Clown Johnny K

Here's a recent life painting from the Thursday afternoon session I go to.
The model is a clown called Johnny K, a friend of the artist,Mick O'Dea who runs the session.
Johnny's a lovely man and was a very good model even though this was his first time.
I thought he'd have a really hard time keeping still considering the way he was goofing around before the session, but he was really very good, especially as a standing pose is particularly difficult to hold over a long period.
This was a four hour session. With breaks that amounts to about three and a quarter hours posing.

Drosselmayer from the Nutcracker

I had a wonderful evening at St Pat's last night.
Many thanks to Terrie, Evan and the other organizers, and to all of those hardy souls who turned out on a really wet night.
I particularly appreciated those who had travelled long distances to be there.
Hopefully I will soon have some pictures from the evening to post here.

One thing I was discussing last night was the Nutcracker display I designed last year.
We are going to try to make it into a book that will be sold only in Ireland by W5.
I've done a few more pieces to fill out the story for the book.
Here is a study for the character of Drosselmayer which I was very happy with.

The Children of the Famine trilogy

I recently finished work on new oil paintings for Marita Conlon-McKenna's Children of the Famine trilogy, and the books are in the shops this week.
Marita is a good friend of mine, so I was delighted to be asked by O'Brien Press to provide new covers for "Under the Hawthorn Tree", "Wildflower Girl" and "Fields of Home".
The books have been hugely successful, both critically and in terms of worldwide sales. They deal with one family's experience of life at the time of the famine and emigration to America.
I think Wildflower girl is my favourite of the three paintings,. You can see the others at the O'Brien Press blog.

UNESCO World Book Day- P.J. Lynch in St Patricks, Drumcondra

Here are the details of a presentation I will be doing next week.

"Thursday, 23 April at 6.30pm.
In celebration of UNESCO World Book Day, Cregan Library, St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Dublin, will present a special event with the acclaimed illustrator, who is known for setting beautiful illustration to classical stories, and is currently short-listed for the Bisto Book of the Year Award for The Gift of the Magi.
At the event, P.J. will discuss his recent works and publications including The Gift of the Magi and Lincoln and His Boys.
The event will take place in Room E201, St Patrick’s College Drumcondra.
To RSVP, please email info.library@spd.dcu.ie"

The Academic Atelier Tradition in the USA

Here is a very interesting blog for anyone who , like me, is passionate about drawing and painting from life.
It is the blog of the Grand Central Academy in New York, whose mission is to "offer a public place for the revival of the classical art tradition; to foster and support a community of artists in pursuit of aesthetic refinement, a high level of skill and beauty."

It all looks a wee bit too disciplined and dogmatic for my liking now, but I have to say I would have loved to have gone to a college like this when I was eighteen. Compared to the laid back approach that British Art Colleges had twenty years ago, there is clearly a very strong work ethic at the Grand Central Academy, and the students here are really learning skills of an extraordinarily high level.

As you can see from the image, they also have a very strong sculpture department.
This Lincoln sculpture is by one of their tutors, Jiwoong Cheh

Some Family News

I've just heard the news from Philadelphia, that my nephew Caolán McKeating Lynch has won the World Irish Dancing Championships.
Caolán has won numerous Championships over the years, and he was 2nd in the World's before, but now he has won the big one.
Many congratulations, Caolán, we are all very proud of you.