This video from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland puts the spotlight on some of the galleries reopening to the public after lockdown. Included in this video is a little sneak peek of ‘Confessional’ which has reopened at the University of Atypical and runs until the 23rd October.
northern ireland
Life After Art College
A few days ago I put up a small post congratulating students from the Belfast School of Art for reaching the end of their degree show and graduating from their respective courses. There was quite a response to it so i thought it might be worthwhile expanding on any advice for life after art college. Take any following advice onboard with scepticism as there never is a one size fits all approach.
2020 was an end of year unlike any other with no shows amid the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown still in place (although it’s great to hear that students will get an opportunity to display some of their hard work in the MAC later this year). Even taking the current crisis into consideration, there seems to always be an uneasy feeling of ‘what the hell now’ especially after building up to the third year climactic degree shows.
Degree show - 2010
When I graduated in 2010 I was in the lucky position, along with others from the ballroom painting floor, to already have a studio set in place. For the first year post art college I didn’t lift a brush and instead applied for jobs to keep me in Belfast as going home to Mid-Ulster was to me a sign of defeat (I now know this is not the case and you can set up shop anywhere and still feel part of the art scene in the big towns and beyond). In that first year I spent my free time clearing out the inches of dust gathered in the attic space of 99 North Street which eventually became LOFT studios, an open planned studio space where artists with all kinds of disciplines sometimes worked on the same table! We gave each other advice, pulled together resources, moved furniture up three flights of stairs for events and basically worked alongside and on top of each other. This sense of communal activity was like the ballroom in many ways and made the transition a little smoother.
Our last ‘Drink and Draw’ event in LOFT before leaving.
In 2012 I made the decision to move home to the countryside but still refused to give up my little corner of North Street, sometimes travelling 3 - 4 times a week to paint and often sleeping in the studio to get work done for a show or just to feel close to the action. Eventually you and your peers move on to bigger and better things and the building is no more (demolished in 2016) but in those five years of helping to run LOFT on a shoestring budget and getting back into my own practice, I really learnt a lot in terms of sustaining a practice, what I really wanted to say with my work and keeping your head above water when things are stacked up against you.
Studio in 2020
Since moving my studio out to the sticks, my work has (hopefully) developed and I have been able to dedicate more time to my practice.
So that’s a brief snapshot of my years after leaving. Now onto the advice - in no particular order and notwithstanding current lockdown limitations:
If you don’t make work for a while - that’s OK. There can be a pressure to plug on and if you feel like you should then more power to you. Just know it is OK to take a step back and reassess priorities for a while. This has also happened to myself recently; I was beating myself up about not being productive and it only had a negative impact on my practice and state of mind. BREATHE!
Read - Watch - Learn Education doesn’t stop after graduating.
Take a look at formed studio groups and consider applying for studio space or band together to create your own space. There can be strength in numbers but If you can’t that’s OK. Make time to clear a space in your home that you can dedicate to your practice. If you don’t want it to then it won’t be your last studio.
Reach out to artists who you admire in an email. You could be surprised by a response.
Apply for shows and cater your application/c.v. for each opportunity - depending on the criteria required. Try to keep C.V.s clear and concise and your keep updating your artist statement to what you’re doing right now.
experiment with new things - keep what you were doing in uni going by all means but don’t be afraid to stretch out, learn and expand your practice.
Volunteer with arts organisations / galleries / become a member of Catalyst Arts and take a look at Visual Artists Ireland. The latter will help keep you informed as to what is going on in the galleries from one place.
Go to as many shows as you can and see work made from other disciplines - and not just from your floor! Artists supporting artists is a wonderful thing. Sadly there is still a feeling of competition among artists but we are all on differing paths with very different goals. If you see an opportunity that isn’t quite right for you but may be for others, SHARE IT!
Keep in touch with your uni friends as many will be on the same boat - help each other.
Keep a journal - everyday write down what went on, little notions, doodles - lists/goals. Writing things down is the first step in making something tangible.
Online presence is becoming more and more important. Consider investing in a well built website and keep your artistic social media posts professional (private stories excluded).
Once again congratulations on reaching your final year. It may not have been the ending you envisaged but it is only the beginning and ultimately you have the reigns.
"Confessional"
Solo exhibition at the University of Atypical Gallery.
Photography by Simon Mills.
RDH: FEBRUARY 2020
01/02/20
Detail of “Self-Portrait with Sketchbook” - painting in progress
Right, get paint down! Started two little pieces today and “The Crown of Dionysus” is complete"!
“The Crown of Dionysus” on my very dirty studio wall.
02/02/20
The last palindrome day for another 111 years. Damn rugby is distracting!
“No Remorse” - background building up.
03/02/20
Parcel.
06/02/20
“Religion decays, the icon remains; a narrative is forgotten, yet its representation still magnetises (the ignorant eye triumphs - how galling for the informed eye).”
Julian Barnes - ‘Géricault: Catastrophe into Art’
“No sooner do we come into this world, than bits of us start to fall off.”
Gustave Flaubert
09/02/20
Detail of body - “No Remorse”
Using storm Ciara to aid in the drying process.
10/02/20
Submission started.
Mobile installation?
11/02/20
…might be a little out there. Will sit on it for a while.
“Laziness is a sign of mediocrity.”
Voltaire
15/02/20
Visit by Jane and Hugh.
Victim / Perpetrator / Both
linking current work.
17/02/20
All pieces are wrapped and ready to go.
21/02/20
Slight change of plan.
23/02/20
Sketchbook work tonight.
25/02/20
Nerves are shredded already!
26/02/20
Work is on its way.
27/02/20
Well that’s it! Install complete I’m really happy with the exhibition and now it’s a waiting game for the opening.
29/02/20
Louis Fratino on Talk Art podcast.
Repeating motifs. mem: Like that odd shoulder loop that happens in drawings and then translates to paintings.
Made good progress in some areas of “Remorse” (bodies) but mostly have over painted to the point where I can’t put anything else down. Better to walk away now and go again another day than to push it over the edge today. Have reintroduced some rough drawing elements into the background.
"Confessional" Poster
Solo Exhibition at University of Atypical
Very happy to be displaying work in the University of Atypical Gallery for a solo show that is opening for Late Night Art Belfast on the 5th March.
Below is the text to accompany the exhibition. “Confessional” runs until the 10th April and there is an “In Conversation” event in the gallery on Saturday 21st March. All welcome
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
Delighted to have been commended in the Moth Art Prize 2019!
29/11/19
“Real painters understand with a brush in their hand.”
Need to try and make one little hour of creative work each weekday.
30/11/19
What a difference a boiler makes!
Listen here.
Episode 8 of the Art Advocate Podcast
in art, artist, northern ireland, visual art
Delighted to have been asked to sit down and have a chat with the wonderful Fiona Stewart for episode 8 of the Art Advocate Podcast!
Huge thanks to Fiona for inviting me to her wonderful studio for a chat and definitely check out previous episodes as well as keeping an eye out future podcasts.
Text for "Bardo: An Unknown Country"
Below is text written by Gemma Murphy that accompanied my solo show “Bardo: An Unknown Country” in the Ards Art Centre. Huge thanks to Gemma for her kind words and research into the exhibition.
Gemma Murphy
RDH: SEPTEMBER 2019
01/09/19
More work done to “The Ferryman”. I think it’s lost any painterly charm.
02/09/19
‘Arena: Kusama Infinity’ - such a great artist!
“While the dead show dead art, living artists die.” - Yayoi Kusama
Hope springs eternal.
05/09/19
Great talk and workshop with Action Mental Health. Really positive and interesting feedback from the crowd.
Patrick Horan’s fantastic paintings in the Ards Art Centre’s Sunburst Gallery.
Called into the Ards Art Centre for a quick chat and a little look at two shows opening; Gavin McCrea’s installation and Patrick Horan’s paintings.
Yusuke Asai’s amazing installation in the Golden Thread Gallery
At Late Night Art Mark McGreevy’s ‘Flop Sweat’ in the MAC is marvellous! Brilliant use of colour. ‘Knick Knacks and Whatnots’ by Cameron Morgan in University of Atypical is excellent. Blown away by the work on display in the Golden Thread’s “Noise of Silence: Japanese Art Now’ especially Yusuke Asai’s huge mud installations.
06/09/19
“Ferryman” is unusable.
07/09/19
Finally finished the middle panel from the originally conceived “Pioneer” triptych. Think it stands on it’s own merit.
More progress to the the ‘Cooley’ piece.
11/09/19
Sketchbook work tonight.
12/09/19
Really enjoyed “Memory: The Origin of Alien” documentary.
“At the Mountains of Madness” by HP Lovecraft.
“What will humanity find when they look in the dark places?”
15/09/19
Studio work - some additions of spray paint to ‘Cooley’ piece. Walked away before digging too far.
Little panel piece, “The Horror! The Horror” Speed is it’s friend. Wooden supports are responsive to gestural work - less so with the charcoal marks - more layers needed to achieve tonal quality I’m after.
16/09/19
Wonderful article about my time up at Action Mental Health.
17/09/19
Increase in productivity lately. Could it be a confidence thing? I’m working no more or no less than the slump periods. Is it a case of a fine tuning of better judgement when more at peace with practice? Plenty to look forward to in the coming months.
19/09/19
21/09/19
Notes: immediate drawing line combined with more deliberate painterly marks. Cross pollination.
“LW” = by removing the instrument of trauma can it be viewed in a miraculous or redemptive light?
Not spelling out the narrative - Great to sit down and chat about work and ideas with GM.
Visit to PS Squared and “How the Image Echos” show.
Sea Holly Gallery is absolutely stunning and wonderful work on from the 545 pop up group show. So good to see elements of the much loved Orpheus building back in an artistic sense.
Craig Donald’s work alongside restored windows from the Orpheus building in the Sea Holly Gallery
22/09/19
Finished little panel piece.
24/09/19
Quarantined.
28/09/19
Studio work and “Dress Rehearsal Study” is getting there. It’s weird how every time I paint children they end up completely terrifying.
Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’ is utterly amazing. Beautifully filmed and will stay with me for a long time.
30/09/19
Collection of work for “Bardo” show tomorrow morning.
Action Mental Health Talk and Workshop
On Thursday 5th September I visited Action Mental Health in Newtownards to give a talk and run a drawing workshop ahead of a new solo exhibition opening in the Ards Art Centre next month. In the talk I spoke about my work and how my own experiences of mental health issues relate and continue to be drawn into my practice. The feedback and the discussion from the clients and staff there was amazing and I want to thank everyone involved on the day.
AMH has written a wonderful article about the visit here.
“Bardo: An Unknown Country” preview will be from 7pm on Thursday 3rd October in the Ards Art Centre and aims to raise funds for Action Mental Health.
This exhibition has been made possible by the iDA award from University of Atypical which is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
RDH: AUGUST 2019
01/08/19
Save mode now!
04/08/19
Clean Palette.
08/08/19
Spider skin
10/08/19
Studio…
Detail of “Bogland Sackrace” - work in progress.
Drawing is essential in practice. It’s not even the success of the outcome that’s important but the act of looking and really scrutinising an image or object. Trying to find a way in.
PERFECTION IS AN ILLUSION.
13/08/19
Wrapping process.
15/08/19
Sketchbook work.
16/08/19
For tomorrow, let loose!
I’ve been lingering long enough on small little intricacies.
It’s not the first time I’ve struggled with a figure in profile.
Need to just look!
‘Art of Spain’ documentary : Goya was deaf!?
Black paintings were done “to the brink of incoherence” (AGD).
17/08/19
‘Bogland’ completed
A really good day in the studio. Huge improvement to ‘Sackrace’. The face in the central figure could be better but that is where I’ll leave it. Back is signed so it’s official.
Studio shot: 17/08/19
Unplanned progress on ‘Ferryman’. More painterly background.
21/08/19
Getting there with the small chores.
22/08/19
24/08/19
Early stages of “The Brown Bull of Cooley”
Started a new large canvas. Took on the image of a woman in motion - her stance suggested a figure that could be in battle. After a little research I decided to add a typical Celtic sword and shield combo. So this found magazine image turns into Queen Medb of Connaught.
Once the figure was on the canvas I was unsure whether to incorporate the bull (Medb’s infamous cattle raid of Cooley as inspiration) but curiosity got the better of me and I tore on with it.
Basically blocking the image up but it is promising so far. It will be interesting to see the fight between Medb and the bull in terms of who will come out dominant where in the composition.
28/08/19
29/08/19
Material delivery!
31/08/19
Studio work and ‘Ferryman’ has stagnated. Some parts work and others flop.
At that strange limbo point where a painting you’re working on fights back and refuses to yield. When one point of grievance is adjusted, two more pop up.
Today - more so than others - has been spent reflecting on lost loved ones and parts of that has made its way onto canvas. Little nods to moments once shared with someone no longer here.
I haven’t had this level of personal attachment to a work in progress in a long time and it has made the already frustrating back and forth of a painting’s final stretch all the more agonising.
Can you paint over a memory or is knowing that these little nods once existed enough?
RDH: MAY 2019
03/05/19
Painting Peer Critique hosted in CCA Derry.
Artist John Robinson with his work on the temporary stage at CCA Derry.
04/05/19
Close up of “The Lost Woods Study”
Been a while since using leaves to print on. Needs more layers but for now it solves the issue of the line… breaks the eye.
So after four months and four days I’ve finally finished a painting and broke my 2019 drought.
Detail of “Rose” - oil and charcoal on canvas.
05/05/19
First time visiting and it was like opening an old wound.
11/05/19
One very creepy window display.
12/05/19
Great Art show: “Goya: Flesh and Blood”
Started “Sack Race” (working title) and stupidly didn’t check material inventory before starting.
17/05/19
Sketching tonight. Past self was clever enough to leave certain works aside for potential events.
Study of an Uncle.
18/05/19
Really happy with how the studio went today.
19/05/19
Completed “The Lost Woods Study”.
20/05/19
Not to rely on gimmick. It has been an invaluable tool - one that I will continue to utilise - but only when the work demands it. If it is forced (like “Woman With the Dogs” and, more recently, “Ruins”) the work stagnates and imagery drowns in an unnecessarily complicated mess.
21/05/19
Should take own advice from time to time about differing paint properties.
In “Sack Race” - the looser the playing field the better. Almost tempted not to touch it at all.
A sort of closure. A temporary full stop.
22/05/19
Ran out of time. Need to keep RD by side.
23/05/19
Ring-gate.
25/05/19
“I know more. The lack of whats in the current work informs the next.” - Eva Rothschild.
More layers to “The Ferryman”. Because the face of the ferryman is so small it would be easy to fall into the familiar trap of aiming to capture all the detail and likeness of the source image. Focusing instead on light and tone - maybe even a hint of a blur? Like the figure is in the middle of turning to look at the viewer.
Surprise / Confrontation / Acknowledgement
Back and forth with “Sack Race”. Happy with certain elements, like the sky but have consequently fogged up other sections in the process. Eager to not fall into the familiar trap of muddiness and over-painting.
More progress to the sky in “Sack Race”.
27/25/19
29/05/19
Late night sketchbook work.
RDH: JANUARY 2019
01/01/19
Mountain walk with Jan and Rogue.
“I think of drawing as a way of getting information and really learning to understand imagery.” - Cecily Brown
Anna Bjerger has a corner filled with ten years of old books / magazines. There’s usually nothing new but it’s about looking at imagery time and again to see if anything jumps out.
OLD IMAGERY RECEIVING NEW CONTEXT.
You need to have a genuine feeling for an image.
02/01/19
Two large canvases. Diptych idea?
03/01/19
05/01/19
Found in a car park.
Nothing done is also nothing ruined.
06/01/19
10/01/19
If it is to be it will come again.
London is happening in April. Can’t wait!
11/01/19
Idea for a painting: “The To and Fro of Indecision”.
Sketchbook work tonight. Looking at old paintings from second year in University.
12/01/19
Boiler suit
If you look a little longer you will see things that have always been there but not in the same context as before. I’ve started looking a little closer at drawings that have been transferred onto acetate and pairing them off with others that I normally wouldn’t have previously.
13/01/19
Christening + St Lurach’s ruins. This is the biggest canvas I’ve tackled in a long time.
“Organised Forgetting”
Paint went well today - generally just blocking so it’s not too tasking. Colours - light v dark. Which elements of the image come to the fore and what fights to be heard.
15/01/19
Meaningless vote.
Chris Ofili’s “No Woman No Cry” - canvas rested on 2 heaps of elephant dung covered in a transparent resin.
Sculpture ideas - photos stacked like a house of cards. On panels?
Pyramid.
17/01/19
Trip to Newtownards and Belfast today.
The Ards Art Centre’s Georgian gallery space is stunning! So much light! Really interesting work by Katrina Cobain on show.
Stunning work by Alana Barton in the Black Box.
Great opening of Vault show in the Golden Thread Gallery’s project space.
Pauline Rowan’s photography was the stand out work for me in the latest instalment of Golden Thread’s “Dissolving Histories” series.
19/01/19
20/01/19
Really struggling to get motivated.
The act of drawing has stagnated. If you cut off the source how do you expect the river to flow?
Even working on other imagery (drawings) when painting something else is bound to have positive repercussions?
27/01/19
Took a while to get going. Not really focusing on one task but I think that’s good sometimes.
A little experiment
28/01/19
Been thinking a lot about potential sculptural ideas recently. Give it a whirl?
29/01/19
Sketchbook work
30/01/19
“Shooting the Darkness” documentary on RTÉ was fascinating insight from photojournalists who were front line witnesses to some of the most horrific atrocities during the Troubles.
RDH: 01/12/18 - 31/12/18
01/12/18
Blocked out “Bereft Clown”.
02/12/18
Found an ogham poster on North Street with an interesting translation.
Vault studios is amazing - especially EMIC’s studio space!
04/12/18
…text to coincide with next solo show…
08/12/18
Studio work today. Thought I was close to finishing ‘confessional’ but it might be further away than I imagined.
09/12/18
“You make a mistake when you explain the paintings through the war.”
Mark Stevens - on Bacon’s “Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion”
Several shooting stars.
15/12/18
Probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. Childhood hero reduced. It's a real jolt to the system.
Trauma doesn’t discriminate. It’s so subjective that it can defy explanation or description. Nightmarish.
16/12/18
Materials courtesy of the University of Atypical’s iDA award arrived to the studio today.
Need to learn to keep some things to yourself.
See it through. Stay strong and keep head up.
17/12/18
Panic attack today.
21/12/18
You never fully appreciate someone until its too late. A true legend that has shaped so many. Time with family is so important.
Resolutions < Revolutions
22/12/18
Moon-rise over Glenshane.
Thought I had a good night’s sleep but my body is telling me different. Need to draw more again.
26/12/18
Getting lost in thought about art is a joy. It’s like taking a mini vacation.
27/12/18
Some sketchbook work. Not much but it’s a start.
Look more before putting pen to paper. This is not to say to lose the immediacy during the act of drawing but to take a breath to absorb and examine what an image has to offer.
29/12/18
Finished “Confessional”. Maybe when the mind is distracted slightly it makes studio work more of an automated response? Decisions were made and action was taken.
Not saying having a completely distracted head-space works. Far from it. I’ve been there plenty of times and it’s disastrous. No. It’s more a case of - you’re in the studio and you have a clear(ish) idea of where the work will go so you follow that. The decision making dilemma is lessened due to the preoccupation of other matters going on upstairs.
30/12/18
A bit of work done to “Bereft Clown before clearing the palette and studio up for another year.
RDH: 01/11/18 - 30/11/18
02/11/18
… all but done…
03/11/18
Do I need a foreign colour? “Afore the Stoop” went in a slightly different direction than first thought. I think I had that quote by Helen Johnson still ringing in my ears about imagery possessing different surface qualities and being on different registers on the same picture plane.
The buzzard is still; hovering overhead while the still-life is in flux. Melting in on itself. To not just merge separate imagery on the one canvas but to treat them differently via technique. I’ve done this regularly in the past but never to this extent before and definitely not on this scale. There’s loads going on: blocked areas, melting, washes and burning/corroding of the surface for texture.
“Confessional” is a different beast altogether. It’s going to be a slower process - building up washes of colour, drawing elements back in followed by more washes until it comes to an end or a crossroads. So far so good. It’s not really a colliding of images. It’s the notion of what a negative of a pattern could do to another image.
Refreshing to see organisations opening doors. The model is being altered.
04/11/18
Kept hearing the shrieking of a buzzard every time I went to work on “Afore the Stoop”. When I looked it was perched on top of the tallest tree at the end of the lane and then glided off.
06/11/18
Some sketchbook work. Not a lot of time but that’s my fault.
09/11/18
HELP!
10/11/18
For studio work: cautious steps or daring leaps? Annoyingly close to finishing “ATS”.
Submission writing hurts my head.
11/11/18
Films to watch:
Finished “ATS”. Still bits that annoy but for the sake of not destroying it entirely, I don’t mind the imperfections.
Help has been indispensable.
12/11/18
Still waiting on magazine.
13/11/18
Egon Shiele Documentary - transcending the idea of the body as beauty.
15/11/18
Nothing.
16/11/18
Belfast bound for curator talks but looking forward to visiting some galleries first.
Jane McCormick’s “Not Half Right” at the University of Atypical was absolutely amazing. Insanely strong drawing and sculptural elements.
Ali Cherri in the MAC International 2018. His work was the stand out work for me.
Curator talks as part of Belfast Open Studios from Visual Artists Ireland offices. Speaking at the event: Nora Hickey from CCI in Paris, Ika Sienkiewicz-Nowacka from CCA Warsaw, Dean Brierley from Caustic Coastel in Manchester and Anna Ciabach - formally of Monopol Gallery in Warsaw.
17/11/18
Work is being used as an example to show other artists about finding your own voice. Chuffed.
…someone has been keeping an eye on my progress and that is something!
Another trip to Belfast for more galleries and then a Speed Curating event.
Gerard Carson’s “Submersible Extractions” in Platform.
Patrick Colhoun at the Golden Thread Gallery.
Still of Barbara Hammer’s work at the Golden Thread Gallery exhibition.
Layout of the ‘Speed Curating’ event by VAI held in Belfast Exposed.
18/11/18
It has been a hectic but brilliant few days. Yesterday I called into Platform to see Gerard Carson’s “Submersible Extractions” and a solo show by Dryden Wilson. I followed this up by a quick look at the Barbara Hammer exhibition and Patrick Colhoun’s project space work in the Golden Thread Gallery. Then it was time for the speed curating event at Belfast Exposed.
… do research. What artists i admire….
…Strange. Nothing negative. Just nothing.
A lot of information. A real painter?
19/11/18
“In Defence of Representation” essay by Tristan Garcia.
In western philosophy the representational object is either a copy, a sign or a duplex.
“… according to the semiotic model, there is no representation without signification, that is to say without interpretation.” - Tristan Garcia
20/11/18
“Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” - Screen (1973)
“The Victim” - Saul Bellow
21/11/18
Tried sketchbook work - failed miserably.
23/11/18
Projection onto fog screen.
24/11/18
Thunderchild?
Line of connection between viewer and work - GO’H
Ask the question: what do you see?
25/11/18
Yesterday I eventually got painting around lunchtime - back and forth with ‘Confessional’ but progress made. Great talk with GO’H about ‘the gaze’.
Leaf blowing.
27/11/18
Need to select paintings for Framewerk Christmas show.
28/11/18
“The Trouble with Painting” - ICA (YouTube)
“What you’re interested in in the world will feed back into what you are interested in as an artist.” - Alison Pilkington
…speaking about dreams, a quote from Alison Pilkington’s drawing seminar from the RHA really stuck out. I’m paraphrasing here but the guts of it is this: talking to people about why you make the work you do (or about your inspirations for that matter) is like talking to people about your dreams. People aren’t overly interested when someone else describes a dream. It’s subjective and personal and it’s all but impossible to get the experience across properly.
Sketchbook work.
29/11/18
A difficult few weeks to come.
VAI Speed Curating: Nov 2018
On Saturday 17th November, Visual Artists Ireland held a Speed Curating event in Belfast Exposed Gallery as part of their Belfast Open Studios 2018 programme. It was great to get a chance to speak to curators both from here and also based further afield: Manchester, Paris, Warsaw and Rome.
For artists, I can’t recommend taking part in events like this highly enough. Thanks to Rob, Chris and Siobhán from VAI and to all the curators for their time and feedback!
RDH: 01/10/18 - 31/10/18
01/10/18
… of interest. Attainable small steps to reach big goals.
02/10/18
Delivery mix up.
05/10/18
Booked VAI speed curating slots for November.
…LA… fingers crossed!
06/10/18
initials in ogham
Experiment in the studio with a degree of success. When a fine layer of fixative is lit on the paintings surface, areas of the canvas that are predominantly charcoal or thin layers of colour are singed and blister - creating an interesting effect. Safety first though.
Jan is right —> the lighter background to “Pioneer” was more unsettling. Rectify.
07/10/18
Staring at “Pioneer”. I think I’m hesitant because its… I don’t know. I think the colours are too similar between light and shade. By the same token - you don’t want it to become too contrasting and cartoonish. A foreign colour introduced into the third panel may point a direction.
Flying by the seat of pants but you can’t control the spontaneous. Some detailed work today. It is getting there. Attention directed towards other matters.
… paintings and clusters of drawings - like a shotgun spread of memories. Jumbled - linked yet conflicting. Fighting for dominance.
\\\THE TRAUMA PARADOX\\\
08/10/18
Just realised a connection between “AMATGS” and the ivy crown. Oedipus plays would have been played during the festival of Dionysus - who is associated with a crown of ivy.
09/10/18
“ I gave myself permission to follow my voice and that’s what my whole career has been. I still give myself permission and no compromise. I compromised before but not when I became an artist.” Mark Bradford
10/10/18
11/10/18
13/10/18
“Into The Void Magazine” submission successful!
Sketchbook work and now watching the original ‘Suspiria’ for the first time.
14/10/18
Notes finished for presentation. Pleased with burning effect on triptych.
… was suggested something on Friday. Well it was more of a dialogue regarding “Pioneer”; the first and last sections work. They’re strong but the one that should be the strongest and the anchor, the middle piece is way behind. Changing from a triptych to a diptych? Leave it for a while - continue working on all three before abandoning the middle piece.
Using ash as a painting/drawing medium. Religious links? Why do ideas come in the final minutes of the day? Processing process.
18/10/18
On way to Dublin. Looking forward to talking about work in DLR Lexicon. Not nervous. Yet.
Just saw the most beautiful fox casually strolling across a field outside Armagh.
I’ve been skirting around issues. The ‘recall’ notion might be worth exploring again. Drawing. Painting. Video. Audio.
The DLR Lexicon is stunning. Really enjoyed the other talks - especially work of Cecilia Bullo.
19/10/18
Yesterday’s trip and talks were great. Just wish I had more time to go around some of Dublin’s galleries when I was down. Decided it was best to drop the middle canvas in “Pioneer Studies”. Finished the other two pieces and happy with the results.
20/10/18
A little tweaking to “Afore the Stoop”.
Dad suffered a bleeding eye following his operation.
22/10/18
Have been neglecting practice and methods during the week. Ards - it seems a long way off but it will fly in.
Keeping your finger on the pulse is no bad thing.
24/10/18
Personal history is a source - not the explanation. ‘imagine…’ with Tracey Emin on iPlayer was insightful. Have a new found respect for Emin’s practice and quite like a few of some of her new paintings.
27/10/18
No paints were used today but three canvases were started. The smallest piece - I don’t think will have legs. As a drawing it is strong but I feel it won’t work on canvas. I’ve drawn up “Bereft Clown” again - a different size to the previous square stretcher. Will see how it goes. The third canvas is the one I’m most excited about. It’s a merging of two images but in a slightly different way. First is an image of a German officer stationed in a concentration camp. The other is a negative of a confession screen. The idea is to project light through the lattice onto the portrait. Fright Night in the jungle was great fun!
28/10/18
Slept so much. Slow progress but progress nonetheless.
31/10/18
Spacing error.
“I’m really interested in creating moments of ‘push and pull’ in paintings and having different registers of imagery with different surface qualities - so one thing might be compositionally in the foreground but materially might be being subsumed by whats behind it.” Helen Johnson
RDH: 01/09/18 - 30/09/18
01/09/18
Detail work to “AMATGS” today.
02/09/18
Lifting unselected works from Belfast.
03/09/18
No point in worrying about things out of your control. Took a while but made good progress in the studio. Gently does it.
Sculpture on my mind.
04/09/18
…mad to think I have two solo shows coming…
Tinker + Research + Ideas = …
What box?
05/09/18
Detail of sketchbook work.
NB: Sketch from objects?
08/09/18
ideas: …soft pink highlights… hints of sandals… bruised colour…
Steps in the right direction. Had a notion to put trees in the background - the nothingness was annoying me. After that attempt and then a further attempt to incorporate reflective lines, i think blank is good. There is plenty going on in and amongst the three figures so to try and confuse it with more ammo may be a mistake.
Gathered objects for perusal. Baby steps.
09/09/18
Seneca on anger documentary. Nero’s tutor. People get angry because they are too hopeful - be more pessimistic and less surprised for misfortune.
Be psychologically prepared from when things go wrong. Dark Symbol - Rudder
“What need is there to weep over parts of life, the whole of it calls for tears.” - Seneca
10/09/18
Playing about with mirror effects.
Change to background. Neutral this time and I think it will work. There was a muck up when I went to put the blood moon back in and I tried to rectify the warmer tones on the upper right or the neutral colour but was then reminded of a quote by Rose Wylie: “I think you’re a lot happier if you don’t mind a bit of imperfection.” It feeds into the Seneca documentary from last night.
11/09/18
Another day filled with distractions.
12/09/18
Eventually got round to doing some sketchbook development.
An afternoon of application submissions and sketchbook studies.
15/09/18
Detail of recently finished painting.
Finished “A Manifold and Truly Glorious Strife.”
16/09/18
A lazy day.
17/09/18
Some interest. Started triptych.
23/09/18
Amazing weekend at the Loughlin wedding!
24/09/18
Jan mentioned something that I think is important. Doing a little something everyday - even if you think there is no point - is better than doing nothing at all.
25/09/18
A weird impromptu visit. Well-intentioned but very sceptical.
26/09/18
The only absolute constant is change.
29/09/18
Painting Peer Critique Session went really well in the Golden Thread Gallery. Hoping it grows and develops.
30/09/18
Studio work. “Pioneer Studies” - good start. Haven’t done a triptych in a few years. Third canvas is all but there.
Close up of one of the “Pioneer Studies” - work in progress.
Studio Shot: 03/09/18
A shot of the studio with two large paintings in progress. Left: "Afore the Stoop" Right: "A Manifold and Truly Glorious Strife".