Mini portrait sketch

This is a mini portrait sketch of Olwyn done from a photo reference. It is a lot smaller than I would usually paint but the pose struck a chord with me. I struggled to add detail due to the size of brushes required and that might not be such a bad thing.

Olwyn - Oil on panel - 18cm X 24cm

New sign for Castletown Tidy Towns

Approximately a month of work on this painting. It was done to replace an old sign that was suffering from the ravages of time.

Sign for the river at Castletown - Acrylic on Ply - 48 X 42 inches

Irish Dancer Lily

This time a portrait of Irish Dancer Lily painted from photo reference.

Lily - Oil on Canvas - 14 X 18 inches

Emmet Portrait

Another oil portrait sketch. This time of my son Emmet, painted from photo references and also from life.

Emmet - Oil on Panel - 35cm X 45cm

Gabby - Portrait

This oil sketch of my daughter Gabby has been a joy to paint. I hope I have captured something of her impish character. It is painted from a photo reference and also from life.

Gabby - Oil on Panel - 35cm X 45cm

Detail

Self Portrait with unkempt hair

This is my first oil painting of the year and it's a self portrait. It is done as a practice piece to get used to handling oils after a winter of using Acrylics and watercolours. Instead of canvas I painted this on a lovely Italian poplar wood panel.

Initial drawing

Self portrait with unkempt hair - Oil on Panel - 35cm X 45cm

 

 

Wedding Portraits

These portraits show the difficulty of painting from a reference photograph. There are no cast shadows as camera flash was used to take the reference picture. Skin tones are washed out and it is extremely difficult to get realistic colour values under artificial lighting.

James & Melissa - Acrylic on canvas - 20 x 24 inches

James - Detail

Melissa - Detail

Alternative view of Castletown Mill

This Acrylic painting was done from a quick pastel sketch of the Mill at Castletown on a beautiful bright January day. Loving the flexibility of Interactive Acrylic paints (here used sketchily and sparingly as watercolour washes). Interactives make an excellent substitute for oils for the plein air painter.

Castletown Mill - Acrylic on Canvas board - 14 x 16 inches

Home from the Hill

Home from the Hill - Acrylic on canvas - 20 x 28 inches

This hunting scene was painted using wonderful Interactive acrylics. They are most like oil paints in their handling with the advantage of drying quickly. Another advantage is that there is very little colour shift compared to some other acrylic brands.

Detail

Portrait of my late aunt Ursula

This is a portrait of my late aunt Ursula. The reference photo is nearly 40 years old but always reminded me of Franz Hals paintings. This is how I remember her.

Aunt Ursula - Acrylic on canvas - 14 X 18 inches

Detail

Abbeyleix House

Small acrylic sketch painted at yesterdays Lions Club open day at Abbeyleix Estate. I ran out of time to finish it.

Abbeyleix House - Acrylic on canvas board - 10 x 12 inches

Glenbarrow Plein Air

Our 3 day Plein Air painting event at Glenbarrow has come to an end. Thanks to artist Jock Nichol for leading our motley crew and also to Laois Arts Officer, Muireann Ni Chonaill for organizing such a successful event. It was nice to catch up with friends and also to make some new friends. I cant wait for the next Plein air event.

Despite the mixed weather I managed to complete a painting a day. Here are my three offerings (apologies for the glare of wet paint in day 3 photo):

Day 1: Waterfall - Oil on canvas - 40cm X 50Cm

Day 2: Waterfall - Acrylic on canvas board - 12 X 16 inches

Day 3: Forest view - Oil on canvas - 40cm X 50cm