Molly with a Red Cushion

This is my second painting of Molly.
She has a wonderfully Edwardian look about her, emphasized perhaps by the way she wears her hair.
There was a bit of a dispute in our life room about the inclusion of the red cushion.
Personally I like how that shock of colour works against the coolness of the rest of the composition.

The King of Ireland's Son

I got a chance to see "Telling Tall & Tiny Tales" at the Ark last night.
It's a really nice show, curated by Dr Pádraic Whyte, which delves into the creative process involved in making books for children.
This is one of two originals I have in the show.
It comes from "The King of Ireland's Son" by Brendan Behan.

"Into The Green Wood Deep" by Phil McDarby

There was another great exhibition launch at the Copper House Gallery in Dublin last evening.
"Into The Green Wood Deep" showcases the remarkable creations of my pal Phil McDarby.
Phil uses a mixture of photography and digital wizardry to create his amazing work.
It's an technique I have used a little myself, and I hope I can pick up a few expert tips from Phil.



Estelle Morgan got a nice shot of me with my old friend Niamh Sharkey who opened the exhibition.


And one of Phil and me. I'm the one with the glasses.

A Useful Experiment

Here's one from a few weeks ago.
I tried to control the overall colour scheme ( the back cloth was actually a pretty lurid green), and I left most of the brushmarks buttery and thick rather than blending them in the way I usually do.
A useful experiment I think.

A Study of Rudolpho

Rudolpho is a new model for our group.
I was delighted that Una posed him without any strip lights or spotlights, and the natural light stayed pretty true throughout the afternoon.
The warm glow at Rudolpho's back comes from one of our large heaters.

Chalk and Crayon Drawing of Tara

I'm looking forward to getting back to life painting this week after a few weeks off.
I think I might try some more chalk and wax crayon drawings like this one of Tara that I did at the United Arts Club.

Caolán McKeating Lynch wins the Irish Dancing World Championships....Again!

I am delighted to announce that my nephew Caolán has won the Irish Dancing World Championships for the third time.
Many many congratulations to Caolán, seen here with his mum Fionnuala.
We are all very proud of you.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

I'm selecting a bunch of pictures for a forthcoming exhibition in Cologne, Germany in June. (I'll post more details later)
The show will be a three hander, focussing on the work of three Irish illustrators, me, and my good friends Marie-Louise FitzPatrick and Niamh Sharkey.
Here is one of my pictures that I know will be in the show.


It's an illustration I did for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in "The Candlewick Book of Fairy Stories". (Also known as "Favourite Fairy Tales" and "Sainsbury's Book of Fairy Tales".)
The book includes a selection of classic fairy tales beautifully retold by Sarah Hayes.