Between Stephen's Street and Longford Street

Another productive time on the streets of Dublin, exploring and documenting the Dublin I love, the Dublin that's disappearing, replaced by bland buildings and international brands.

At this stage, I'm not sure if I'm still on George's Street or if it's become Aungier Street. 

But my first priority is to go in to Needful Things and ask if I can sketch. The answer is yes, and the gentleman there even offers me a chair. It's an antiques store. The window alone is worth sketching, full of jewelry, masks, books, vases. But I have the perfect spot. I can see the display cabinet with Asian vases and plates, and as my pen moves across the page, I connect it with the cool chair (it's bright red in reality) and the masks displayed on the wall. There's a Mark Hamill mask, done during the filming of the first Star Wars I think. These are all live masks, not death masks. They are weird and wonderful at the same time, and slightly disturbing, reminiscent of Game of Thrones of course. On top of the cabinet is what looks like an ancient camera. It's actually a projector. It was the first thing that caught my eye, and where I started my sketch, as I often do.

If you're in Dublin, pop in and enjoy all the wonderful objects on display and for sale.

A closer look if you're interested:

When I got out of Needful Things, I crossed the road and looked back down towards the Georges Street Arcade. I did a quick sketch with my Koh-i-Noor magic pencil.

This sketch includes the George's Street Arcade, the communications tower behind it, which is actually situated near the Stag's Head, but I had never noticed it there before, as you can't see if from the street level. On the other side of the road, there's a bland building with shops, then The Long Hall pub (I don't think I've ever been inside - I must remedy that), and then another beautiful building with non-descript shops on the ground floor. So many treasures in that one short stretch!

The more I sketch, the more energy for sketching I have. The sun had come out and I sat beside a closed shop to sketched Bao Bun and Mint nails & beauty across the way. I worked in direct watercolour. And added a little bit of ink and white pen when I got home to bring it all together. And of course I went in and got myself a gorgeous bao bun. I chose the walnut mushroom version, with a mild sauce combo. Delicious. I must find an excuse to go there again! Not sure about getting my nails done, though. I'm more a natural kind when it comes to my nails!

Close-ups:

Chew Brew Bubble Tea Room was my next stop. Well, I had never heard of bubble tea before. I think their audience might be forty years younger than me, so that's my excuse. I was disappointed that they didn't actually have anywhere for customers to sit, but I managed a quick basic sketch while standing at the corner while the lady behind the counter was preparing my cookies and cream with tapioca pearls - essentially a cold hot chocolate with these bubbles that pop into your mouth as you drink through the straw. If there wasn't so much plastic packaging (cup, lid and straw), I could see myself becoming their best customer. I want to try all the matcha latte options next time!!

On-location photo in Needful Things:

Ban War Symbols

A protest a couple of weeks ago. Mostly Ukrainian women and their children. It's so sad to think of where the fathers are. And these women and children probably feel guilty for being safe, when so many others can't escape the horror. And yet, even here in Ireland, we have seen displays of the Russian flag and of the dreaded letter Z. Is anywhere safe?

I added the colour at home. Here is how it looked while I was standing in the middle of the crowd, sketching.

And by the way, I didn't even remember that the letter Z as we spell it doesn't even exist in the Russian alphabet!

Another sunflower

Another sunflower in inks. Playing with textures. So glad I took lots of photos the last time I bought sunflowers. I must check on my Google Photos, but it's a good few years ago. I don't buy flowers very much. It always makes me sad when they die.

Portrait

 A chat with a friend, and a quick portrait.

Sky

I'm trying to figure out what I want to paint. In the bigger sense of the word.  It's causing quite a bit of turmoil inside my head. Like many artists, I am interested in so many things, but I find it particularly hard to narrow it down. Definitely landscapes, love the sea, love the sky. That's a start I guess. And watercolours is definitely my medium of choice

 

It doesn't mean that it's going to be an easy path, though, as I do get distracted (or a better word would be "inspired") by so many things. I do love my ink, fountain pens, markers, pencils too, and also monoprinting.

But I need to narrow my focus down if I want to make progress..

So, let's start with skies. I like the one below, despite the fact that the bit of sunshine getting through looks more like a ball of fire!!

 
These two, not so much (but I do post everything, so there you go!)

To the end of the vineyards

This was a case of one more before I throw it all away. And it finally clicked. I knew from my previous attempt that I was lacking something to unite the vineyard at the front and the dark trees at the back. And I knew I needed something vertical. I actually went back and checked my photos to make sure that there are electricity poles on those back roads, and thankfully the answer is yes. So I was finally able to connect the elements and bring it all together. I also played with the colours, to bring in a colour harmony. So that's it, I am done with vineyards.

This was the earlier version, where I had nothing to lose and added the electricity poles to see how they would work.

 

 

Top of George's Street

Stage three of our Journey South. From the corner of Fade street to the corner of Stephen's Street.

I am suffering from a serious case of sensory overload. There is so much I want to capture. But we have to keep on moving. So many details I have to skip over. I guess that the beauty will be in our collective work. But my neurodivergent brain struggles with everything that I want to include.

This side on Fade Street has the entrance to the Market Bar. But looking at Google Maps, the whole block appears to be connected. I would love to have access to the back of all of these buildings! What a treasure! And it's much more fun to sketch Victorian architecture than Georgian!!

Looking towards Stephen's Street Upper. The modern building on the right is Dunnes Stores' Headquarters. They are a big grocery store and clothes store chain in Ireland, and Spain too I believe. It looks like a vanity project, as the whole triangular bit that juts out appears to have no function, except for the odd employee to take personal phone calls there. 

Together

The Market Bar was strangely empty. All these empty bistro chairs. They serve tapas. It was just ok, food-wise. But we had a great time warming up and chatting and sketching there. It's a beautiful space. I think I did manage to capture the emptiness of it, and all the bistro chairs.

Colour was added at home. I wanted to accentuate the brick colour. Now I'm not so sure it was a wise choice.

Clanbrassil Street and Emmet Bridge

My lack of focus also translates into my urban sketches. Three sketches done in the one session. Done in completely different styles. It's like I'm suffering from a split-personality disorder. But I was happy while sketching, so that's something I guess.

Direct watercolour of cones by the grand canal at Emmet Bridge. The area behind them is a fuel depot and there is a courtyard with a house. I guess if they have staff in the courtyard, they have to have the cones there for safety. You wouldn't want to reverse a fuel truck into the canal, now would you!

I just loved the happy moving reflections. It was a blustery sunny afternoon with clouds and the reflections kept moving, as they do.

This was actually sketched before the one above. It's like I needed to do a precise sketch before I could allow myself to go wild with colour! It's not that precise actually. The house on the left has 5 windows, not three, but I had to fit it all on the page!! Another house that will disappear soon, to be replaced by a building without character or charm. The upstairs has broken windows and looks abandoned. The downstairs is currently a massage parlour. I did not go in to check what type.

Last sketch of the afternoon. I just loved the spent daffodils and the blue-green flower pot and the reflections.

 

On top of the hill

A quick sketch before an appointment. It was great to walk to the top of Killiney Hill and enjoy the view. I must do this more often. My soul needs beauty. And if you see a mouse in the hill at the back, I do too, but that's life!! It was a quick sketch after all.

Vineyards

Still not happy with how this is going. Maybe I need to abandon these pretty views. My mind isn't into pretty things at the moment.

And yet, when I photograph what I have painted, I think it's not so bad. But I feel I have so much more to learn and practise. At this point, I have to stay I'm not enjoying the journey, which was always my philosophy before. I just want to paint well. I know in my head what I need to do, and I practise so much, but I feel I'm regressing. Not a good feeling.

Amongst the vineyards

Reverting back to my own style, but it lacks focus and volume. Still, painting thumbnails with reduced colours is helpful, even if all it does is to keep me painting.

These are all postcard-size. This is my favourite.

And here is the quarter sheet with all of them together.

This one is a quarter sheet, or slightly smaller. I hated it while I was painting it, but now it has grown on me. It's not much, but I like the limited palette.

These were fun to paint, getting a feeling for colours and textures.

War Paint

The Olivier Cornet Gallery currently has an exhibition by artist Conrad Frankel. It's called War Paint. And yes, it's about the awful war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. I went to the exhibition opening and I found it fascinating. Conrad Frankel normally paints peaceful Tuscan landscapes, interesting still lives, etc. But when the war started on the 24th of February, he decided to change his plans completely for the exhibition, and started painting non-stop, using war images from the news. The overwhelming feeling I had when walking into the gallery is that this artist suddenly felt he had so much to say about what's going on in Ukraine. Art can convey so much.

And of course I sketched. I sat in a quiet little corner and sketched the people who came and went, talked and looked.

Don't miss this exhibition. It's on until the 1st of May.

Cherry blossom in your hair

 Yesterday. Just down the road from where I live.

The Dance of the Cherry Trees

 It's that time of the year again!

More sunflowers

Shelley and myself are both feeling this lack of inspiration, this "what's the point?" feeling, and we talked about it a lot during our last session. We talked about Ukraine of course, and the futility of making art while people are dying and suffering in the most horrific way. We talked about inspiration, finding our artistic voice. All things which are very much on my mind these day.

These sessions with Shelley are when I feel most alive, and I felt something clicking in me while painting these sunflowers. Well, the first one was a big blob of ink really, but the second one, there's something there.

Sunflowers

 Sunflowers in ink. Stand with Ukraine.

George's Street Arcade, Retroshop, Simon's Place and Yamamori

Stage two of the Journey South.

First stop. Retro Shop in George's Street Arcade. I just asked the lovely lady in the shop if I could sketch there (pen only, no watercolour), It was early in the day, and not too busy. She even gave me a chair. I sat in one of the changing room, just facing out towards the prettiest petticoats. And I set to work. We chatted about hair colour and the dangers of bleaching, and about whether rockabilly dresses need heels or not.

Second stop. Simon's Place. A quick scone. I love the green on their counters, so I painted that too. But I wanted to see more of the street. So I left and sketched outside. Big mistake. It was sooo cold. I did three pen sketches standing up, but my hands were cramping and the sketches are a bit stiff as a result. I added colour and some writing at home and the pages look nice enough now. But I wish the weather improved a bit! 

The building in the middle is an example of the lovely detail in brick buildings . Unfortunately, some of these beauties have been replaced over the years by ugly modern buildings. The 1970s wasn't a good era for architecture in Ireland I think. There's  even a building where the top two floors have been kept intact and the bottom two are pure 70s brutalism. I just don't get it! 

And the students looked more like English-language students than music students to me. But the sign says Waltons New School of Music and I checked the website. So now I'm a bit confused. But to me, the coloured backpack is a total giveaway of language students that we see around Dublin all through the year.

I was really cold by the time I started this sketch and wasn't happy with it at all. But I added colour and detail when I got home, and now it's not so bad.

This one here is not an urban sketch. I painted it from photo after I got home. When all the delicious food appeared at the table, I was too cold to sketch. I needed warm food and tea in my tummy. It was worth it. Agedashi tofu, ebi tempura, unagi and ikura. Plus green tea and umeshu! What a treat!