another Chinese blue and white decorated jar in an oriental food shop. Anyhuff, I ended up back in Avoca and bought two pretty little jugs, one of which I’ve painted here.

Incidentally, I have to say how much I enjoy those Saturday mornings. I take my daughter into the Alliance française for her weekly class which leaves me two hours -two whole hours! - to stare into space or draw figures or whatever leaps unbidden into my imagination. That’s like a holiday. The staff are just great, too. I lift my large cup of coffee and scone with jam up in salute.

8″ x 8″ Oils on panel.

For this study, I set this silver dish onto a linen napkin. I stole both from the local landlord while I was up at the Big House paying my tithe.  All the other peasants were bowing and scraping and generally tugging frantically at their forelocks, hoping to be allowed stay in their Dalkey hovels.

Well I can’t afford linen, can I? Dirty sacking from the mill is all that I can lay my rough peasant’s hands on these days. The landlord’s agent, Mr. Finn O’Gael was distracted, marching around, quill in hand, trying to translate commands in German and bark them at us in Irish and  whooosh! Out with my grubby hand and under my sodden, stinking greatcoat with the dish and under my stovepipe hat with the napkin.

I can’t wait to show the other boys in our Kinnegad Slashers faction down at the bothy.

Anyway, white isn’t white and that’s why it’s a good thing to practice painting white objects.

Next week, I’ll be painting the chalice at the Mass rock. An raibh tú ag an gCarraig? Not me, Guard.