Studio Notes
On this blog, I regularly publish new paintings straight off the easel and discuss what inspired them and how they came about.
Opt-in here if you want to find out about the latest artworks.
The Spirit of Water II #256
click image for detail SOLD The Spirit of Water II, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on deep edged wooden box frame 6″ x 12″ x 1.50″ It does not require framing and is ready to hang. EarthAir RealityChimera DarkLight AppearDisappear PastFuture RisingFalling...
Where the Sea Meets the Sky #255
Where the Sea Meets the Sky, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on deep edged wooden box frame 8″ x 8″ x 1.50″ It does not require framing and is ready to hang. SOLD "No painting stops with itself, is complete of itself. It is a continuation of previous paintings and is renewed...
Always for the First Time #254
Always for the First Time, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on deep edged canvas 12″ x 12″ x 1.75″ It does not require framing and is ready to hang SOLD Recently, I came across a poem by André Breton, the founder of Surrealism titled 'Always for the First Time'. The title...
The Spirit of Water #253
The Spirit of Water ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on canvas 10″ x 10″ x 0.75″ It does not require framing and is ready to hang. SOLD Like many of my paintings, this piece started life by responding to initial marks made on canvas and seeing where it took me and whether a...
In Between (The Blue Hour) #252
In Between (The Blue Hour) ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on deep edged canvas 20″ x 20″ x 1.75″ / 50 cm x 50 cm x 4.75cm It does not require framing and is ready to hang. Not for Sale The time and place when we are just on the edge of something is only a slither of space, a...
The Silver Thread #251
Click the image to see it larger. The Silver Thread, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on deep edged canvas 19.75″ x 19.75″ x 1.75″ / 50 cm x 50 cm x 4.75cm It does not require framing and is ready to hang. SOLD Have you experienced and felt moved by the magic of moonlight as it...
Winter Reflections #250
Click the image to see it larger. Winter Reflections, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on canvas 20″ x 8″ x 0.75″ This winter painting of Killary Harbour in Connemara is looking from county Galway across to the mountains in county Mayo. It's the only fjord in Ireland. This...
The Mountain Road II #249
The Mountain Road II, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on canvas 7″ x 9″ x 0.75″. SOLD A small road weaves its way through the mountains in Ireland. This painting is about scale and how the road is dwarfed by its surroundings. It's also about what we might see when we look up...
I Dreamt of White Horses II #248
I Dreamt of White Horses II, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on canvas 10″ x 10″ x 0.75″. SOLD The south-westerly wind is blowing hard off the coast, moving clouds over water and land in quick succession and as they do, they change colour. Catching the light in the process,...
Land Marks II #247
Land Marks II, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on canvas 8″ x 8″ x 0.75″. This piece is sold framed 11" x 11" x 1.5" (see below). I have visited The Courtauld Gallery in London on a few occasions. It is one of those art collections where I could spend days if not weeks. They...
You Can Touch the Sky #246
You Can Touch the Sky, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on Panel, 8″ x 10″ A road crosses high over the top of the stark and beautiful lunar landscape of the Burren on the West coast of Ireland. I was on this road one time and the weather had moved in off the Atlantic. The rain...
After the Rain #245
After the Rain ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on deep edged canvas 12″ x 12″ x 1.75″ /30.5 cm x 30.5 cm x 4.7 cm It does not require framing and is ready to hang. SOLD The trials and tribulations of a painting! Normally I try to post on a Wednesday but this latest painting...
Till the Last Ray Gleams II #244
Till the Last Ray Gleams II, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on deep edged canvas 8″ x 8″ x 1.75″ It does not require framing and is ready to hang. SOLD I am sure there is a scientific explanation or term for the sliver of time between day and night when the sun is just...
Then the Rain Came #243
Then the Rain Came, ©John O’Grady 2015 Oil on Panel, 7.25″ x 12″ SOLD On the West coast of Ireland the weather can change so fast. Yes there are days when there isn't a cloud in the sky but the days when the play of light and rain clouds puts on a display are...
A Day – Morning, Noon and Night #242
A Day - Morning, Noon and Night, ©John O’Grady 2014 Oil on deep edged panel, 3 x 15cm x 15cm x 3.2cm (approx 3 x 6″ x 6″ x 1.1/4″, no need to frame and ready to hang) SOLD This triptych is something I have been meaning to do for a while now as I used to work in this...