20″ x 20″ x 1.75″, oil on deep edged canvas, ready to hang.
SOLD
The ancient raised mound of a Fairy Rath sits in the landscape looking like it has always been there.
Trees and bushes are left to grow, unperturbed by the hand of man.
All is quiet.
The land rolls off into the distance as far as the grey-blue cast of the distant hills.
As we raise our eyes to the heavens, we notice the rolling and swirling of a large cumulus cloud climbing higher and higher into the blue-black sky.
Lit in white, gold, rose and violet, it seems to be ‘raging at the dying of the light’.
Soon it too will be shrouded in darkness.
I’d love to read your comments.
Lovely, John!
This is so magical!
Thanks for showing.I opened a folder only for your paintings on Pinterest…
🙂 Frauke
Thank you very much Frauke, that’s very kind of you
Enchanting light, John.
Thank you Janine, I hope your own work is going well
Such a quiet and contemplative painting with splendid rich, glowing colours – that green and violet! It is a scene which evokes thoughts of ancient times and stirs feelings linked to the exquisite beauty of the Irish landscape. Thank you John.
Hello Chris,
Yes the green and violet seem to work really well together, thank you for your comment on the painting.
Another beautiful painting John ! Love the sky and the lush greens..thank you
Hello Elles,
Thank you very much, Spring greens the new season is coming.
John, Your work with colors is always spectacular! As an amateur I am constantly looking into techniques etc. Would you have advice on books DVD s or workshops. Do you conduct workshops? By the way why not come to Main, we have an extra bed here in Boothbay. Geez
Hello Geez,
Thank you for the kind words on my work and the invitation to explore the inlets and bays of beautiful Maine, sounds tempting.
With regards to advice on DVD’s, workshops and books. I can’t really offer you any but I am more than happy to add a few remarks on my own motivation behind what I do if it would help.
Although I can’t recommend any books on technique, I do find art books on artists and online sources an invaluable source in looking how other painters have made work, in terms of composition and how placing one particular colour next to another successfully to create an atmosphere within a piece. Often what may seem incongruous in terms of colour arrangement can work in the most surprising way.
Many years ago I was an art teacher and would bring art books into class to encourage discussion of why a student was drawn to a particular painting, beyond the ‘I like that painting’ but to encourage reflection on how a painting made them feel and why. This would sometimes be revelatory as it would take a student off on a rich vein of inquiry in their own work. What I am saying is by looking at work that we respond to in subject matter and colour often there lies the path in our own work. I do this all the time Geez analysing how a painting works and how it makes me feel and i think has helped me immensely.
With regards to the process. I paint primarily from memory and imagination and if I do use a photograph to convey a topographic detail, I straight away put it to one side. The reason I mention this is that by accessing memory and not photographs, it gives me the freedom to develop colour arrangements. This I hasten to say is only my way of working and works for me.
I also do not work directly from nature but make sketches and mental notes which I can then develop once back in the studio, again this offers me I find freedom to respond to colour and mark making in a creative way.
Here is a blog post, which goes a little bit more into how I made a painting.
https://johnogradypaintings.com/the-valley-of-lights-158/
I hope this helps Geez
kind regards
John
Just love the way you describe the painting and just love love the way it’s painted.
Thank you very much for your comment
What a very apt painting unveiling the first greens of spring! You have that ability John to again move the spirit stirring in your heart and transfer it to others! The heavy laiden cloud tempers a fog of quiet reverence for the sacred landscape below ..greens, blues indigo, violets that sweep up and vibrate in ones spine..
Hello Irene,
It’s great to hear that the painting brought out such feelings and thoughts in you, thank you very much
I enjoyed your painting John, thanks so much for sharing with us…your work takes the viewer to beautiful places
Thank you very much Julie, you are very welcome.