RUA 2024

RDH: OCTOBER 2024

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03/10/24

Late Night Art Belfast

05/10/24

A dry studio day. No paint - just charcoal work and redrawing sketches and some tonal work. SOMETHING!

09/10/24

Malleable metal wire drawing?

10/10/24

‘Line of Sorrow’ - micro expression.

13/10/24

TAN podcast - The White Pube book “Poor Artists”

“Spare Change Study” - facial work -warmer tones in the shadows?

Mood plays an important role… not the ‘I’m not in the mood’ kind of mood. More so the downward mindset - something foreign playing over in the back of your mind and it is difficult to shake and focus on anything else.

I can and will do better. In the studio context with this guilty / downward feeling playing out today - productivity took a nosedive. Better all round if the socks get pulled up.

17/10/24

RUA Opening. Very pleased.

19/10/24

Saturday Studio. Afraid that what’s here has gone - or rather my enthusiasm towards them - has gone stale. “S.C.” has promise but it’s on the small side - too bitty for what I want to achieve. If that makes sense.

20/10/24

“Look! Daddy’s painting!”

This will warm my heart for a long time.

21/10/24

£1 - Bargain.

22/10/24

Maya Todd (top centre) - Royale Arcade Academy

24/10/24

The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get at myself for letting certain aspects stagnate. Prioritising stupid, irrational shit over investing in practice.

F.F.A.S. - what else is there?

27/10/24

Studio clear out. Moving recent works down to shed and out of eyeline. Freeing up wall space. Re-working / Recycling / Repurposing - just generally Re- really.

Enjoyed the “A Brush with Robert Longo” podcast.

…‘les yeux sans visage’ imagery could prove an interesting challenge. Some good first steps.

“A Brush with Marlene Dumas” - think I’ve listened to this four times now.

30/10/24

Dublin bound.

RDH: AUGUST 2024

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02/08/24

Studio time finally - after a slightly longer than usual cleaning session.

Not much progress made with “Turn to Page Five” but still feels great to put paint down after seventeen days of renovating, family time and north coast fun!

04/08/24

“Restraint Study” handed in. Crossed fingers…

Took myself up to the Ulster Museum afterwards to finally catch the two Caravaggio works together for a rare time since the 17th Century.

“The Supper at Emmaus” (1601) and “The Taking of Christ” (1602). The first time in a long time where I just sat in awe. Spent nearly an hour just soaking them up (from near and far). He really was the master of light and shadow. Today has brought memories back of my last trip to the National Gallery in London back in 2019 and a reaction in front of another Caravaggio - “Boy Bitten by a Lizard” (1594-1596). Skipping past pockets of school kids getting guided tours, I stumbled upon it, right in the corner of the room.

There was a guide giving a talk to a class of children about a much larger painting just beside the Caravaggio. Can’t mind what it was - but it was a big canvas. Anyway, I’m looking at the painting and I suddenly start to feel myself well up - and I couldn’t stop it. I started crying.

I remember being in shock and some of the class beside me were staring and whispering among other. Because of where the Caravaggio was in the gallery, I was sort of pinned in with the school kids sitting on the floor all around listening to the guide speak. I eventually had to make a break for it, snaking past them to get out. First time I ever cried at a work.

The next time that happened I think was with Daniel Coleman’s epic work in the MAC show a while back. The sheer audacity of scale, the use of colour in the limited palette - everything took breath away to the point I got choked up.

06/08/24

Called round to check out ‘The Shape of a Pocket’ exhibition at Catalyst Arts curated by Dougal MacKenzie and Christopher Hanlon.

“Hindsight Study” submitted…

07/08/24

Back to spinning plates.

10/08/24

The Golden Thread Gallery has reopened with shows by Robin Price, Charlotte Bosanquet, Rob Hilken and Graham Fagen.

11/08/24

Honey ate more paint than I thought. More put out. “Turn to Page Five” - dark, ochry brown background? Semi-transparent?

FINISHED. Thought I had nearly messed it up with a little too much fixative but managed to pull it back OK.

12/08/24

“Restraint Study” accepted into the RUA! Chuffed!

18/08/24

Three wonderful years - and a lifetime ahead!

Tried a jaunt to the studio - not feeling it. Will try to block in some colour to “bin” piece.

22/08/24

Sketchbook work before bed.

25/08/24

“The possibility of the studio” - Eva Rothschild

From “A brush with ,,,” podcast.

So, after a layer or two on the “bin” piece, it was time to say goodbye. Just wasn't working, especially with the background. So working a new image on top and starting a new portrait from scratch on a nice, clean canvas.

28/08/24

Dublin reconn.

29/08/24

Re-group…

31/08/24

Sixteen Years. Hard to fathom.