Flower Vendor - Dublin

Flower Vendor - Dublin

In the heart of Dublin, Ireland, an expansive grid of narrow streets was crowded with people. Sightseers often stopped in their tracks to take it all in.  People with a purpose and a destination weaved in and around them.  We were part of the former group, browsing through block after block of vendors, cafes and pubs.   On this street, traffic was limited to business related deliveries so it was fun to wander around and take in the colorful sights and sounds. 



In this scene a young woman selling flower bouquets remained watchful as a couple of women scope out the floral sprays.   I thought from the minute I saw it that this would make an interesting painting scene.  By design, each element of the painting is prioritized by how realistic it is painted.  The center of interest is the proprietor, and is the most realistically painted.   Next were the black buckets on the brick roadway, then the flower bouquets, and lastly the two figures on the left.

Homestead Ruins & Pasture - Isle of Doagh Ireland

McColgan Farmhouse

In the late 1800’s, two brothers and their respective families lived and worked two side-by-side farms on the Isle of Doagh, County Donegal, Ireland.    One brother’s name was John McColgan and the other’s name was Edward McColgan. 

    

John and his wife Grace had fourteen children.  They lived in the “larger” farmhouse which was also the house where the two brothers had been born and raised.    Edward and his wife Bridget acquired the land next to this original homestead and had eight children of their own.    In late 1898, Edward contracted consumption, a contagious disease that reached epidemic levels in Ireland and Britain at that time.   Today, the disease is known as tuberculosis.  Sadly, his wife Bridget soon contracted the disease as well.   They died within a month of each other in the winter of 1899.  

Four of their daughters and one son, ages 10, 14, 16, 19 and 21 were orphaned.   Their two oldest daughters had emigrated to Boston years earlier, when they had turned eighteen.   Their son Michael Joseph (my grandfather) had also emigrated one year earlier.

  

There was discussion of the siblings staying in Ireland under the supervision of their aunt and uncle next door, but with fourteen children of their own, John and Grace were likely unable to support five more.  Hence in 1900, the five siblings travelled together to Boston and settled in with their older siblings. The younger daughters moved in with their older sisters, each of whom were married at that point.  One daughter enrolled in nursing school at Massachusetts General Hospital.

As for the property owned by Edward and Bridget, it was sold to a cousin who continued to farm the fields but let the house fall to ruin.   The original farmhouse still stands and is in good condition.   In fact, it was getting a new thatched roof during our visit.   If you Watch The Video, it is the neat little white farmhouse with the red doors.

Donegal Homestead

Maybe you can imagine the feeling I had as I stood on the cart path just above the two homesteads, one farmhouse still standing and the other, barely recognizable ruins.  I had a tingly feeling to think that this was the land of my ancestors, where they lived, worked and died.  The sheep and cattle were probably of the same lineage through the years. Why, even the wild raspberries I sampled were probably the same as those eaten by the family.     Spirits of the past!   This visit and paint-out may have been the most gratifying of all.   I’m hoping the deep rich crimson darks and vivid green lights of the land shine through.

Westport Cove View - Ireland

Westport Cove - Color Study Final

The waterfront at Westport was one of my favorite spots for scenery in Ireland and we visited three times.  I chose a scene with this rustic boathouse on an beautiful inlet.  I later learned that what Motif #1 is to Rockport, MA, this painting scene is to Westport Harbor.   I got down in the mucky low tide to capture the scene I wanted.   The boathouse was stunning, especially its red roof, but the decrepit turquoise boat in the foreground was my favorite element.  It's great when an element is so decayed that a rough stroke with a palette knife is just the thing that makes it come alive.

Croagh Patrick from Murrisk Island - Westport Ireland

Westport River Channel

Our next stop in Western Ireland was Westport.   Similar to previous days, it started out sunny, but the clouds eventually took over, producing rain, then the sun came out again.   The town itself was beautiful with the river channel passing through the middle. There were arched stone bridges that crossed the river in several places, and these were adorned with lush flower boxes and blooms hanging down nearly to the water.  I didn't actually paint in town, but these scenes were gorgeous and I hope to paint a scene or two from the photos as I build up the Ireland painting collection. 

Croagh Patrick from Murrisk Island

Climbing Croagh Patrick, about 5 miles from us was on the agenda, and I will state right up front, it didn't happen (for various reasons, one of which was the rainy forecast).   The peak is one of the larger mountains in Ireland and is most well known because pilgrims (some barefoot) climb to the summit Chapel as an act of penance.  Historical accounts describe this sacred place as the mountain where Saint Patrick fasted and prayed for forty days in the year 441 A.D..  The peak is clearly visible from most of the Westport area and since we didn't actually climb it, I figures it would be wholly appropriate to pay homage via this painting.

We set up to paint about a mile from the trailhead on a small connected island, home of the fishing village called Murrisk.   Careful observation of the mountain revealed figures of climbers - small specs - silhouetted on left side of the slope.   It was very windy on this day.   My husband wisely chose a spot behind a wall and benefited from his wind blocker.  I chose a higher vantage point and paid a price, my biggest obstacle being my inability to keep my brush steady.     What colors!  Every shade of green, but also, reds, purples, golds, yellows...and even better when the sun peaked out!

Click here to see my view while I painted.

Dingle Harbor View - Ireland

Dingle Valley Greens

We had planned a whole day of exploring the Dingle Peninsula.  We left sunny Killorgen early and as we made our way toward Dingle Bay and drove through the valley, I saw the greenest greens I have ever seen!  It was a classic vista of green pastures and easily one of the ten most beautiful spots I have ever seen in person.   Yes, it would have been great to paint there, but due to the narrow, busy road, it was not conducive to safety or quiet.  We settled for stopping and getting a nice long look; perhaps a future studio painting!

Dingle Harbor View - Painting and Scene

When we arrived in Dingle Harbor, we walked around a bit both for touring and for deciding on a place to paint.   There were lots of choices and the bustle of the town area with its colorful buildings was enticing. 

Dingle Harbor

We noticed a long walking path and green space from with the whole span of the colorful town was visible, and that was where we set up.    This scene was an ambitious undertaking and as it turned out, actually took nearly three hours instead of the usual two hours.

"Painterly" is a word that describes a painting style in which the paint is applied in a way that is not realistic, but gives the essence of a scene through the colors and brushstrokes.   This painting is an example of a more painterly approach.   An honest, untrained eye might call it messy! :))

Silver Birch - Molls Gap

Silver Birch - Molls Gap

More spectacular scenery on our next sojourn from Kenmare to Killorgen.  We passed through the mountains and a particularly beautiful mountain pass called Molls Gap.   It is so well known that dozens of tour busses stop here daily.  


We set up our easels well out of the way of the tourist paths, although several people were curious enough to trek to where we were and take a look.  I chose the birch since it framed the long view of the lakes and yet more gorgeous mountains in the distance.  Again the goal was to capture the colors live and in person.  The valley was copper colored but the photos depict it as beige....hence the value of plein air painting.

Healy Pass Panorama - Beara Penninsula Ireland

Painting at Healy Pass

Outward bound toward Beara Penninsula, we drove the road that parallels the coastline.   After painting in the rain (see Rainy Country Road), we arrived in Castletownbere where we enjoyed expertly made coffees, served with unbounded warmth and friendliness.   (Can we bottle that and bring it home, we thought?  Not the coffee, the cordiality:))    This nice stop in the Southwestern region of Ireland re-energized us in preparation for the return trip.  It was my driving day, a deliberate plan because of the hair-raising nature of this leg of the sojourn.  (It is less terrifying for the greater neurotic to be in control.. lol)  In fact, why don't I share a snippet of it here.

Healy Pass - Beara Penninsula

As you saw, once we were just beyond the highest elevation, we pulled over.   What a spectacular panorama!  I just had to do a quick sketch.   The colors of the mountains, slopes and valley were indescribable.   The color match was what I was after, and in the end I was glad I did.   The river bed was literally golden and copper colored in person, yet the photos depict that same area as a murky dark tan.  The small mountain on the right looked like a peachy color, similar to salmon, breaking the rule about the blue in receding mountains.   So pretty!  True color matching can't be achieved from a photo - my strong personal opinion!

Rainy Country Road - Beara Penninsula Ireland

Rainy Country Road - Beara Penninsula

The sky in Kenmare was bright and sunny when we began our scenic drive through the expansive Beara Penninsula in Southwestern Ireland.   We hoped to find a great spot to paint near Allihies, the region where my husband's ancestors originated.   Intermittent rain and drizzle had begun, but we remained hopeful that it was temporary.   The drizzle did let up when we pulled over near a scenic spot east of Allihies.    The long and winding road snaked its way down a valley and the Atlantic Ocean bordered the land to the east.  The moisture gave the scene a misty feel and it made the distant cliffs look pale gray.

WET Painting

 We started painting with vigor, and the thing about painting is, its hard to stop halfway, and before long, it was raining again.   We had raindrops dripping from our hoods, paintings, and palettes.  We kept painting; were we in a trance?    I felt like the two colors I most wanted to color-capture were the stones of the wall and the grasses just above it, so once that was done, I started to pack up.   I blotted my painting with a dry paper towel and wiped down my palette.  We left our paintings and palettes out to "dry" in the rear of the vehicle.   Its a good thing it is oil color!

Rainy Country Road - Beara Penninsula Ireland - Color Study Final

I can't share much about my painting process on this day.   I was on autopilot and on a mission to finish a painted sketch...here it is.    It will serve as a color study for a larger painting in the coming weeks.   This one was hard earned!

Hayfield Harvest at Dusk- Ireland

Hayfield Harvest at Dusk

It was late afternoon of the day we arrived in Kenmare, Ireland.  The plan was to paint the following day somewhere along our drive of the Beara Pennisula, so I decided to go to our vehicle and get ready.  As I was squeezing out fresh color onto the palette and organizing my gear I took a good look around.   I was surrounded by picturesque scenes in every direction.   There were lovely flower gardens, tall stone walls with an arched, embedded gate, and a water fountain.   These subjects were tempting but they were already mostly in shade and daylight was waning.  

A tractor had been noisily harvesting and baling the next property over, and with perfect timing, and maybe the luck of the Irish, he finished as the sun broke out.   It lit up the field, the green pastures and the mountains with almost magical golden light.  I broke out my easel and the result is this (very rapid) color study.  For me, speed means palette knife and very thick, bold paint application. 

It was a good thing this was toward the beginning of the trip given the amount of paint that was applied.   What a memorable experience and the color study will be useful in the future for a large studio painting.

Farmhouse Ruins - Donegal

Farmhouse Ruins - Donegal

These farmhouse ruins are adjacent to a new farmhouse on Fegart Road, Isle of Doagh, Donegal.   The September light illuminates the green grasses, and the colorful lichen on the crumbling stone walls.    The nothern-most tip of Ireland, Malin Head, is the mountain ridge in the distance.

Sun Sweeps In - Donegal, Ireland

Sun Sweeps In - Donegal, Ireland

I painted this scene once before.  That was after a trip to Donegal, Ireland to explore my roots.   The land depicted has special significance to me because it was these fields that were worked by my Great-grandfather back in the late 1800's.  The cartpath runs down to a culvert between the road I was on and the pasture.  Stone walls are all over tinted with greenish lichen and moss.

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Curious Sheep - Ireland

Sheep at the Stone Wall

While exploring the countryside in Ireland we did a lot of walking.    Green pastures were dotted with sheep and often they were standing alongside the stone walls that separated one field from the next.   Unlike the cows, which would walk toward us and even "say hello," the sheep would just stare quietly.   It was as if our very presence caused them to become frozen in place, and they wouldn't make a sound.

Allihies Dairy Farmer II

Dairy Farmer - County Clare

This painting depicts a dairy farmer in the southwestern Ireland, specifically the Beara Penninsula, which is the furthest western landmass, a part of County Clare.  The distant hills were covered in a patchwork of shades of green and pink.   In this field, a large steel milk drum on wheels sat near an old gate.    As the farmer walked to it, the cows followed him, as if they expected a treat.   More likely, they knew it was milking time.

Fegart, Donegal Pair

Fegart, Donegal Pair

One of my favorite locations in Ireland is all the way to the north in County Donegal.   My great-grandparents owned a farm on the Isle of Doagh, specifically an area called Cuill.   Some of the winding roads on the Isle are better walked than driven and it was on foot that we enjoyed the scene depicted in this pair of paintings.  Not far from Cuill was an area called Fegart with breathtaking views of Trawbreaga Bay.   This body of water separates the Isle of Doagh from Malin Head, the northern most tip of Ireland.

A stone structure overlooked the landscape and gradually sloped down to the waters' edge.    I would imagine that the stone structures that dot the countryside are hundreds of years old.  The stonework was often overgrown with green moss and lichen, a suitable match for the emerald green landscape.    When the sun was shining, it was just dazzling and I'm quite sure it looks no different than it did when my great-grandparents were here one hundred and thirty years ago.

Stone Church Ruins - County Clare, Ireland

Stone Church Ruins - County Clare, Ireland

Iconic images of Ireland's countryside invariably include stone walls bordering the green patchworked hills.    Many old churches and castles were also built from stone, now in various stages of disrepair and/or preservation.   Thick textured paint lends itself perfectly to depicting these rough surfaces. The lichen covered stones had a distinctly green tinge and I don't think it was just the reflection of the emerald green pastures.  The stonework in the shadows was a crimson shade of grey on the side of the road in County Clare, Ireland, northwest of Ennis.   Here is the close-to-done painting.  

Isle of Doagh, Donegal

Linen Sheet

Donegal Gray

I still have such vivid and wonderful memories of our epic trip to Ireland last year.   I have sold some of the paintings I created when I returned.  These were paintings that I probably should have kept, but I would tell myself, I can paint another!

For the two paintings in this post, I revisited - via photograph - a highlight of the trip.   Our amazing adventure took us to the northernmost region of Ireland to Cuill, Isle of Dough, County Donegal. This was the location of the ancestral home of my paternal great grandparents and their children.  Sadly, the parents died within a few weeks of each other in 1899, resulting in the subsequent emigration of their children (ages 11 through 23) to America, specifically Boston, Massachusetts.

Knowing the familial connection to this land made it special, and no painting or photograph could come close to capturing the breathtaking beauty of this region.    The moist, imposing clouds sat low over us as we hiked an old farm path (Fegart Road) to the top of a hill on the Isle of Doagh.

Isle of Dough - Donegal

Whenever the sun (or at least rays of sunshine) broke through, the light was truly amazing!    It was at those moments that the distant countryside emitted the iconic emerald green that Ireland is known for.   Being on an island with water all around, the gray clouds became lavender, pink, blue and pale yellow.

My goal in these two 8x10 inch paintings was to capture those fleeting, sunlit moments.  One painting includes an old stone farm (more decrepit in person than they may appear in the painting).   The other painting depicts a simple meadow with the Irish Sea and neck of land in the distance

I hope you can see the magic that I felt while I was there; if not, you must go and see/feel it in person!

Inspired by H.M. Trevor's The Fisherman's Mother

Inspired by The Fisherman's Wife Stage One

During the course of the last two years while researching my ancestors, I discovered that farming was the predominant occupation of my paternal ancestors - that is - until they emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts.   There, far from their farming roots, they took on a variety of occupations becoming pipefitters, longshoremen and nurses.     Some of my mother's paternal ancestors were from Canada and made their living in occupations related to the sea, mostly fishermen.  


Inspired by The Fisherman's Wife

I was immediately drawn to a painting at the National Gallery in Dublin and I took a photograph of it, which inspired this painting.    The original painting was done by Irish artist Helen Mabel Trevor in 1892.   She was fascinated by the fishing culture of Brittany and particularly the strength of the women whose husbands and sons faced the dangers of sea.   The rosary beads and cane complete the image of an elderly woman who has experienced a lifetime worry, though tempered with piety, and the years are plainly displayed on her face.

St. Stephen's Green - Dublin

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin

This painting is the third 8 x 8 inch canvas done with reference photos from our trip to Ireland in September.   St. Stephen's Green is an urban oasis located in the middle of Dublin.  It reminded me very much of the Boston Common and Public Gardens.   The perfect Sunday weather (yes - again, no rain) drew many people who were enjoying the sprawling greens, ponds and full, floral splendor. 

The people in this scene were sitting in small groups, most with at least one musical instrument in their midst.  The light and shadows were stunning.   The light was so bright that it caused an illusion of yellowish-white in the branches and leaves.   The shadows were so long that they grew wide as they moved away from their source.   The many figures looked like spots of color, only the sun rimming the tops of their heads gave evidence that this was a crowd of people.  The small impressionistic dots of color look chaotic up close but from a distance, I'm thinking - hoping - they look like figures sitting and walking in the park.

Irishmen Conversing

Irishmen Conversing

These two gentlemen, one on foot and one on bicycle stopped to chat on a busy Kilkenny, Ireland street.   Their dark silhouettes stood out against the sunny and festive street scene.  I liked their postures with the bike between them and activity all around.

The canvas used for this painting was the second of three 8" x 8" squares that I had underpainted at the same time with the same colorful abstract pattern.  The first square of the three was the accordion player that I posted a couple of weeks ago.

At least one adjustment still needs to be made before it can be listed in the shop, most specifically warming up the brightest areas of pavement (too white).   Please share any other suggested you may have as well.

Accordion Color

Full Color Accordian

Ennis, County Clare, Ireland was the first of many stops in Ireland.   Ennis was on the itinerary because it was here we would rest up from flying and get acclimated (time zone, driving on the left, etc.).    We used it as a hub for the western coastline attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren.    We were happily surprised to learn that Ennis was attractive and historic in its own right.  It had a small but colorful village atmosphere, including plenty of shops, restaurants and cafes.  There were flower planters everywhere.

The fine fellow playing the accordion in this painting was a fixture on the main street.   He seemed to play continuously and probably the third or fourth time we passed him, he proudly posed for a photo.

I liked the contrast between the vivid colors all around and the musician's drab clothing and somewhat pasty complexion and I pulled some of the bright color into the sleeves and hat.   Does the bright color work?   I like it because it reminds me of the splendid floral displays, but a part of me wants to tone it down.   Comments?