Shining Through

Spréach means sparkle, and also spirit. Spalp means to burst forth and seems to be used about sunshine. I think Spalp is probably more fitting for this piece. But it's a strange word to my ear. Maybe I should call it "Shining Through". That might work better? 

And I need to figure out how to take better photos. Photos in the mirror are a bit confusing. Plus this one is blurred. We still don't have much light in the sky these days, but at least you get an idea of the size. 

Loving the Fabriano Unica paper for these flowing watercolours.  And a mix of opaque and granulating watercolours. All inspired by the Beara landscape.

Caifirín

Caifirín - Head shawl, cap of mist. Another piece inspired by the good old Irish weather. I had gone up the hill, hoping for wonderful views as I got to the top, but a heavy mist arrived suddenly and there was nothing to see. Though the sound of gently falling rain was lovely.

This one is larger, half sheet, on cold press watercolour paper. I was interrupted at some point, and that was the best thing to happen. I stopped fussing with it and let the watercolour paint decide what it wanted to do

Scim

A veil of haze - that's what Scim means in Irish. Maybe I will learn these words to do with the weather. Weather is important in Irish culture. And maybe I need to start learning more Irish. I do care so much about this country - I've lived here nearly 40 years. I can't believe that number  - 40 years, and yet, in October 2026, it will be 40 years since I move here. Living in Dublin, I never needed to learn Irish. But there is a pull, now. Not sure where it's coming from.

In the meantime, I'm interested in painting the Irish weather. This one turned out differently than how it started. This is what happens when you drop a blob of intense pigment on the wet paper. I like it. There's a couple of things I want to fix, and hopefully I won't ruin it in the process. 

This piece is a quarter sheet size, painted in watercolour on Fabriano Unica paper. It's a print paper, but I love what watercolour does on it. I took a few photos so you get a better idea what it looks like, and the size of the piece (and you get to see a glimpse of Sumi-chan, our cat).

Below are photos of how it looked before I added a glaze to cover the accidental x nearly in the middle where the road ends.