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.
Pinterest – Our Experience and 12 Tips you Can Use #101
Une Orange Sanguine, ©John O'Grady, 2013 (Features on my Pinterest Board) Oil on Panel, 6"x 6", 2013 SOLD We have been on Pinterest for a few months now. This is an account of our beginner’s experience to give you an insight in how we use it, what is working and not...
The Cat #100
The Cat, 1993-2010 The Cat, ©John O'Grady, 2013 Oil on Panel, 8"x 8" Today is my 100th posting. So I was thinking of something special to paint. What better than our cat. Not for Sale
How Da Vinci and Rising Damp can Help with the Creative Doldrums #99
Low Tide, Ireland, ©John O'Grady, 2013 Oil on Panel, 7"x 5" SOLD Leonardo’s technique was not just his idea alone, many other Renaissance artists adopted devices to create new works. Seeing shapes in clouds, faces in rocks, all encouraged the viewer to search for...
The Field, Ireland #98
The Field, ©John O'Grady, 2013 Oil on Panel, 5"x 7" SOLD
Snow over Vaison #97
Snow over Vaison, ©John O'Grady, 2013 Oil on Panel, 6"x 6" SOLD We awoke earlier in the week to snow covering the town. The temperature didn't rise above zero during the day. This is the view from my studio at twilight. The freezing air had created a mist that...
The Mimosa Tree #96
The Mimosa Tree, ©John O'Grady, 2013 Oil on Panel, 6"x 6" Not for Sale The warm yellow in the painting I finished last week, The Gorse Bush, reminded me of mimosa trees. I lived for a short while on the Côte d'Azur and in February, you can see brilliant yellow forests...
What is it about Moonlight? #95
Moonlight on Le Chemin des Ecoliers, ©John O'Grady, 2013 Oil on Panel, 5"x 7" Not for Sale What is it about moonlit scenes or as Whistler called them, Nocturnes? The special quality of light, the drama and calm atmosphere it evokes? On the way back home from Clansayes...
American Tonalism and the Smell of Coconut #94
The Gorse Bush, Ireland, ©John O'Grady, 2013 Oil on Panel, 8"x 8" SOLD You may wonder what American Tonalism and the smell of coconut have in common. This painting is from my memory of the vibrant warm yellows of the Irish landscape where gorse is abundant and its...
The Great Pine, Provence #93
The Great Pine, ©John O'Grady,2013 Oil on Panel, 7"x 5" Late afternoon in Provence. My aim was to capture this stately pine in all its glory, along with the colours of evening. The painting was worked from a sketch and colour reference notes made in situ as well as a...
The Frozen Field III #92
The Frozen Field, ©John O'Grady,2013 Oil on Panel, 5"x 7" Not for Sale After creating two Frozen Fields paintings with a cool palette, I wanted to see if I could create one with a warmer palette. I like the result. What do you think?
The Frozen Field II #91
The Frozen Field II, ©John O'Grady,2012 Oil on Panel, 6"x 6"
Hilltop village, Provence #90
Hilltop Village in Provence, ©John O'Grady, 2013 Oil on Panel, 6"x 6" Not for Sale This is a revisit to a piece I started in the Autumn but never completed. It's looking across wheatfields to a Hilltop village in Drome Provençale on a warm September evening.
The Frozen Field #89
John O'Grady, Oil on Panel,6"x 6", 2013 SOLD
Mango #88
Mango, ©John O'Grady, 2012 Oil on canvas, 8" x 8"
La Corniche d’Or #86
La Corniche d'Or, ©John O'Grady, 2012 Oil on Panel, 6"x 6" Painted from memory. The Mediterranean sea viewed through pines in a bay close to Frejus. The painting was inspired by the work of Maurice Denis