Richard Hearns - Crucible, Opening Night.

Special Thanks to all who attended and have supported me - It's been an incredible successful. This exhibit of large scale informal abstract paintings runs at the Burren College of Art until July 4th, 2015. Open Monday to Sunday 10AM to 6PM or by Appointment.

Below a time lapse video piece of the opening night along with a selection of photos by Photographer and Videographer Eoin Collins. Thanks Eoin for these beautiful records.

Richard Hearns Crucible Opening 4th June 2015 from Richard Hearns on Vimeo.

To view images of works included in this exhibit and to see current availability please visit http://richardhearns.com/abstract/

Hope you can come along to see the works on display. Look forward to welcome you there.

- Richard

Crucible - Guest Post by Dr. Marguerite Helmers

Art pleases us and challenges us to think in new ways. Richard Hearns achieves these two qualities in his new work for the exhibition, Crucible. My twenty students from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh visited Richard in his studio at the Burren College of Art on May 20th to see the works in their final stages. This visit made a lasting impression on the group: they had never met a working artist or been inside a studio of art where the paint was still wet.

With his characteristic openness, Richard welcomed the students to experience the paintings without over-intellectualizing them—which also became a greater invitation to experience what is around them in daily life, to not fear that which is unfamiliar, to find joy in what they do. During the rest of our visit to Ireland, the students returned to that message of joy. It became a mantra for writing in journals and composing poetry in Dublin.

People often say that they don’t understand abstract art. I often hear the question, ‘What is it?’

When Richard spoke about these abstract works, we learned that a painting can be the size of a man; that the mark on the canvas is an extension of his arm; that color is emotion. Richard lifted and turned one of the canvases to show us how its size mirrored the size of his body. Between his outstretched arms, the canvas was lightly turned. Richard’s work is palpably physical.

What is it? It is him.

Dr. Marguerite Helmers

Department of English

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Magus , 2015 - oil on linen - 178 x 135cms.

Private Collection, Ireland

Richard Hearns - Crucible opens tonight Thursday 4th June 7PM.

The Gallery, Burren College of Art.

Continues June 4th to July 4th 2015.

Completing the Circle

Approaching the canvas with a loaded brush. In comfort or with pressure to perform. But always with the truth and acceptance that this is what you should be doing. That there is nothing else to do. You are removed from yourself and the painter is working. Not as a painter making pictures, but as an artist painting paint. 

In conversation with Richard Hearns we discuss the possibilities and challenges of paint. How to build trust, resist doubt, resists outside interference.He knows the paint. The techniques and traditions of oil painting. How to apply it to make a representational image. But in this body of work he wishes to disassociate from the quantifiable and the known. The spiritual quality of the paint take precedence. 

We talk a lot about spirit, how to feed a painting with spirit. How the medium of paint is charged and how we attempt to render, capture and recognise the moment that paint, emotion and skill come together. When the circle is complete and the energy that is spent is balanced and floating in meaningful ratios on the canvas. 

Richard Hearns gives life to a flat surface.   He wills the image into existence without a pre-conceived idea of how it must be.Each approach to the canvas is loaded with emotions. Bundles of emotions all channeled to the tip of his brush.

And then the physical action of painting at this scale. The trained body. Trained by Martial Arts, by exercise. The physical exertion at the moment in front of the canvas. Relying on your training and a profound intent. "Its as if you are in a boxing ring, standing alone in the center of the square canvas. You open your eyes to an opponent and you must use the force of the opponent to defeat it. But there is no opponent - only yourself to counter-weight, parry, and engage".

All thoughts and emotions, spinning in a huge circular chamber, looking for an opening. Like the Large Hadron Collider, which was built to address some of the unsolved questions of Physics, his emotions are running at quantum speed. The artist is a huge emotional machine, a channel. He is working to prove something that can be felt but not fully understood. To create and discover something new and exciting. Essentially he believes that  through the possibilities of paint there is an answer to life's unresolved questions and that through paint something fundamental or god-like can be revealed.

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The short Essay above was written during my stay in Barcelona earlier this year by my friend Mark Redden, painter and traditional boat builder. I've known Mark since I was seventeen years old. We met a year before we began college and have reminded close friends eversince.  Mark just opened a show of his works,  at the Museu Marítim de Barcelona.

This essay 'Completing the Circle' along with a projected documentary HD video piece will accompany 'Crucible', my exhibition of large scale informal abstract paintings at the Burren College of Art. Opening to the public this Thursday at 7PM. The show runs from June 4th to July 4th 2015. Hope you can visit and join me there.

- Richard

Catalogue - oil on linen - 178 x 135cms

Private Collection, Ireland.

Opening this day next week.

Reception for the Prince of Wales at NUI Galway

Some incredible news! My work has been selected to feature alongside works by Anne Madden, Manus Walsh and Mollie Douthit at a reception for Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales at NUI Galway next Friday.

'Aquarian' as part of Rhyme and Reason at Hazel Mountain Chocolates.

'Illusions are useful only if we use them
To help us get to our true reality.
Initiations and rituals, if they are noble,
Have this power,
(They magnify the secret hour)
They enable us to pass from
The illusion of our lesser selves
To the reality of our greater selves,
Our soaring powers.

An extract from Ben Okri's poem 'Mental Fight'.

Promised to post a high resolution picture of this painting I created recently entitled 'Aquarian'.
This piece features alongside fifteen other original works at my current exhibit 'Rhyme and Reason'.
The show opened on Friday at Hazel Mountain Chocolates to a huge crowd and great interest.
The exhibit run now Monday to Sunday 10Am to 6PM until Friday May 22nd.

Aquarian - oil on canvas - 100x80cms
Private Collection, Ireland

Gin Bottle with cucumber and peppercorns

A strong pictorial narrative no matter how simple is always important. With this piece I worked with warm light and cool shadow areas, large spaces set off against strong use of fine exacting line work.

Hope you like it. - Richard

Gin Bottle with cucumber and peppercorns - oil on canvas panel - 12"x10"
Private Collection, Ireland.
Featuring in my coming solo exhibit 'Rhyme and Reason' at Hazel Mountain Chocolates, Oughtmama, County Clare this Friday May 8th at 7PM.

'Rhyme or Reason'.

This day week marks the opening of 'Rhyme and Reason', a solo exhibition of representational still life paintings created here in my studio in the Burren, County Clare.

Opening the show at Hazel Mountain Chocolates will be Gordon D'Arcy a renowned expert in Irish heritage and wildlife as well as a published writer and Head of Irish Studies at the Burren College of Art.

The Exhibit's launch will take place at 7PM on Friday 8th of May and will be open daily 10AM to 6PM, Monday to Sunday running until Friday 22nd of May.

Below is another very recent piece that I am yet to title. This painting will feature in this exhibit along with some thirteen accompanying works and a selection of fine art archival high fidelity giclee prints.

I'm looking forward to the show now.
Hope you will be able to join me there.

- Richard

Let the Great World Spin

I'm not talking directly about Colum McCann's incredible novel but it's so true - the time and tide waits for no one and our great world just keeps on spinning!

Right now I'm a busy busy boy getting ready for two coming exhibitions.
This morning Gordon D'Arcy, Professor of Irish Heritage Studies and published author visited my studio in Ballyvaughan to view the paintings I have selected for inclusion in my coming local exhibit of representational still life paintings.

It was really enjoyable spending some time with Gordon explaining my interests, various approaches and ways of working. Gordon who paints and draws himself and has illustrated many books on Irish wild life has kindly agreed to open my exhibit 'Rhyme or Reason' on May 8th with the Burren Chocolatiers at Hazel Mountain Chocolates. He will call back to my studio again this Sunday to talk some more about my art practice and career to date over a cuppa.

This evening I put the finishing  touches to this painting below entitled 'Valencia'.
The image your seeing here is not the finished piece but it's close enough.

During my time in Barcelona I became absolutely hooked on freshly squeezed orange juice! I suppose there are worse things to be addicted to! This addiction was compounded further during time spent in Valencia where copious amounts and varieties of oranges where readily available. many of which were sampled in jugs of Aqua de Valencia (look it up). The oranges were literally growing on the side of the roads there.

- Richard

Exhibition in Oughtmama.

I'm really excited to be announcing my first 'local' exhibition/event here in the Burren, County Clare.

Teaming up with Burren Chocolatiers, Kasha Kola and John Connelly at Hazel Mountain Chocolates, myself and Boo will present an exhibition featuring a selection of my original Still Life paintings.
Some of which feature here on my website http://richardhearns.com/still-life/

Plus after the opening night I will make a number of my Limited Edition Giclee Prints available
for purchase at the exhibition space in Oughtmama. See here for the entire range to of these prints created to date. http://richardhearns.com/limited-edition-giclee-prints/

Opening my show will be Gordon D'Arcy a renowned expert in Irish heritage and wildlife as well as a published writer and Head of Irish Studies at the Burren College of Art.

The Exhibit will be open daily 10AM to 6PM, Monday to Sunday and runs until Friday 22nd May.
I hope many of you can come to visit us there in this incredible location in the Burren, County Clare.