This painting was originally painted in 1995 to celebrate President Clinton’s (and Hilary’s) first visit to my home town of Derry, here in Ireland. This was a big deal at the time. I’m not sure most Americans get to see a serving president in their lifetime but we here in little Derry have had the pleasure of his company five times in twenty years.He first visited Derry in 1995 when he was President of the United States.During that visit, thousands of people turned out to greet him at Guildhall Square.

It was a chilly Thursday afternoon in November when the then President arrived in Derry city centre in a blaze of black limousines, American flags, tight security and rapturous applause.During his speech that day, he told the massed ranks in front of the Guildhall: “I came here because you are making a home for peace to flourish and endure.”He returned to Derry for a second time in the summer of 2001 and was back again two years later.On that occasion, he gave the inaugural lecture at the Tip O’Neill Chair of Peace Studies at the Magee campus of the University of Ulster.During his 2010 visit, again to Magee, he outlined his strategy to help lift the North out of its economic malaise.

Must be something in the air. I’m not sure what he would have made of this if he ever seen it…A good friend of mine, upon seeing it insisted on sending a photo of it to the Whitehouse. We never got a reply…

The village of Greencastle is a commercial fishing port situated on the shores of Lough Foyle, on the north coast of Inishowen in County Donegal, Ireland. The village is about twenty miles north of the city of Derry with views across the Lough to the beautiful Magilligan Strand.

The name “Greencastle” comes from the ancient castle, built in 1305 by the Normans, the remains of which can still be seen there today and which form the subject of this painting.This dramatic scene and its two ruined towers forms not just one of Ireland’s most historic sites but also, a perfect subject for a painting.

The main focus of this composition is of course the castle. It fills about half of the entire canvas. I could have got further back but I felt that some of the finer detail and texture of the old weathered stone may have been lost. The castle almost seems to grow out of the ground. The long unkempt, windswept grass growing up the small mound that the castle sits upon lead the eye upwards. This painting is all about the foreground, all about the castle. I framed the scene in such a way that  the nearest, tallest tower forms a vertical line about one third the way across the painting. The eye sweeps up the tower and up into the foreboding dark grey sky. Then over, across the skyline to the sands of Magilligan Strand just visible across Lough Foyle and highlighted by sunshine that has managed to penetrate the threatening skies above. If you enjoyed this little taste of Ireland please remember to “Like” this post/site or recommend it to your colleagues, friends and family…

These beautiful wild flowers caught my eye. This painting is all about the foreground. The purple flowers contrasted with the yellow buttercups and daisies and the surrounding greenery. This is really a natural snapshot of a place. This was captured in an area of outstanding Beauty in Ireland, in County Donegal in a place called The Downings.

What exactly do I mean by “A portrait of a place?” Well, these particular flowers would be native to that area and help identify where we are. They are unique in their combinations and breeds. This, then, in a way, tells the story of the place and the distant hills reaffirm that identity. These wild flowers are typical of this landscape and this place, as are the low lying hills and lakes in the background.

The detail, deep tonal value and high colour of the foreground is in direct contrast to the muted tones and hues of the distant hills with their blues, purples and white tinted greens. That sky also adds movement to the picture. There is a hint at high winds in the clouds, also not unusual in that particular landscape. In that part of the world dry, blue skies is the exception, chances are shortly after this scene was captured the rains moved in…

Benone Strand

This is a view from Benone Beach. It’s located in Northern Ireland, on the North Antrim Coast, near Limavady and just north of Derry City. In my opinion, Benone is one of the most beautiful strands in Ireland. It’s seven miles of unbroken sand and dunes backdropped by magnificent cliffs and headlands. This was painted in summer and depicts three distinct headlands with just a glimpse of Mussenden Temple on the most distant cliff.

Aerial Perspective

What really attracted me to this scene was the marked “Aerial Perspective” – the effect of intervening layers of air obscuring the scene as it recedes making distant objects appear more “blue” and tonally lighter.  Here, The effect is heightened by the nearest cliff being in deep shadow. Although this is a simple composition it’s a good example of how something “simple” can work. The sands were also wet at the time due to the tide being out this allowed me to break up the immediate foreground with reflections and bands of colour in stark contrast to the well described cliffs.

Composition/Strategy

It would have been tempting to get as near to the old Temple on the hill as possible. But I think keeping that feature in the distance has worked better in this instance. In terms of composition I always look for natural patterns like this, and these three headlands provided just that. I remind myself to try to remember that a painting is a mere construct the architect of which is the artist. Nature is the ultimate architect and it’s all there somewhere! It’s a matter of looking with purpose. Having an strategy for a painting before you start is always a good idea.

Something of interest in all three areas of the painting

That’s my starting point and always my plan –  find a scene with something of interest in: the foreground; the mid-ground and the far distance (background). This puts a border around the planning process and provides a strategy for a picture, making it easier to find a suitable scene to paint and eliminating unnecessary thinking.