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.
City of Tiny Lights II #212
City of Tiny Lights II, ©John O’Grady 2014 Oil on deep edged Canvas, 20″x 20″ x 1&3/4" deep. Not for Sale My paintings seem to be taking a little memory road trip around South County Dublin and Co Wicklow at the moment. This road is the main artery out of Dublin...
Twilight Glendalough #211
Twilight Glendalough, ©John O’Grady 2014 Oil on Panel, 12"x 12" SOLD As the last rays of the day set the sky on fire over the Upper Lake, perhaps I am feeling a gentle shift in the seasons as this piece has an autumnal or even wintery atmosphere as the days begin to...
Replenishing the Well #210
I have not posted any paintings in the last couple of weeks: I was working on a commission for a series of 14 paintings for a gallery. Here are four of the pieces After completing the commission, I felt a bit numb...
A Murmur in the Trees IV #209
A Murmur in the Trees IV ©John O’Grady 2014 Oil on Panel, 10″x 10″ You can watch an edited video of me making the painting below which is the fourth in a series directly inspired by the magical poem by Emily Dickinson. A Murmur in the Trees – to note A Murmur in...
Light on Water, Killiney Hill #208
Glendalough Reflections #207
Glendalough Reflections, ©2014 John O’Grady, 16″x 16″, oil on Panel SOLD Back in October 2012, I made a small painting of the lower lake of Glendalough, from the Irish Gleann Dá Loch “Valley of the Two Lakes" in county Wicklow. Today's painting is a second view, this...
As Far as the Eye Can See II #206
As Far as the Eye Can See II, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 8″x 10″ SOLD A few of you have sent me questions lately about how I go about making a painting. So I thought it's about time to bite the bullet and put a little video together. Now it is a small 3 minute...
Take me to the Island V #205
Click on the image to enlarge it. Take me to the Island V, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 6"x 6" SOLD Islands have often been used as places of isolation and contemplation such as the monastic site of Skellig Michael off the west coast of Ireland. And they have had...
The Glow of the Night #204
Click on the image to enlarge it. The Glow of the Night, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 23″ x 23″ Summer nights in southern France have a quality that fills me with wonder. The heat during the day can be too much to spend a lot of time in but it has its...
Moonlight over the Sugar Loaf #203
19″ x 19″ x 1.5″, oil on deep edged panel.●
I purposefully choose colours quickly as an intuitive response to what is happening on the paint surface.
The Windswept Field #202
The Windswept Field, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 6″ x 6″ SOLD One of my favourite places to visit is the plateau of Clansayes in Drôme Provençale. In between the garrigue, the shrubland composed of a mix of kermes oaks, box tree and aromatic plants such as...
Evening across the Bog II #201
Evening across the Bog II, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 8" x 10" SOLD I have mentioned before how I find evening to be a special time. The light has a particular quality which imbues the landscape with a glow, perhaps it is the raking light which...
Valley of Lights III #200
The Valley of Lights III ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 19″x 19″ SOLD This painting has a combination of, as Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews),would say in the Sound of Music, "These are a few of my favourite things": grasses, mountains, clouds, light and shadow. This...
Valley of Lights II #199
The Valley of Lights II ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 8″x 10″ Not for Sale (NFS) This painting emerged as a piece that shows the incredible energy of light bouncing around the sky onto the land. Common themes are coming up in my current work: a special light, open...
As Far as the Eye Can See #198
Click on the image to enlarge it. As Far as the Eye Can See ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on deep edged panel, 23" x 23" x 1.5" SOLD I'm currently painting on larger formats and this piece is one I have been working on and off over the last few weeks. As you know,...