After Paul Henry project latest painting

Untitled 600x700mmAcrylic on canvas

I just finised this latest painting last week  from my After Paul Henry project. This painting set in Achill Island illustrates the movment from the old to the new. Utilising old dwelling and converting them into cattle or storage sheds has been the practice in rural Ireland. The stone buildings quickly decay and fall asunder if not maintained.

Experimenting with Acrylics

Last month I traveled to London to complete a Golden Acrylics Educators program. I have been using these paints for over ten years now and it felt like a natural progression to develop my more experimental works as well as my own teachings.  I have been cagey enough about posting some of this work for reasons that most of the techniques are still in development  plus it further baffles people who try to categorise the style of work that I do.  It's all paint thou and I make a point of not trying to limit myself stylistically but rather expand my ability to express myself in new ways through painting. I am now of course also an educator for Golden Acrylics so I am happy to share some  of the possibilities one can achieve with there massive range of paints and mediums. 

'Bring your Shopping Home'

I had the idea for this painting four years ago. it has been knocking around the studio for the past 2 years. Acrylic on canvas. The line work is achieved with heavy gel with silver  and micaious iron oxide colour. I meant put stuff in the trolly. I'll have to do a second version..

wire fence landscape

 In this painting. The wire  fence is made with heavy gel medium and painted  with different iridescent  paints copper, silver, gold and pearl. There is interference green used in the landscape and you can just make out a graphic transfer using matte medium under the smalt blue sky. What's it all about? that's another blog!

Show at the Grainstore

After Paul Henry

'After Paul Henry' is a collaborative project I am involved with  archaeologist and photographer Brian Mac Domhnaill and painter Gentian Lulanaj you can follow us on Facebook to get the latest up dates .
https://www.facebook.com/pages/After-Paul-Henry/412428392204818

Show at St. Lukes Wine Tavern

I have some of my recent work on show at St. Lukes Wine Tavern untill the end of December including  work from the 'After Paul Henry' project that you see below.

“After Paul Henry’, is a collaborative project by painters Paul Mc Kenna and Gentian Lulanaj and archaeologist and photographer Brian Mac Domhnaill. The project was conceived out of a shared admiration for the work of the artist and a desire to seek inspiration within the spectacular landscapes of Achill Island and Connemara. The aim of the project is to follow in the footsteps of the artist and his wife and to engage with the people and the landscapes they encountered, taking stock of what has changed and what has remained the same. The resulting body of work will feature a diverse series of interactions with both the work of Paul Henry and his subject matter.

Some of the painting you see here are from my first two visits to Achill during the summer 2013. The group plans to go back on further excursions in the near future.

'Achill Sound' (80 x 80 cm Acrylic on canvas)

'Achill Shed' (300mm x400mm Acrylic on linen)

'Gable End' (30 x 40cm Acrylic on Linen)

'Islanders house'(30 x 40 cm Acrylic on Linen)

'A Walk Through Keel' (20 x 35 cm Acrylic on Linen)

"The Shed on the North Shore"

'The Shed on the North Shore' in it's entirety 200cm x140cm

 The ‘Shed on the North Shore’ is located in Auckland’s Stanley Bay next to a naval base. I first visited the location in 2009 and was immediately inspired by its teal coloured corrugated iron structure. These building materials are popular in New Zealand and feature in iconic building types such as modest self-built homes known as ‘bachs’. The painting is based on a photograph taken when I first arrived in New Zealand and as such there is strong personal significance attached to the moment that is recorded. Each panel represents a fragment of memory. The composite piece is made up of 70 painted panels (20cm x 20cm). Each panel has been given its own unique treatment using acrylic mediums. Although the painting is representational when presented in its original composition the abstract qualities of the individual panels allow for various reconfigurations, each one specific to the receiving space.

My work will be showing at filter cafe for the month of November.  Forty six of the seventy panels are reconfigured and displayed along the length of the cafe. The opening will be this Friday 1st of November from 7-9pm.