Communion - Los Angeles Solo Show

This date next month October 30th marks the opening of my first solo show in Los Angeles.

This exhibition entitled 'Communion' is being curated by Jay Belloli, the Former Director of the Armoury Centre for the Arts in Pasadena. Jay's help in curating this show continues to be a real gift and the chance to enter into a conversation about my work and practice with the Rev. Ed Bacon, who has been rector at All Saint Church since 1995 is very exciting indeed.

In the meantime I leave to New York City tomorrow, with three private collectors get togethers organised and an onwards trip to Boston, New Orleans, Arizona and San Francisco for extra research, development and fun!

Storm Clouds over Galway Bay

This summer had quite a bit of rain fall, but it did make for some arresting views over Galway Bay. At times you can watch the rain roll in towards land over the Atlantic.
That being said, the weather is promised good for the next week or so!

This is the last image I'll post online of work to feature in my Los Angeles solo exhibition for the moment. I'll move onto a selection of still life works bound for presentation at 'private collectors get togethers' in New York City early next month.

Storm Clouds over Galway Bay - oil on linen - 12"x9"
Reserved for coming Los Angeles Solo Show, 'Communion'.
For pricing please contact, info@richardhearns.com 

Studio Break

Studio Break - oil on panel - 12"x9"

Private Collection, Roschester, NY.

This painting featured in the first of three private collectors get togethers earlier this month in New York City. 

I created this piece just a week or two before leaving for the U.S. 

Wanting to make a direct one sitting painting from observation I composed objects in the composition as a means to read into pictorial space. To heighten this movement of the eye through the space I concentrated on varied and playful loose edges. As a result the surface of the piece is very active and holds interest.

This morning I'm journing up the Hudson Valley by train to make more direct paintings from nature with painter and muralist Garin Baker. We are going to hang out for a couple of days and paint the fall colours in the beautiful surrounding landscape there.

On Monday I leave greater New York for the Big Easy - New Orleans. Can't wait to sample the culture, colours and flavours there.

- Richard 

Sacred Islands

During long periods of time spent in studio at the Cill Rialaig artists retreat in County Kerry I would hike up Bolas Head to catch a glimpse or gaze out at the Skellig Islands.

Recently I decided to create this atmospheric piece in an attempt to recall those memories.

Sacred Islands - oil on linen - 12"x9"
Reserved for my coming Los Angeles Solo Show 'Communion'.
For pricing and purchase please email, info@richardhearns.com

West of the Bog

The Hearns family hail from County Mayo, and the family origins can be traced back as far as the 1790's.

This painting created depicts an area of North County Mayo. I journeyed there many times last year and walked in the landscape. It really is one of Ireland's treasured wildernesses.

West of the Bog, 2015 - oil on canvas - 12"x9"
Private Collection, Maryland MD, U.S.A.

Burren, Autumn Light.

It's been some kind of wet Irish summer here on the west coast, but that being said many clear morning have produced some incredible vivid colours across the Burren hills behind our home.

At times when I look out the window of my bedroom in the early morning I am greeted with this scene.
The garden cast in dark shadow is strongly contrasted by a rich warm velvet light.

Burren, Autumn Light - oil on canvas panel - 12x10
Reserved for 'Communion' L.A. Solo show Friday 30th October 2015.
Email info@richardhearns.com for pricing.

In His Shaded Paddock

I've been posting images of representational landscape pieces over these past couple of weeks, but all the while in the studio I've been keeping myself busy through observational still life painting. Both large and small, these observational still life paintings enable me to explore a pictorial narrative or strong pictorial concept. I hope to 'hang' each of my paintings on the achievement of such things,                                                                                                          and am not in anyway overly concerned with the 'finish'. Nevertheless, these pieces more then any of my other works, do communicate all the virtues and elements I believe to be necessary in a communicative and exciting visual field.  - I'll look forward to share these pieces with you in due course.

Until then here is another painting featuring my neighbour's Connemara pony, TJ.
John O' Donohue the Irish poet, author, philosopher and priest who grew up in the village next to mine often talked about sheep being the Zen masters of the Irish landscape, but from my observations our donkeys and neighbours horses would give the sheep a good run for their money!

Hope you like his peaceful and contemplative gaze as I captured him - standing in his shaded paddock.

In his shaded paddock - oil on panel - 20x20cm
For pricing, reserve and purchase please contact, info@richardhearns.com

Pride of Connemara

A painting depicting my neighbours Connemara Pony, TJ. 
I captured him walking towards me from a shaded area of his paddock. The light hitting off his beautiful white coat and golden mane contrasted wonderfully with the shaded old stone wall and light dappled foliage. 
I hope you like it.

This piece will also be featuring in my coming Los Angeles Solo Exhibition.

Pride of Connemara - oil on museum panel - 70 x 50cm
For reserve and purchase please email - info@richardhearns.com

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

In December of last year I posted an image of this painting after my first days work of what was to become a seven week long studio residency in the city of Barcelona. The paintings title comes from a wonderful Zen like poem written by Wallace Stevens back in the 1950's.

During the past couple of months I took this painting back into my studio and made some subtle finishing touches to it including line work and glazing. I had thought it needed more work for quite a period, but having lived with the work for some time realised that not to be the case.

This painting will travel with me to the United States and feature in my coming Los Angeles solo show 'Communion' which opens on Friday October 30th in Pasadena.

Hope you like it. - RH

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird - oil on museum panel - 70x50cm
For Pricing and Reserve please email, info@richardhearns.com 

Ancient Wall, Fertile Rock.

Just close to my home is a Burren road I often walk. If you head out west on that road you find an area of untouched limestone pavement crisscrossed by ancient walls.

This painting depicts an area of the limestone paving and a part of one such wall which sits close to the road. Many times I've stopped and sat there, in this sheltered area to study the rock forms. This painting becomes almost a portrait of that wall. For me it's a celebration of what many might consider an unremarkable place.

Just as I write this I'm reminded of friend whom I first met shortly after I came to this area in 2009. Luka Bloom is a singer/songwriter, musician and performer. He wrote a song entitled 'The Fertile Rock' and to my surprise and amazement the lyrics of the first verse are as follows:

In the flowering desert
Lies the heart and soul of man
Find a deep well to draw from
And give back as you can
In the moonlight musicians
Hear their tunes in the Burren wind
And in the shadows
Where an old faith's sheltered
The painter's work begins.

This painting will appear in my coming Los Angeles solo exhibition on Friday October 30th.

Ancient Wall, Fertile Rock - oil on panel - 70 x 50cm.

Communion

Old men ought to be explorers.
Here or there does not matter.
We must be still and still moving.
Into another intensity.
For another union, a deeper communion.

- from Four Quartets,  East Coker (1940) by T.S. Eliot

Over the years I've been blessed enough to live in some of the most beautiful parts of the west of Ireland. I even grew up in a stunning Irish seaside village called Malahide. About five years ago I spent time, the best part of a year in fact, just outside the town of Westport in County Mayo. My home and studio were located on the quay area of Clew bay. Many evenings I would walk or run along the coast road close to the shoreline. My memories of my time spent there are of a wonderful communing with nature.

This painting is Reserved for my coming Los Angeles Solo Show which opens on Friday October 30th 2015 in Pasadena, C.A. More details to follow. Please contact me for advanced reserve and pricing of for this piece -  info@richardhearns.com

Communion - oil on panel - 70 x 50cm