Irish Arts Blog

Inspirational Art Calendar

Inspirational Art Calendar 2011 for Sale, Now!

This calendar will inspire you every month of the year. Each picture was created for you, so you could find your own story and insights. While there are a few lines describing the thinking behind the picture, the reason it was created is to allow you explore your inner imaginative worlds. The pictures are a starting point to help you explore the worlds within your imagination. The details of the pictures act as catalysts and open doors so you can discover new vistas which you can explore at your leisure.

Each month has a large image which you can study and discover the small details which give hints to lead you to find your own individual story for each picture.

It is A3 size with a picture for each month by award winning artist Ed Parkinson. If you’d like to buy one just click this button.

 

It’s an ideal gift for you or the spiritually aware person in your life.

There are only 100 of the calendars printed, so if you’d like one, don’t delay. Order now to make sure you get yours. They are only €15 each, including postage and packing. They will sell out quickly. Click this button to order your calendar now.

 

This video shows all of the pages in the calendar.

 

Jazz with Mr. Jones

   

The invitation arrived by messenger. 5 p.m. Friday at 54 rue M, where New Year Eve is not just another day and where I gave the first Mrs. Jones her only Charleston lesson.

It is the most celebrated apartment in town, unless you count the Murphys’. The big living room with mirrored walls and angular white furniture looks much less austere filled with talented people. Mr. Jones waves me over from the piano bench; he shoos the cats (“Anything” and “Goes”) onto the zebra-skin rug, pats for me to sit down.
I can barely hear him over the room roar and cocktail-shaker rhythm section, but I just make out the words…“that black-and-white baby of mine.

As he whispers in my ear I can see the Senegal Matrimonial Masks hanging in the hall, apparently they didn’t make it to Oxfam after all.

Jazz captures the movement of the music and atmosphere of that very long weekend.

The Wedding Gift

Asking an artist for a piece of work as a wedding gift is always a good thing for this artist.  Just come on by and pick one out - if you like it, take it!  Asking the artist to paint something for the couple which captures them, is a little bit more daunting for this artist.

This wedding gift is a Kenyan Sunrise, capturing where Darren and Silvia got engaged. The groom fell upon one knee and cried tears of joy to the laughter of the hippos, delight of the chimps and the stares of the lions - not sure if this happened but it is my blog! The sunrise also represents the beginning of their new life together.  The bride loves red, purple and green - the colours of the African hills and the morning savannah are purple and green.  Kenya is so helpful with her array of colours! The groom loves the bride.

Finally, the Italian bride loves Ireland, her Irish man and our Celtic culture so the sunrise is also a Celtic spiral - capturing the Irish man, the culture and the bride's love of all things Irish.

I hope Sylvia and Darren enjoy this painting and have a wonderful long life together.

I wonder will it always be over the fire place or will it be relocated to the downstairs Loo!!

Alchemy and the Irish Landscape

Susanne Iles

"Without symbols our lives would be as spiritually impoverished as sleep without dreams..." – Tom Chetwynd

According to the Oxford Dictionary, symbolist art seeks special symbols to express the essence of things by suggestion. It engages the viewer by appealing to the heart, personality and unconscious mind, as well as the intellect.

I'm often asked "what kind" of art do I do? I consider myself a contemporary symbolist because each painting unfolds like a puzzle box. I'll use the painting "Calcinatio Angelus" as an example. This is the first painting in my alchemy series, starting with Calcination. An inspection of the painting reveals many secrets and correspondences to the first operation in the alchemy of transformation.

• we are both Divine and Human
• "It's Father is the Sun"
• Angel is holding Saturn, lead, six-pointed star (painted gold first, then painted over in black ground with obsidian)
• re: Jacob Bohme (De Signatura rerum) "Behold in Saturn a Gold lies enclosed..."
• Matter, Malkuth, signified by a young woman
• Symbol for Aries was initially in ram headed sandals, but I liked the idea of her feet being exposed, so the symbol for Aries is now at her chest
• Saturn-prima materia
• Her eyes are closed because she has been overcome
• The entire painting was initially primed with magenta;the initial sketches were done in lead and silver point.
• Overcoming hubris
• The landscape in the background is a village close to my house called Ardgroom (in Irish it is An Rath Chruinn Dhá Dhroim) Dhá Dhroim may be translated into "two backs". The sacrum is considered one of the physical correspondences to Calcination.
• Where the angel will ultimately land is the centre of a stone circle which contains a burial cist, a stone box with human ashes within. An Aries correspondence may also be found here as the physical location had a ram's skull on the altar stone decorated with flowers.
• Purification by fire, burned to ashes
• When burned away, "primal" substances are left
• Her dress is painted with cobalt, cobalt (60CO) is a high energy gamma ray emitter, in high doses it can cause severe burns
• Cobalt is unstable and has similar properties to meteoric iron...thus her plunging to the earth like a meteorite
• Conversely cobalt is also essential for healthy nerve cells, red blood cells etc.
• Cobalt enhances oxidation, which is the next step to my second painting in the series, "Dissolution"

I'm ever hopeful that the symbols in my artwork act as stepping stones to self-discovery...or keys to gently prod the memory open...or maybe even slightly pointy sticks to provoke curiosity.

Liquid Lust

Susanne Iles

What is the most delicious thing you can get an artist as a gift? Here's a hint, it's something sexy and exciting. Can you guess?

That's right....new art supplies!

I've discovered the best way to get out of the box is to use new "toys" that are fresh and unfamiliar. I usually paint with tiny brushes and acrylic paints, but wanted to try something different. This time around I've decided to play with some fat brushes, splashes of water,India ink and ink pencils. So much fun!


The following pictures show the progression of my new painting entitled, "Kimono". You can see how the colours were allowed to pool and bleed before adding the woman painted in black ink. Using a fat paintbrush gave the painting a more organic, free flowing movement and shape. Spontaneity and surprise made this piece a lot of fun to paint!


Here's a look at the finished piece entitled "Kimono". The flowers on her kimono were painted to contrast the liquid look of the rest of the artwork.

West Cork Day Dream

7:12 a.m: The West Cork sun creeps through the blinds. I decide to get some exercise. I decide to get up immediately. I decide just not now.

12:16 a.m: Drag myself out of bed and have a coffee.

12:55 a.m: His deep voice from kitchen floats into the lounge ‘Your omelet is ready’.

12:56 a.m: ‘A mimosa would be good about now’ I mumble into his ear

12:57 a.m: Mmmmm. It is.

1:23 p.m: ‘that’s it I can’t eat another bite.’ I softly sigh

1:26 p.m: I stare out the window at beautiful, calm, peaceful West Cork, aimlessly, dreaming, floating away on the waves.

2:11 p.m: In middle of my West Cork day dream, he who cooked my breakfast begins touching my foot with his. He never leaves me day dream in peace!

5:45 p.m: I wake up (again). We are both upstairs. He is sound asleep, wearing apparently only one sock.

I turn to look out the window and resume my west cork day dream.

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NORMA JEAN IS ALIVE & WELL AND LIVING IN MY HOUSE

Painting by Ellen McDermott

Whenever I'm doing a painting I learn a little during my research on the subject I'm working on like these facts about Marilyn;  She is the only female on the Forbes rich list of dead celebrities and that my husband would like me to look like this when we go out to the local on Friday night.

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River Sanctuary

By Ed P

River Sanctuary is a somewhere you can go to find peace, enlightenment and wisdom. It is in a forgotten place, where people no longer go. It is too far away and most people won’t bother looking for it. This remoteness is part of its appeal. You know you won’t be disturbed as you spend some quiet time with your self, reflecting on the things which are important to you. There are challenges in reaching this place but you know it will be worth the effort when you get there.

On arrival at the river sanctuary you can sit by the banks and enjoy the peaceful sounds of the water as you soak in the sunshine. You can drink from the sanctuary falls. It is cool, fresh and pure. Somehow it clears your mind and sharpens your vision.

As you ramble over the bridge you notice some steps leading up the hill. Further up there’s some kind of bridge. Where does it lead?

Blog Background
While creating River Sanctuary I put images of it as it progressed on my blog. Emma Barone left a few comments, here’s how our conversation went.

Emma:
“Hi Ed P, I really like this image, River Sanctuary. I want to go there stand at the bridge & hear the water, smell the fresh air, see the beautiful greenery & the trippy blue sky. There is probably a secret cave above the waterfall. It’s magical. “
Ed P:
“Hi Emma, You're right about the secret cave. Have a look at the larger version, click the image and new window will open. There's someone in the cave waiting for you but you have to convince him you are the person he is expecting so that he'll let down the bridge for you.
“Thanks for dropping by. Keep an eye on the blog so you will know when the picture is finished. You'll be able to explore it fully then.”
Emma:
“Hi Ed P, how cool is that, when I took a closer look I seen the draw bridge & the bridge keeper. I wonder will he let me into the magic cave, I am curious & I want to see inside.”
Ed P:
"Hi Emma, Be careful as you climb the hill. If you are wearing high heels you might end up with your heels to heaven..."

There are few more detail pictures in my Spiritual Art Gallery.

*Ed P

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THE JUGGLER

By Ellen McDermott

I had to juggle around with my canvas sizes to find just the right one for this  fella.  I eventually painted him on a large 4ft canvas so that I could  accommodate his alter ego who's balancing on his finger.   

This is a commissioned painting for Karen Harper, founder of Irish Craft Association and one that I am going to be sorry to part with, as are my kids and I can hear that little voice in my head telling me to 'just paint a second one for Christsakes.  Can't you imagine the look on Audrey's and Sarah's face when they find him hanging in their bedroom?'

But I'm too busy to paint him twice as I'm trying to get together a body of my own work right now.   Then again, I suppose I could always juggle my time management plans.  Hmmm

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GOODBYE JULIET

by  Ellen McDermott

Because I'm bordering on paranoidal insecurity when it comes to my art I worry all the time that people will think I can't paint. 

'Sure, we can see you can paint large abstract portraits and you can whip up a couple of  zebras in a week but can you paint?  Can you really paint?  Real grown up proper Art,  I think I hear them saying to themselves.  So here you are.  Here's one of my 'real' paintings.

I started her on Wednesday 6th of February and on the 7th day, yesterday, I finished creating her and rested.      While it's not my favourite style I do find it important to paint realistically every now and then just to keep my hand in and of course to remind my real and imaginary skeptics, myself included, that yes,  I can really paint.

Well, I think I can.

I can.   Paint that is.

Can't I?

My four daughters and I came to a unanimous decision that her name is Juliet.  I've told my youngest daughter that no she can't hang her in her bedroom and that she has to say goodbye to Juliet because I am giving her away.  Yep.  She is going to be framed and then given away to a Charity Art Auction for The Peter Bradley Foundation for acquired brain injury services who do such important and much needed work.

So if you fancy picking up some original paintings at affordable prices come along to:
Expose Yourself Gallery, level 3
Dunaloire Shopping Center, 7pm 13th March 08.

Drinks in Lime Bar (level 2) after Auction.

See here for further information.

And if you happen to see me there don't forget to say hello

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