A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

I'm back in the studio but unable to photograph my work as my camera is on the blink right now. Fortunately, it's still under warranty so Sony has promised to fix me up by either repairing or replacing the camera. Until I get it back tho, I'll just have to describe what's going on w/ me in the studio.....how exciting, huh?

Yesterday I put the finishing touches on the collage pieces I did at Cill Rialaig. I had a very productive week there and managed to get 10 small collages done - - in addition to the hand-tinted tissue paper and textured papers that I typically use in my collages, I used native dried grasses and other natural elements from the area around the Cill Rialaig Village in most of them. So Ireland is literally 'in' the work! I'll post photos as soon as I can.

Today I wanted to do a quick study from a still life. Hydrangeas are in bloom right now so I set up a small vase of them in the studio and came away with a very loose, sketchy, painting.....oil on paper.....and I like the result.....wish I could share it with you!

I felt I had to post some kind of photo so the one I chose is of the gorgeous wild foxgloves (digitalis) that were blooming all around the Cill Rialaig Village. This photo will likely result in a painting.....stay tuned!

Images from the Cill Rialaig Village

In addition to the cottages themselves, I thought some images of what can be seen from the cottages might interest you. It's almost too much to capture with a photograph - - it's definitely too much to describe with mere words.

Home Again!

I'm back home! Got back early yesterday am (3:00am to be exact!!) after a long day of travel....but home safe & sound and that's what matters! My trip was wonderful. I had a great time in Listowel during Writer's Week. The opening at Olive Stack Gallery went very well. It was opened by Nora Relihan who is a writer and stage actress from North Kerry. She did a great job and is quite an inspiration...a remarkable woman to say the least. Three of the collages I had in the show were based on John B. Keane's plays and Nora played key roles in two of them when they were staged in Listowel. She played the role of "Maggie" in "Big Maggie" and she played the role of "Mena" in the play "Sive" so it seemed quite fitting that she was involved in opening the exhibition.

After Writer's Week I spent a week at Cill Rialaig, an artists retreat on the Iveragh Peninsula in the south of Co. Kerry. The images above are of the stone cottages at Cill Rialaig. Each cottage is a restored ruin which has been converted into an artists studio w/ living space. There's a small kitchen, bathroom and a loft with a bed...otherwise it's predominately studio space. I met artists from Scotland, England, Holland, Ireland and one writer from the US. All very talented and interesting people. I was pleased with the work I was able to accomplish while there for a week. I managed to complete ten collages....some were small (5 x 7) and some were medium in size (12 x 16). I'll have to post photos of them at a later time as my camera is on the blink right now.

I also enjoyed some wonderful traditional music while I was there and had the good privilege of having two private fiddle lessons with a fabulous fiddler from Co. Clare named Maeve Donnolley. She was incredibly generous with her time and her talent.....it was an incredible opportunity for me.

I'm home now full of inspiration and as soon as I'm rested up a bit I'll be back in the studio with a vengance!