RDH: NOVEMBER 2023

01/11/23

Beautiful print by Chloe Austin arrives in the post!

02/11/23

Late Night Art Belfast - another cracker!

VAULT: Buttermilk Projections

DAS: The Veil by Cameron Clarke

Belfast Exposed: Victor Sloan

FLAX art Studios: Rachael Melvin

POLLEN: Lenka Davidikova

My painting 'Galamseyer' in Save Our Sperrins show - 2Royal Avenue

Stuart Calvin and Johanna Leech at Threshold

Cameron Clarke’s exhibition in DAS, probably one of the best installations I’ve seen in a long time. The perfect week for it - ending the spooky season with a bang.

05/11/23

Studio - setting aside the two large works for now and going to focus on the two portraits in progress.

It was all going so well until… working on ‘Indifferent Study’ and thought I would be productive in between waiting on a thin layer of paint to set. Began chopping some firelighters for later and…... BAD IDEA! Took a decent chunk out of side of a finger. Just when I was getting into a rhythm! It will heal but my favourite pen won’t. It died this evening too. Doesn’t bad things come in threes?

11/11/23

Short Studio Session. ‘Indifferent Study’ = Hair OK, surprisingly. Eyes / mouth needs tweaked. Skin Tone: slight contrast needed between light and shade.

FINISHED!

See, little checklists of what to focus on before lifting a brush work!

14/11/23

Morning Traffic

16/11/23

BVAF: re-energised and eager to take pro-active steps in art community in city.

19/11/23

S.S.S.

‘Amy Study’: Background - dimmed / dulled - green gold + payne’s grey? Need to get a grip - FOCUS / PRIORITISE / WORK!

…was not expecting to finish this portrait today. Creating little checklists in between layers really does help to critically evaluate the work as it goes - pushes for focus.

Getting to the point where I feel an outlet is needed. What’s holding me back…

Cogs are a turning…

Keening

I have a secret - I listen to Radio 3 to drift off.

21/11/23

An impressive build

23/11/23

The streets are arteries.

Pope L. - advice to the young…

Stuck on a canvas for months. Tutor at the time saw him struggling and said:

“WRITE ON IT!”

Exorcise your thoughts and things will stem from it.

26/11/23

29/11/23

Come rain, hail or shine (but more than likely frost) … solid brainstorming session.

The hmming and writing is all well and good but if you’re actively not doing anything - then it’s just noise.

30/11/23

Weird lights in the sky over Glenshane. Six evenly spaced lights in a diagonal - no sound.

DEBUNKED! Mystery solved, Musk’s star link.

RDH: NOVEMBER 2021

03/11/21

Some good sketchbook work today.

04/11/21

First room in Golden Thread show

Mark McGreevy (l) and Dougal McKenzie (r)

National Common Sense Day. “Portrait of NI: Neither an elegy nor a manifesto” in the Golden Thread Gallery. Interesting layout, gathering work of a similar ilk throughout the decades together.

Anne Tallentire at the MAC

Charys Wilson in QSS

Anne Tallentire’s “But this material…” in the MAC; great use of spatial interaction with the work and the gallery space. Some really strong work in “The presence of Absence” exhibition from the MFA 2019 cohort group show in QSS.

Really enjoyed the opening of the “Salonathon Show 2021” in Platform - seeing my work alongside some great artists and meeting up with familiar faces!

05/11/21

Wincing the odd time.

06/11/21

“Portraiture exposes the gap between the interior and exterior selves.”

-unknown-

Priming is all today amounted to.

08/11/21

Didn’t realise the gravity…

11/11/21

What was thought to be a dud - must have turned out alright!

12/11/21

Several pieces sketched up today.

13/11/21

Detail of “The Doctor will See you Now”

Really good day in the studio. “The Doctor will see you Now” finished! This new philosophy of keeping it loose, not striving for a realistic perfection, which is ultimately unattainable anyway, seems to be working.

I have a tendency of focussing on niggles to the point when the paintings get tight and the imagery too self aware. Learning to let go and step back a stage or two sooner seems to work for me.

“The Doctor will See you Now” Oil and Charcoal on Canvas 150cm x 100cm

16/11/21

Didn’t get accepted but that’s OK. Sketchbook work tonight to get brain working.

17/11/21

"Tilt [At Windmills]" in CCA

"Tilt [At Windmills]" in CCA

Very quick trip up to Derry to see “Tilt [At Windmills]” with work by Jarkko Räsänen, Fionnuala Doran, Paul Moore and Robin Price in CCA and “The Shrinking Universe” by Eva Rothschild in VOID.

"The Shrinking Universe" at VOID

"The Shrinking Universe" at VOID

20/11/21

Blocking in and working out logistics on three pieces today.

29/11/21

Nervous but that’s pretty much down to the unknown factor.

RDH: NOVEMBER 2019

01/11/19

… good job I checked…

Sketching today but no joy. How to move past this?

02/11/19

A good tidy up in the studio. “H” going well.

03/11/19

Helping Jan with some wire-wool spinning experiments.

11/11/19

Recording today and some solid sketchbook time. It’s so important. It is where ideas form and lay roots.

15/11/19

“Long years of secrecy have turned their faces into masks.” - not sure where I heard this from.

16/11/19

Detail of “Helen” - oil and charcoal on canvas.

“Helen” finished up.

17/11/19

Consciously hold back images.

EMPATHY

22/11/19

What am I doing?

24/11/19

Sketchbook work.

25/11/19

“The Art Advocate” podcast - episode 8 is live!

28/11/19

Bizarre

Delighted to have been commended in the Moth Art Prize 2019!

29/11/19

“Real painters understand with a brush in their hand.”

Berthe Morisot

Need to try and make one little hour of creative work each weekday.

30/11/19

What a difference a boiler makes!