JohnOGradyArt-The-Mountain-Road-IV
The Mountain Road IV, ©John O’Grady
20″ x 20″ x 1.75″, oil on deep edged canvas, ready to hang.

Not for Sale (NFS)

When you are travelling through Ireland, particularly in the west, you are likely to marvel at the beauty of the landscape.

Rugged and wild, it will capture your heart.

Although I relate to this, when there, I tend to spend most of my time looking up: above our heads is an incredible spectacle.

It’s like magic.

The clouds sweep in from the Atlantic. They build up and rise and shift and swirl in an astonishing display of power.

They look heavy and ominous and soon they’ll ascend to become ethereal and transparent.

The landscape has its place though.

It’s a fitting and stunning backdrop even when mountains look dwarfed in the presence of cumulus clouds that stand three or four times their height above their summit.

Can you imagine their weight?

These contrasts and contradictions gave me the starting point for this painting.

The ephemeral clouds are both heavy and filled with light while the trees stand slim and dark against the evening sky.

I’d love to hear what you think.