Sunday I'm off to a month long residency at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in County Mayo, Ireland. Alex and I were in Ireland once for a weekend and in that short time I realized I needed to get back to paint. There is a real magic to the place, the colors, the night sky. The weather changes in a way that makes you aware you are at the top of the round earth. It's pretty incredible. We didn't make it quite as far north as County Mayo last time but experienced the Western coast (photo above from the Dingle peninsula).
We fly into Dublin and stay in the same amazing Inn from a few years ago, then head off to the cottage and studio for the remainder of the trip. I had no idea there would be a baby in tow when I received the grant but as long as we survive the plane ride, I think it should be a really perfect way to escape responsibility at home. I've been back to work since 6 weeks and it has been brutal.
Hoping to channel the spirit of some of my favorite painters that happen to be Irish: Pat Harris, Nick Miller and Helen O'Leary(who I studied with as an undergraduate and got me really thinking I could actually be a painter).
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| Pat Harris, The Channel, 2015, oil on linen, 90 x 115 cm, courtesy of Taylor Galleries |
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| Nick Miller, Nature and History II. 1998, oil on linen, 12 x 137 cm. Private collection, London |
And of course looking forward to pints of beer milkshake (as we call Guiness yum). I'll be off the grid for a bit and so looking forward to it...
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