Pictiúr goes to Europe

Here's a nice little film about Pictiúr, the exhibition of Irish Children's Book Illustrators curated by my good pal Niamh Sharkey, Laureate na nÓg. 
If you look hard you might just see a couple of my pictures from The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey in there somewhere.
The exhibition toured Europe and is now back in Ireland travelling to venues around the country including IMMA over the Christmas period.
The show is running now at Draíocht, Blancharstown and continues there until October 5th.

Une Femme Fatale

This is a detail from the large oil painting that is on my easel at the moment.
She is a beautiful but sinister femme fatale type.
I am hoping to get together a good few of these ladies for an exhibition to be organized by my friend Olivier in Paris at some stage in the future.

Pictiúr

CBI have announced that Pictiúr, an exciting new exhibition of the work of some of Ireland’s leading children’s book illustrators and which has been curated by Laureate na nÓg, Niamh Sharkey, will visit four venues in Europe during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU, before returning to Ireland to tour.

I'm delighted to be one of the illustrators involved.
This picture from The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is one of my originals in the show.

Here's a list of the featured Illustrators:

Lily Bernard              Adrienne Geoghegan            Anita Jeram         Donough O’Malley
Alan Clarke                Olivia Golden                         Chris Judge          Niamh Sharkey
Michael Emberley    Chris Haughton                     P.J. Lynch            Steve Simpson
Tatiana Feeney         Paul Howard                          Oisin McGann      Kevin Waldron
Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick           Oliver Jeffers      Mary Murphy       Olwyn Whelan
Andrew Whitson

Brighton Illustration: 'then, now, after…'

I wish I could have gotten over to Brighton for the opening of an exhibition of recent work from graduates and staff at the University of Brighton. 

It's called Brighton Illustration,  'then, now, after…' 

Some of my books, including "Lincoln and His Boys" are included in the show. 

I spent three happy years there back in the early 1980s and I would have loved to have caught up with the tutors and alumni from back in the day.

If you are in Brighton, do pop in.

PS I can't wait to see Spielberg's Lincoln movie.

Alice in the Society of Illustrators Annual Show

The Society of Illustrators in New York are launching the first part of their Annual Show to-day. 
It runs till the 26th of January 2013, and I am delighted to say that a digitally tweaked version of my Alice in Wonderland picture is in the show.
My thanks to my friend Olivier Souillé of Galerie Daniel Maghen in Paris for giving me a lovely open brief to illustrate a favourite book.

Kilkenny Arts Festival Exhibition

I have contributed a few pictures to a group show selected by Lorraine Brett of LB Fine Arts that is taking place at the Lord Bagenal Hotel, Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival.

With a bit of luck I might make it down for the opening on Sunday.

Lorraine has brought together a great selection of artists including some old pals of mine such as Eugene Conway, Ronan Goti, Laura Cronin, Miseon Lee, Jennifer Trouton and Conor Walton.

I'm exhibiting a couple of originals from The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey and the cover painting from The Names Upon the Harp.

The Book Show in Paris

I had a wonderful time at the launch of The Book Show on the banks of the Seine in Paris.
It was nice to see old friends and to meet Olivier, Daniel and co from the Galerie Daniel Maghen who already feel like they are old friends.
Hopefully these photos will give a flavour of the evening.

The Book Show Opening in Paris

And I'm headed back to Paris on Friday for the opening of The Book Show at the Galerie Daniel Maghen, 47 Quai des Grands Augustins.
This painting from A Christmas Carol is in the exhibition.
I can't wait to meet some of the brilliant artists whose work is in the show.

Enchanting Cologne

I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Cologne in Germany.
The indefatigable Uschi Schröter and her team at SK Stiftung Kultur organised for a group of Irish writers and illustrators to come over for their annual Children's Literature Festival.
This year it was entitled "Enchanted Ireland".





The Cathedral is breathtaking.


A visit to the Käthe Kollwitz Museum was a highlight for me.
I was dissappointed to find the museum closed when I got there, but a sweet lady, who was setting up the next exhibition, very kindly brought me in so that I got the gallery all to myself.
For those of us who admire great draughtsmanship, Käthe Kollwitz is at the top of the list.


Uschi, Ulricka and Oisín with me at the "Enchanted Ireland" Exhibition in the Altes Pfandhaus.


We were spread out over a couple of weeks so that I missed my old pals and Laureates Na nOg Siobhan Parkinson and Niamh Sharkey, but I was delighted to be able to spend some time with Marie-Louise FitzPatrick and her husband, Micheal Emberley, as well as Oisín McGann and Judi Curtin.


The best part though, was meeting and drawing with so many lovely German children, and getting to work and hang out with my wonderfully talented interpreter Caroline.

The Book Show

Speaking of Paris...here is an image from Alice in Wonderland that I painted for a very charming Parisien gentleman.
The picture will be part of an exhibition called The Book Show which opens in July at the Galerie Daniel Maghen, 47 Quai des Grands Augustins, 75006 Paris, France.
I will be going over for the opening and I am very excited to meet the curators and some of the wonderful artists whose work will be in the exhibition.

Enchanted Ireland

This painting from "Oscar Wilde: Stories for Children" will also be in the Cologne show which is on from the 2nd to 15th June at the Altes Pfandhaus, Karthäuser Wall 20, 50678 Köln.
Admission is free.
The show is part of Cologne's Irish Children's Book festival which is entitled "Enchanted Ireland".

From "The Candlewick Book of Fairy Tales"

Here are three more pictures that are going to be in the Cologne exhibition that I am taking part in in June.
These are from the "The Candlewick Book of Fairy Tales" by Sarah Hayes.

Two Paintings from "When Jessie Came Across the Sea "

Here are a couple of paintings from "When Jessie Came Across the Sea" by Amy Hest.
These two are also going to be in the Cologne exhibition.

"Two Centuries After"

If you are in Bologna this week at the international Book Fair, you might consider visiting the Dickens exhibition, "Two Centuries After", at the beautiful Palazzo Saraceni in the center of the city.
The exhibition is organized by Cooperativa Culturale Giannino Stoppani for BolognaFiere.
I have five pictures in the group show, including a few of the grimmer pictures from A Christmas Carol that I haven't exhibited before.

Life Room

A few of my life paintings, including this one of Des, are in a group show opening tomorrow (Tuesday) night at the Bourn Vincent Gallery
Foundation Building, University of Limerick

The drawings and paintings in the show have been selected by Mick O'Dea and Donald Teskey from work produced by various artists at the Drawing Thursday Sessions in the Royal Hibernian School


The exhibition will be opened by Mick O'Dea RHA and Donald Teskey RHA
If you happen to be in the area, go along to the reception. It starts at 5.15pm but alas, I can't make it myself..... I'm still packing boxes.

Rolling Sun Book Festival

I'm going to be in Westport this weekend for the inaugural Rolling Sun Book Festival
I'll be giving a presentation at the library from 2 to 3pm and later I'll be showing some pictures and signing books 5.30 pm at the Sea Sky Shore gallery.
I haven't been down to the west in more than a decade and I can't wait to see Westport again.

The Book based on the Nutcracker Exhibition at W5

Those lovely people at W5 in Belfast are putting together a book based on the Nutcracker exhibition that I designed last year. We always talked about a book of the show as a possibility, but now it is going to happen, it is a somewhat surprising bonus.
The Nutcracker show will be on again this year and the book will be sold by W5 but, I'm afraid, I don't think it's going to be widely available beyond Northern Ireland, well not this year at least.