A Selection of Self Portraits

Some of the old oil paintings I uncovered in the move were still wet to the touch, and of course they had bits of paper and fluff stuck to them.
I really hadn't a clue about the basics of oil painting back then. A wee bit of instruction during my college days might have been helpful, but I suppose pretty much all of my tutors used pen and ink or watercolour.
Here are a selection of self portraits in chronological sequence from the bottom up.
I still quite like some of the early ones. In fact the first one, done when I was eighteen, is the best of the lot.
Isn't that depressing?

Rough Sketch: Finished Piece

I'm finally getting back to normal after a few very hectic weeks of moving house and studio.
Here are a couple of images where I located the artwork and the original rough sketch. It always makes for an interesting comparison.
The picture above is from "The Names upon the Harp" by Marie Heaney, and the one below is a poster I did for Polka Children's Theatre.
"The Starlight Cloak" is a version of "Fair, Brown and Trembling", a kind of Irish "Cinderella".

The Caretaker

There is a very good RTE radio documentary on tonight about how Dr David James systematically plundered the treasures of Dublin's Chester Beatty Library.
My old friend Pat Donlon played a large part in exposing the crime, and she features in the programme.
The equivocations of James' cronies are very enlightening.
Their idea seemed to be that somehow the quality of the Chester Beatty collection was wasted on Dublin's plebeians and that may have induced David James to want to sell select items to more appreciative buyers.
Didn't seem to occur to them that he might just be a greedy thief.
Well worth a listen.

A Changeling Baby

I've been busy moving studio, and also moving house, so I have neglected the blog a bit. Sorry.
Here is another original I found during the moving process.


This picture illustrates a changeling story that was to be included in that anthology of Irish Fairy Tales that I was planning a number of years ago.
I have always though this to be a most sinister Irish tradition, and I am convinced that over the centuries the notion of a fairy being substituted for a healthy child was used as an excuse to do away with many sickly or malformed babies.
I can recommend a fascinating book by Angela Bourke called The Burning of Bridget Cleary for anyone with an interest in the subject.

For Every Child

I was honoured to be invited to join an international selection of illustrators who were asked to convey in pictures the fundamental rights that should belong to all children of the world.
It was especially pleasing that my picture was chosen for the cover of the book.
Here is a scan of the original artwork, just rediscovered at the back of my studio shelves.

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.

The Princess and the Goblin

Here are another couple of finds from the studio clear out.
I did these very early on in my career when I was in discussions with a London publisher about illustrating The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald.
MacDonald was a very interesting writer, and it's a bit of a shame that this was another project that never got beyond the drawing board.
I had fun with the Goblins though, and will certainly revisit them at some time.