Forty Days and Forty Nights

Here is an image of a very recently finished large format painting.
I suppose the initial concept for this painting was to explore and illustrate the space and light in my studio as well as the idea of searching for a 'paintings subject', the subject of this painting, being a painting!

I have two studio spaces in which I work at home.  In one of the studios I create most of my representational pieces. This space has north light. The other studio space has light that streams in from the west in the evenings. I use this space to create large scale works that I will share with you some time next year.

Forty Day and Forty Nights - oil on linen - 40"x30" - sold
Private Collection, Ireland.

Wet Paint!

I have several large scale still life pieces in process at the moment at my studio.
Thought to send you on this image.
Can anyone guess the whereabouts of the landscape depicted in the background?

- Richard

Classical Thirds

It was a mad 'egg hunt' in Germany, made easy by visits to Ralph Gelbert's studio.
I collected objects and debris that spoke to me. I picked these objects for there inherent formal qualities and arranged them in this composition which I entitled Classical Thirds.

Classical Thirds - oil on canvas - 64" x 48"
Collection of The City of Neustradt an der Weinstrasse

Green, Blue and Orange

Composition in Green, Blue and Orange - oil on linen panel - 12"x9"

Below an image of painting created and completed during my time in Germany last month at the 3rd Kunstler International Symposium in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse.

In this linear arrangement I worked with horizontal and vertical objects and light which lead the eye from left to right across the picture plane. I also kept the warmest colours at the right creating a complementary.

Hope you like it.

- Richard

The Artist's Boots

I had had these old leather boots of mine recently resoled in New York City.

Some weeks ago they carried me to Neustadt an der Weinstresse in Germany, to take part in an international symposium of painters and sculptors. I decided to start my work that week by creating a painting of my boots.

In a very direct manner I blocked in the selected tones and shapes of my boots in a created space. I played with the idea of offsetting their soft leather form against a white 'framing device'.

Perhaps the symbol of these boots also hints at an inward journey? A journey always begins with the first step! All creativity begins inside our centre. We must all 'draw' our creativity from inside ourselves and from there it is possible to move out into the world.

The Artist's Boots - oil on panel - 12"x9"
Private Collection, Ireland

Papa's Gloves

Papa's Gloves - oil on linen - 12"x9"
Private Collection.

These gloves were worn by my grandfather Dick Hearns when boxing for Ireland v USA at Soldier Field, Chicago, in 1933.

Dick fought Max Marek in the light heavyweight division.  Marek had defeated the legendary Joe Louis in the final of the US Amateur Championships that year.  Louis became one of the greatest Heavyweight Champions of the world.

The following is an extract from the report of the match in The Chicago Tribune -

"The 40,000 patrons put up a terrible squawk when the decision was given to Max Marek, veteran Chicago lightheavyweight, over Dick Hearns of Ireland.  This happened to be the bout which clinched the championship for the US and though Phil Collins the referee, decided for Hearns and properly so, the judges gave it to Marek.

Though the decision went to Marek, giving the US a certain victory, the crowd did not take kindly to the decision.  Hearns traded punch for punch with Marek all the way and the margin, if there was one in this bout, might have been given to the Irish lad.  Certainly the crowd seemed to think so, for it seemed as if 40,000 varieties of booing, stamping of feet and plain and ordinary squawking resounded through Soldier Field for a long time making the introduction of the heavyweights who fought in the closing bout an impossibility".

Dick Hearns was my Grandad.

Detail Images Below:

SEPIL Commission 011 - The Welder's Habitat.

The Welder's Habitat - oil on canvas

The onshore section of the pipeline was one of the most contentious issues of the Corrib Gas Project.
On my third visit to the project site I had the fortune to meet a welding inspector and two welders at work on the onshore section of the pipe. The welders experienced foreman and inspector very kindly allowed me access to the welding habitat to meet his team at work. The 'habitat' in which the welders work is a large sturdy gazebo like structure with steel walls that sits over the sections of the pipe they are reinforcing and making safe. I was mesmerized by the space, environment and equipment which was all utterly alien to me even though I had enjoyed the experience of some 'arch welding' at the sculpture department in college!

With this piece I concentrated a lot on drawing and kept a strong focus on line throughout the piece giving it a graphic quality which holds true to the experience I encountered.

- Richard