Studio Notes
On this blog, typically once every two weeks on a Sunday, I talk about a new painting straight off the easel.
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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,...
Take Me to the Island IV #188
Take Me to the Island IV, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 12″x 12″ SOLD I started this painting a few days ago and it's only this morning that I found a way in. I saw pink reflections of light on water. This piece has a brighter and warmer feel than the previous one...
Take Me to the Island III #187
Take Me to the Island III, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 16″x 12″ SOLD
Pink Moon is on Its Way #186
Pink Moon is on Its Way, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 8″x 10″ SOLD It might be wishful thinking on my part but summer is coming. This painting with an arrangement of violets evokes I think the warmth of a summer evening that you might see here in Provence, when...
Gloria Bog #185
Gloria Bog, ©John O’Grady, 2014 Oil on Panel, 10″x 10″ SOLD I have been reading a lot of John McGaher's work of late. His writing is at one moment harrowing and in the next exquisite. Descriptions of the rolling hills and overgrown boreens of Leitrim transport you...