The Market Fair

Boo just arrived home after her third week taking part at the Kinvara Framers Market this season.
This will also be her third year to be part of this and the Ballyvaughan community markets, where she has a her 'Thai Cooking with Boo' market stall alongside an array of other producers and market sellers.

The Market fair has become a great part of our routine over the weekends and gives us a chance to be a part of a greater community and growing food culture in north County Clare.

At the market we can buy locally grown and soured produce supporting the local community, as well as doing some occasional barter - It is the west of Ireland after all! Every week we'd get our free range duck and hen eggs from Jamesie and he in turn gets a great big bowl of Boo's Traditional Thai Curry or some Pad Thai Noodles and possibly some homemade curry pastes to take home. It's a fair deal. You should see the smile on his face - priceless!

Having the market not only contributes goodies to the pantry and fridge but also contributes to the colours around the house during the week as we can buy flowers there too.

Often times as we get home and begin to tidy the produce away I'll find in what we have bought, subjects that I'm interested in painting - this bunch of asparagus being one. The quality and array of colours and textures inherent as well as that formal bunching together by bright blue band just screamed out a challenge to make good on. After fulfilling that roll they went down nicly under an eight ounce Angus steak! Talk about two birds with one stone!

Hope you like it. - Richard

Asparagus and Blue Rubber Band, 2016
oil on panel - 12"x12"
www.richardhearns.com

Jars and Mixing Stick & Spring Newsletter

Thought to post an image of a new large recently completed piece. I had a lot of fun making this painting. The paint encrusted Jars lend themselves so wonderfully to type of painting application I love to currently explore. They present me with a formal and abstract challenge while at the same time being these unusual personal effects. These recent works are successful for me only when they work visually from twelve inches and twelve feet. When you are close 'the fracture' establishes the paintings integrity - the surface quality - when viewed from twelve feet the paintings composition holds it's own establishing a strong design sensibility.

In other news - I'm about to publish my second quarterly 'Spring Newsletter'. This newsletter covers recent international gallery representation,  showcases a selection of images of new works gathered together and gives information on my coming New York City artist in studio residency programme and my solo exhibition which will take place in New York's newest Centre for Thought and Culture in November 2016.

If you head over to my website (link below) and enter your email address you will be sure to receive these quarterly instalments on my continuing practice.

- Richard

Jars and Mixing Stick, 2016
oil on linen - 100x80cm.
www.richardhearns.com

Orange Squash with Artist's Brush

Orange Squash with Artist's Brush, 2016

oil on panel - 30x30cm

Endeavouring to describe and create the illusion of form in painting never gets boring for me.

It's a sort of 'smart-alec' pursuit, but at the same time I feel it frees me and banishes any anxiety which in turn enables me to create those larger gestures in my abstract paintings. 

As I have said before, and I'm confident many other artist's agree, after some time at the easel painting becomes more and more a sort of alchemy! After all we are transmuting and transforming a viscous raw base element, along with our thoughts and concepts, into something of perceived greater value and beauty. 

In many instances I chose my subject for their inherent formal and perceived abstract qualities - how these objects lead themselves to the act of painting.

- Richard