Studio Notes
Opt-in here if you want to find out about the latest artworks.
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,...
Catching the Light #197
Click on image to enlarge Catching the Light, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Canvas, 7″x 9″ x 3/4" (no need to frame and ready to hang) Not for Sale (NFS) This piece started life with an underpainting of muted grey/violet applied thickly over a very smooth gessoed canvas....
Gloria Lake at Twilight #196
Gloria Lake at Twilight, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 8″x 10″ NFS In John McGahern's book "That They May Face the Rising Sun" and known as "By the Lake" in America, he describes with great beauty Gloria Lake, in county Leitrim in Ireland. It is in many ways the...
Sea Squall #195
Please click on image to enlarge Sea Squall, ©John O’Grady, 2014Oil on Panel, 5″x 7″ This painting is a continuation of the previous post's theme. It started life as a panel with a burnt orange underpainting prepared a few days ago. I scraped my palette from the...
Light on Water III #194
Light on Water III, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 10″x 8″ SOLD One of the things that make Ireland so beautiful is how the successive weather fronts move in fast. The clouds skittering across the sky allow a play of light on water and land. It's nature's free...
On the Trail at Dawn III #193
On the Trail at Dawn III, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 12″x 8″ Not for Sale (NFS) With this piece, I was recalling the first light as it rises above the hills and brings to life nature's vivid colours. This painting differs from the other two with a more abstract...
Spring Grass II #192
Spring Grass II, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 8″x 8″ SOLD The seasons' ebb and flow is something we are all imperceptibly receptive to. The air warming, the brightening days and the sun shining seem to influence my work and palette choice. Once I completed this...
Morning Shadows II #191
Morning Shadows II, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 10″x 10" SOLD When out walking at the start of day, the air is crisp, the light hazy. You have to wait for the sun to rise in the sky to make everything sharper and brighter. In this painting, I sought to capture...
Approaching Rain, Provence #190
Click on image to enlarge. Approaching Rain, Provence. ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 16″x 16″ SOLD Yes there are moments when the deep blue sky of Provence becomes angry and threatens rain and even hail, particularly in March. This painting includes two loves of...
Looking East, Killiney #189
Click on image to enlarge Looking East, Killiney ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 6″x 6″ NOT for SALE This view across Killiney Bay and the Irish sea is what first came to mind as this painting emerged. The particular light there is full of rich, varied greys,...