Angels in Mosaic

I'm giving a workshop in the portrait sketch tomorrow at Kennedy Art.
It's always a great day of painting and good craic.
My next one is on the 17th October.

And on Sunday I'm off to Spilimbergo again to see how the team at Travianutto are getting on with the Knock Bascilica mosaic.
Here's how some of the Angels were looking on my last visit.
I know they have been working very hard on this project so there will be a lot more mosaic for me to see.

"Across the Atlantic Tour"

I am thrilled to be coming to America this November to promote  my new book The Boy Who Fell Off The Mayflower.
The tour kicks off at Plimoth Plantation and will also include an event at the Connecticut Children’s Book Fair  with lots of other events in between.
Can't wait!

Culture Night at the United Art Club

Young Sam Lynch will be playing piano while Brian Gallagher and PJ Lynch  are drawing portraits on Culture Night at the United Arts Club in Dublin!

Sam has just learned "Naval" by Yann Tiersen for the occasion.

I hope lots of you can come along for Sam's first gig.

Once Upon A Place at the Electric Picnic

We had a brilliant weekend hanging out with some of Ireland's best writers at the Electric Picnic music and Arts Festival.

The focus for us was Once Upon A Place, a wonderful book of short stories and poems with illustrations by me. The project was initiated by Laureate Na nÓg, Eoin Colfer to help to reacquaint Irish children with the beauty and magic of our country.

The book is published by Little Island and comes out in October
 Enda Wyley was there reading her own poem from the book, and talking about the other poets featured therein. She's not only an amazing writer but a great reader as well. 

I did some live drawing on Saturday wilst Eoin chatted with author/publisher Siobhán Parkinson, poet Enda Wyley and our expert compere, (give that woman a chatshow) Patricia Forde.

Next day another starry group including  Roddy Doyle, Sarah Webb , Oisín McGann and Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick read  extracts from their stories. 

Click here see what Marie-Louise and husband Michael Emberley got up to at the Electric Picnic.

Many thanks are due to Children's Books Ireland, and Little Island for alltheir work on this project and for making the inaugural Electric Picnic children's literature event such a great success.

Awesome Death and the Maiden USB Drives!

 Do you ever find that you can't locate your USB flash drives?
USB Memory Direct have a great solution, a personalized business card that houses a USB flash drive.
I have just taken delivery of some printed with my Death and the Maiden poster image and I can tell you that the quality is excellent.
I will be giving three of these away on my FaceBook page next week.

Four Day Drawing and Painting Workshop in Belfast

It has been a long summer hasn’t it?
If you are itching to get stuck into some serious drawing and painting come and join Julie Douglas and me for our four day drawing and oil painting workshop in Belfast.
Friday 28th - Monday 31st August

We will be working together to provide you with a rounded learning experience, which will include using charcoal, pencil and oils. Each day is structured, with achievable goals, pushing your skills and confidence up.
The course will include colour mixing, portrait painting and life drawing, with demonstrations each day.

The cost is £425 which includes refreshments and lunch. Students will bring their own materials and a list will be provided nearer the time.
I am really looking forward to it.
Working with Julie is always great fun, and we will also get through a lot of great work!
For details and booking please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

Progress on the mosaic for the Bascilica at the National Shrine at Knock

I have just returned from another trip to Spilimbergo in northern Italy to see how the work is going on the big mosaic that I have designed for the Bascilica at the National Shrine in the village of Knock, County Mayo. 

The image will show a representation of the Knock apparition of 1879. 

My design is being interpreted in mosaic by the exceptionally talented people at Travisanutto mosaics.

They are used to creating mosaics as large as this one, (It will measure more than 14 metres square) but I'm pretty sure this will be the largest ever mosaic in Ireland.

 Here are a few photos showing the artisans at work.
A sea of smalti. Viewing some of the larger areas that have been completed.

You can just see my painting in the background.

This shows how the little pieces of coloured glass (smalti) and marble combine like pixels on a screen to create an image

 
I can't show too much of the mosaic in progress, but It was such a moving experience for me to see the wonderful work they are doing at Travisanutto that I have to share  a detail of one of the foreground figures.
It amazes me how the artisans (they insist on not being called artists) can create such wonderful effects with combinations of stone and glass.