Now we’re definitely in the run-up to Christmas, I’m going to be putting the finishing touches on several of these again. It’s always good to hear about the reactions of the receivers after the fact. Jenny loved her portrait and that really makes these projects for me.

Oils on gessoed panel. 7″ x 7″

There’s plenty to do; I also have to put together new videos for the class web site and buy new still life objects for the students. Oh yes, I have to fit a holiday in, too.

Once again, this was done using glazes of oils over a monochrome underpainting. One of these days, I’ll photograph the process of painting up a grisaille/brunaille as I do a painting.

Tea anybody?

Denise has the original in the Doorway Gallery, so if it takes your fancy, contact her by email or call on +353 (0)1 7645895

(If you would like to attend a workshop in glazing oils over a monochrome underpainting, click here.)

Last week, I promised my students to show them a technique for glazing colour over a warm monochrome underpainting [or brunaille]. I did this still life as a demonstration for my painting students and carried it through to completion during the class and it took a little over two hours. In fact, there’s very little glazing over the darker parts of the jug with just some opaque lights applied for the highlights.

The last several scans have been done with my new all-in-one Brother scanner. I bought it so I could scan larger work in one go instead of stitching sections together on the computher. It’s a monster that can scan and print up to A3. And frankly,  it was cheap. Under €300 and although I’m happy to be able to scan at A3 size, I don’t think it handles colour terribly well. In order to get the general hue of the painting right, the specific cherry colour has become too cold and unlike the original. I may have to run my excellent little Canon A4 scanner alongside the leviathan and accept the reduced desk space. Bother Brother.

I do think this method of painting does offer something to the beginner. The general composition can be worked on until it’s right and the tones can all be set before worrying about colour. Rather like having a safety net that will break a fall that would otherwise be catastrophic. What do you think? Would you like to try a workshop that concentrated on this technique alone? Your feedback is always very welcome…

Oils on gessoed panel: 7 x 5 inches

Denise has the original in the Doorway Gallery, so if it takes your fancy, contact her by email or call on +353 (0)1 7645895

(If you would like to attend a one day workshop on the acrylics dry-brushing technique, click here).

Two of last summer’s crop. Quite often, For my studies and some illustration work, I use a technique called ‘dry-brushing’ where paint is lightly brushed across a coloured or black textured ground. It works best with acrylics since it’s easier to control acrylic paint and once it dries, it won’t be forced into the ‘troughs’ between ridges of texture. I like the random patterns formed by the raised paths of gesso and as a technique, it stops me from being too finnicky and detailed. Irish artist and illustrator Jonathan McHugh in Belfast does brilliant work using a technique like this. You can see his wonderful work here.

Enough about the practicalities. I bought a couple of punnets of cherries this week but I haven’t eaten any -they’re reserved for my students to paint and won’t be touched until then.

Acrylics on gessoed panels. Contact Denise at the Doorway Gallery. +353(0)1 764 5895

(If you would like to attend a workshop in glazing oils over a monochrome underpainting, click here.)

Well, lemons last longer than strawberries (and that’s what’s coming up next, as soon as it’s dry enough to scan.) In the foreground is an antimacassar that one of my students brought in to class one day to use as a rag! Well, I’m afraid I had to confiscate it; antimacassars being in such short supply around here. For my very youngest readers, an antimacassar was the decorative piece of cloth your grandmother used to put over the back and often the arms of the armchair to stop the Brylcreem in your grandad’s smelly quiff from seeping into the fabric and creating a fire hazard. Well I don’t have a quiff, or indeed anything resembling a hairstyle but I do have lots of oils and it quite often ends up in my hair. This is a reversal of the role of such an elegant piece of linen. What I need is an anti-antimacassar to be draped on my head before sitting down in my studio.

I surprised myself as this took about six hours altogether, not counting the time spent having my tea in the evening. Like the last one, I used the glazing technique.

Oils on gessoed panel, 12″ x 8″. If you like it and you’re interested in buying, please contact Denise Donnelly at the Doorway Gallery. Tel. +353(0)1 764 5895

(If you would like to attend a workshop in glazing oils over a monochrome underpainting, click here.)

I started this painting as a demonstration during my solo show ‘Humours of MacSearraigh’ in the Sol Gallery last October. I had the objects placed up on the Georgian mantelpiece with a spotlight trained on them. Somehow, I didn’t make the time to finish, so down came the set up and I stacked the painting with the rest of my unfinished works. (You wouldn’t believe how many of them I have.)  Anyway, unusually, I decided to complete this one, so I recreated the setup in my studio and carried on. So the pot had to be placed in the right position, the spotlight had to create the same shadows and I had to use fresh lemons!

It’s another example of the glazing technique. I started out painting the entire scene as a complete underpainting in tones of warm grey acrylics and finished with oils, transparent at first and becoming more opaque as I progressed. (I do teach this method to students when they have a keen interest in it. Otherwise, my classes are directed towards alla prima painting which allows for greater expression).

God knows what I’m going to do with all the other half-finished efforts. There’s a growing stack in the studio and very little demand for incomplete paintings! You can see other studies in oils, still lifes and landscapes here.

Oils on gessoed board. 14″ x 12″

This is one of what I now laughingly refer to as a ‘daily painting’. For a few years, I did manage to paint a study on most days but that all fell apart amidst the hurly-burly of life. Now I’m reduced to getting one done every few months. So this is a ‘Few Months Painting’, even though it took only three hours to do. I am creating other work, it must be said.

I’ve been busy trawling the charity shops for items made of silver or EPNS to set as subjects for my students and now I have  enough to keep us going for the next while. I’ve also grouped items by material on my shelves so I don’t have to tear the place asunder while looking for the right objects for class. Glass, delft, silverware, shrunken heads, etc., etc. I’m sure this shiny new system will acquire the usual patina of McSherry disorder within a short time, which begs the question; to buff or not to buff? Is the chaos and grime part of the appeal? Where’s the Silvo?

Sol Art Gallery

Exhibition runs from Saturday 23 Oct – Thursday 28 Oct.

This is an exhibition of works raging from 2000 to the present. You can see all the pieces on the exhibition page here. Also, I will be manning this show myself which will give me the chance to demonstrate painting in the grand surroundings of a Georgian building. Do drop by and say hello…

About the title.

The title of this exhibition refers to the names of several Irish traditional music tunes, for example; The Humours of Ballyloughlin, The Humours of Whiskey, etc.. ‘The Humours’ seemed to fit perfectly the range of the work I’m showing here. Like anybody, I’m not always in a light-hearted mood and when I look back at these works, I’m reminded of the state of mind I was in at the time or what was troubling me. It’s a kind of long, drawn-out pub conversation (the best kind of conversation), that changes and flows as time passes and moves from the serious to the fantastical as a little porter takes its effect. Hic.

Your shout.

It bears the legend, ‘Made in France’ on the underside which could be a euphemism for, ‘Made in China’. Wherever it was made, it’s a lovely little set and provides a perfect compliment to the warmth of the lemons.

You’ll have realised by now, Lemony Snicket fans, that you’ve been duped. And I have the ceramic set. And I’m going to live happily ever after.

The End

Acrylics on gessoed panel. 8″ x 10″

If you would like to buy or reserve this painting, you can call me on 086 247 0737 to discuss pricing or email or buy directly from this site with your credit card by clicking here.