Like a Pirouette

I'm not at the stage where I can name these paintings yet. They're very much part of the exploration,  but I am so happy to be painting again. It's really just about showing up, following what speaks to me, from day to day. And discover where it will lead me. And having no idea where that will be. 

I love combining watercolour, oil pastel and soft pastel to create textures that surprise me. This one is inspired by a crop I did a few weeks ago, from a view across the bay from the road leading up Bolus Head from the Cill Rialaig artist village where I was lucky to work as part of my residency last year. Being neurodivergent, it sometimes takes a while for me to process the world. It's taken me over a year to come back to this location in my art. These things can't be rushed.

Near Smock Alley Theatre on a sunny day

We had shadows at last. And warm weather. Dublin on Sunday 24th May, and it feels like we've gone straight from winter to summer. 

I sat in the shade at the back of the Smock Alley Theatre and started with bright green for the tree and purple for the shadows. This sketch took a while before it got somewhere I was satisfied with. I was glad I had some of my acrylic markers to cover up the ugly ink marks I had made. I guess it all stemmed from the fact that I didn't know if I was interested in the building itself or the trees in front of it. I'm quite an intuitive urban sketchers. I don't start with a master plan. Certainly never a thumbnail! So my sketches are full of energy (and pink lines, purples lines and sure why not a bit of turquoise pencil too), but not necessarily accurate.

After chatting with a little girl who was very interested in what we were doing, I went to the other side of the Smock Alley Theatre and found a little view across the river. 

Then it was time for chats in the pub. Some really good conversations about everything everything, but mostly about sketching. 

Looking towards the headlands

Another watercolour and mixed media exploration of the land and sea around the Cill Rialaig retreat village. Looking towards the headlands. The sea a beautiful colour. The land still full of rusts and gold.

I worked on A2 Seawhite of Brighton heavyweight cartridge paper, with very wet washes, oil pastels and Unison soft pastels. I'm interested in the textures in the land, all these brambles and high grasses. Also the shape of the headlands. And of course the constant movement and sound of the Atlantic Ocean as it hits the cliffs.

At this stage of the process, I don't know what I want to express yet. The act of painting will lead to something. I trust in the process, knowing that it will bring me where I need to be. I was really inspired by Sally-Ann Ashley's comments on her Substack today, about finding more studio time (https://substack.com/@sallyanneashleyart). For years, I've had this notion about needing two hours to paint, generally after having done everything else I needed to do. The idea that I could paint for half an hour in the morning, before doing anything else, was such a revelation! I must join her Arthouse group later this summer when I have more time at home. I did her Creative Shift course a couple of years ago (or was it last year?) and it really helped me in my practise. I tend to resist those online group things, as I don't have much patience for listening to everyone else's art journey, but I think this one might be worth a try. 

 

Not-so-direct watercolour

Direct Watercolour month is starting on 1st June. The last few years, I've struggled to keep up, as it clashed with some of my travels. But this year, I've decided, I will just treat it like my usual studio practise. So, there will be lots of mixed media, but with a strong watercolour foundation. At the moment, I'm going through some of my photos, sketches and notes from my art residency at Cill Rialaig. It seems that I'm finally ready to process my experience there. So the general theme will continue my exploration of my connection with land, air and sea in the West of Ireland. And how I feel connected to the land, and to the Universe! Lots of Irish landscapes. It will be interspersed with holiday sketches. A normal day at the office for me!

This first one is from one of my many walks up and down the road from the Cill Rialaig cottages. It was February, the land was sodden, with a memory of Winter. Not sure about the promise of Spring, but there were some sunny days too. I'm working on Seawhite of Brighton heavy-weight cartridge paper in A2 size. Using very wet watercolour, and oil pastels and Unison soft pastels too. I will probably crop and collage, then use the cropped version as inspiration for a painting on watercolour paper.

Sketch with Suhita 22 May

High-rises are hard to sketch! Starting with a watercolour wash was a good strategy, as I didn't have to worry too much about accuracy. And inktense pencils applied when the paper was still a bit damp gave a nice softness to my lines. I overworked the trees a bit, but I enjoyed the time sketching with Suhita and friends! 

Art supplies for upcoming trips

This could also be called - why do I pack so many pencils in my suitcase? I know that once I'm on location, I will have one yellow, one red, one orange, one pink, one green, a dark blue and a light blue, one dark purple, one light purple and one turquoise. But I have all these lovely pencils! And lots of mixed media supplies! And that's without counting my usual watercolour palette, fountain pens and black and graphite pencils!

Pencils4Tea 21 May 2026

Always takes a while to get used to a new sketchbook. A smaller book, glossier paper, and an offwhite, which I struggled with. Next time, I might bring some white gouache. Always enjoy these sessions, and hate missing them, but summer season has started. Started with a little self-portrait. 

Self-portrait at the hairdresser's

Brush pen, highlighters, acrylic markers and colour pencils. I limit myself to what will fit in my pencil case when I go to my hairdresser. Sometimes it gives interesting results. Even if I look like a Venin (iykyk).

Top of Capel Street - end of the journey

The more you draw, the more you see. I could keep on sketching Capel Street over and over, but we're going to move to another theme, so, it's goodbye for now.

London and St Ives

A trip to London and St Ives. It wasn't a sketching trip, but I managed to fit in more sketches than I expected. A 5-hour train journey was a great opportunity to practise little views in squares. And on the way back, a good excuse to try some new magic pencils I bought at the Tate. Weather in St Ives was cold and showery, so I didn't sketch much. But our hotel had a spa and a pool, so I enjoyed some much-needed relaxation. Our cat was happy to see us home. Though he doesn't look happy in the picture!