Studio book notes

Sometimes, I think the notes in my studio book are more interesting than the paintings themselves.

 

Birth-Day

For this one, I felt a square format would work better, to express the tectonic push that I see in the landscape. the making of the landscape by forces beyond my comprehension, and the idea of a creator, or mother, giving birth to the landscape. 

But I think I'm still being too literal in my representation. I really need to push the abstraction much further. This is a big square (about 50cm) on Hahnemuhle Cornwall paper. Also a few thumbnails and notes in my studio book.

Cradling - Une chanson douce

Had to try something different after the previous one didn't express what I had in mind. I reverted to quarter sheet and Fabriano Unica paper, for a gentler flow without jagged edges. I must try a few crops of this to see if there is anything interesting in it.

In the Pub

The Long Hall is a great pub. It's a bit too dark for sketching, but I wanted to at least try. Interesting to compare the original line drawing done on location and the final version with colour and text added at home. Colour definitely enhances the feeling of being in an old pub. The colours are used are from my unused art supplies, which I am dedicated to leaving on my desk until I empty them.

Pigeons everywhere

I went outside to sketch for a bit - January in Dublin isn't easy, one week it's really cold, the next one, it's mild but damp. I think I prefer cold. But I always manage to find a sheltered spot. Me and two dozen pigeons! I do not like pigeons. But I couldn't ignore them. Can't say I planned this page very well.

 

Silk Road Café

My mind was a little dispersed. No clear focus as to what I wanted to sketch. So I did a bit of this and a bit of that. Still, it's always enjoyable to sketch with Dublin Sketchers, despite the damp weather.

Someone ordering their food at the Silk Road Café

Here is the full spread, but I think the bit on the right works better.

Testing Testing

The day is getting dark already. I need more light for watercolour. That's a good excuse to try out my new Arrtx markers. I tried them on brown paper. I think dark grey paper would be better. Need to ask a few people how they use these markers - maybe just for highlights? I don't seem to have enough darks?

The Cradle

I zoomed in some more and found some interesting shapes, evoking a mother's warm embrace. But I haven't gone past the first layer. Sometimes, I feel that there is no point in pushing a piece further. That's watercolours for you. Plus I went too heavy with oil pastel. I do like the colour mixes. And the lines on the stones. But I want something more fluid.

We are strong

This one felt more like a wall, rather than a gentle embrace. More about stopping the outside. Less about protecting the inside. 

 

The Weaver

She's protecting us, with her weaving, building strong defenses. All these words are coming to me, bit by bit. Reminding me that tectonics, textiles and architect are all connected via their Proto-Indo-European root. Strong roots are important, no matter where you are.

Another painting inspired by the Beara Bowl.

Here is what the first layer looked like

One of Us/Not One of Us

I've spent the last few months travelling and experimenting. Now I need to start proper painting. I don't mean go all serious and stiff. But just paint with watercolours and whatever other media I want with the intention of creating something, whatever that something turns out to be. I never know how a painting is going to look. But I need to concentrate on one thing at a time, rather than jump around like I have over the last while. Although it has been fun, but I have just thrown lots of crap pieces in the bin, and now I want to create new work that will stay. And, yes, Beara is still pulling me in. And the idea of "one of us"/"not one of us" playing on my mind.

Also, did you know that the words tectonic and architect are related? From the greek tekton, builder, carpenter, apparently, and the Proto-Indo-European root teks-, which means to weave, to fabricate. Hence also the connection with textiles and text.

And buying new art supplies

So much for using up old art supplies. I had forgotten I had ordered this box of Arrtx acrylic markers. New shiny things. Loooove them. No idea what to do with them!

 

Using up old art supplies

The theme in Liz Steel's Patreon is using up unused art supplies in our stash. Anything we want. So the other day, as I was grabbing some watercolours for the session with Suhita, I grabbed these little boxes I haven't used in a long long time. I sprayed a little water on top and they were like new.

I think the Sennelier set (on the left) was from the goodie bag in Amsterdam (2019), the half pans in the middle was a set I put together with some colours I wanted to experiment with. Some half pans are missing. The one on the right was the original Sennelier box in which the 8 colours on the left fitted, but I replaced them with 4 Aquarius colours I bought in Amsterdam. I have no idea where the yellow comes from. The dark colour in the bottom right is Aquarius's Caput Mortuum, which I bought in the hope it would help me paint the houses of Amsterdam!

Let's see what I get to do with these over the next couple weeks.

A riot of boats.

I guess the proper word is probably a fleet, but mine look more like a riot. I enjoyed drawing this with Suhita's Substack group. I wasn't at my best, but I'm glad I turned up. How do you tackle busy scenes where it's hard to make sense of anything?

I pushed my Seawhite of Brighton cartridge paper to the edge, working with Stabilo Woody, watercolour, watercolour pencils, acrylic markers (they sank right through) and some oil pastel.

Painting while I'm sick

Painting while sick doesn't give the best results. But I'm glad I showed up. The following day, I was so wiped out that I actually slept more or less all day. Don't know if this is a cold, flu or other virus, but that's not the start I had hoped for for 2026.

Crops from previous pieces

While I was at it, I decided to crop a couple of pieces that I wasn't sure about. Also included here are crops of pieces I did on location in Allihies - as I didn't want to cut up the original, I printed them and cropped the printout. I'm trying not to be precious, but it's not easy! They're now safely glued in my studio book. They will be there when I need inspiration.

More crops

 More crops done, from those pieces that didn't look like much. I like these!

Grogans on a cold morning

It was getting cold. A jumble of images that presented themselves to me as I was sketching Grogan's pub in Dublin. I have merged foreground and background. I am conscious that makes it hard for a viewer to understand what they're looking at, but it's how I see the world, and that's what I want to show. Welcome to my world.

Portraits

Continuous line drawing is a good way to regulate. A toasted sandwich helped too. I always leave a space where I can write. I write afterwards, when I get home.

Adding colours?

I love colour. I had a few more tailor shapes in my ArtGraf box. Couldn't help it. Probably not a good move. I will not have any problem cutting these ones up.

Cropping to generate new ideas

Yes, I find it hard to crop something I've drawn or painted. I like the big picture, and I want to incorporate everything into my paintings. But I know that's not possible. So I have cropped two of the four pieces I did yesterday, trying to focus on elements that pull me in. I'm not sure where this will lead me yet, as the time between Christmas and New Year can be full of distractions. Still, I show up in my studio and trust that the process will deliver something at some point.

How do I decide what to keep? It's hard to explain.Sometimes, it's just the shape of a curve, two colours side by side, a jagged line. It can be anything. I just feel a pull. I don't overthink it. These will be a starting point. That's all they need to be. Sometimes, they still look like a landscape. Sometimes, they're more like a jumble of body parts. That's ok too.

Draw to see - black and blue

Same idea, this time with black ArtGraf tailor shape, and some watercolour bit that remained in a palette.

Both of these pieces look more like a landscape, which means I will find it harder to crop them. How do you not stay too attached to experimental mark-making pieces?

Draw to see - reddy brown

Continuing with my intuitive exploration of the Beara landscape near Allihies. It's a few months since I was there, but the pull is still strong. I worked on these with ArtGraf tailor shapes, and lots of water, and a tiny bit of watercolour. I need to do many more of these, so I don't get too attached, then I can crop and collage them. I have ordered lots of cartridge paper so I don't feel precious about wasting paper.

I am inspired by Lewis Noble's process of exploring the landscape through drawing. For both of these, I worked from the same photo, just zooming on different elements. Sometimes it's the full mountain that inspires me, sometimes just the curve of cracks in a rock.

Push and pull? I have to find my own way

I'm still exploring the idea of pushing and pulling to give my sketches more volume. This time, I used my favourite dishes (these are not kept in the kitchen - they are too pretty for the kitchen) again, but consciously added shading and darks to the areas I wanted to draw the attention to, and kept the bigger objects in the back just as a silhouette so they would recede. There are many ways to achieve this.  I chose this way in this specific instance.

PS: I enjoyed working with blue pencil. Less messy than graphite.

 

The Guinness Quarter

A bit of a walk from the city centre, but the area around the Guinness storehouse still smells of Dublin, the old Dublin - that smell was all around the city in the 80s, but now you only get it when you get close to the Guinness brewery area. I can't describe it, but the Google AI does a good job of it.

"The smell of Guinness in Dublin is a signature aroma, primarily from the St. James's Gate Brewery, a mix of sweet, toasty, coffee-like notes from roasted barley, rich malty scents from mashing, and a hint of hops, creating a warm, familiar scent that many Dubliners recognize as home, especially around The Liberties. " 

How many millions of litres of water did I use just for this?

Anyways, it's always a special area to sketch in, a mix of tall Georgian buildings that seem empty and some glimpses of industrial brewery pipes and containers. I would love to have access to sketch inside those forbidden courtyards! But with new apartments just across the way, there was steps that gave me a fairly good view. I was well wrapped up. It was cold. Thankfully it was toasty in the Guinness Open Gate Brewery pub. Sorry I didn't get to sketch the two musicians, I was too busy chatting.