Glasgow - 1

 I was in Glasgow a week ago, on the class "getting to know you" trip (I have recently started the MA in Art & Research Collaboration programme through IADT Dún Laoghaire). I had the feet walked off me visiting art shows and artist studios over three days, but it was interesting and exhilarating. Every morning there was quite a fog, which burned off by the afternoon, so the weather was very pleasant and dry. Friday morning (Oct 16) was spent exploring the downtown area and soaking in the city atmosphere before meeting up with the group for our planned gallery visits. I am not sure if this photo gives a good enough indication of how hilly the streets are in the city, but they most certainly are steep!

One of the architectural features I thought very interesting was the street entrance stairs to buildings, almost like flying buttresses over dry moats -- there would be additional steps leading down to the lower level to gain access to the below-footpath-level premises.

Buchanan St. is a busy pedestrian street.

There are many contrasting buildings on Buchanan St. (and elsewhere) and often the ground floor is a high street shop.

I was fascinated by this decorative building. The shop below just happened to be Laura Ashley.

Though the windows of this build seem plain in comparison to the building above, I liked the top story decoration and the semi circular window and its accompanying arch work.

I didn't look to see what denomination this church represented, just focused on the decoration.

This clock tower is also part of the church.

 There was a lot of carved stone decoration on buildings. This may have been at the entrance to a sports shop.

I think this man may have been on the other side of the sports shop entrance.

Gare d'Antibes - finished painting!

I was away in the US & Canada towards the end of June and beginning of July so I had to leave my painting till my return. I worked on it on my return in July and in August finally put my signature to the completed painting.

My husband took lots of detail photos for me. Where mountains meet sky.

Sunset sky.

Antibes train station.

Tree branches with mountain background.

Treeline, mountains and sky.

Here is the complete painting: Gare d'Antibes, acrylic on paper, approx 220 cm x 267 cm, triptych, 2015.

More Bells!

As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband, sculptor James Hayes, has been experimenting with making bells. Although also working on these at home, he usually gets more concentrated time to focus on the annual Umha Aois (bronze age) experimental bronze casting symposium. This summer it was held in Skibbereen, West Cork. Still in a bell frame of mind, a recent trip to the National Museum of Ireland got us looking at different bells, especially noticing their handles. I have previously posted pictures of the 2-loop handled bells, but this bell also struck us because it was so curvy.

The handle on this bell seems to be a simple coil.

This bell was notable because it was sheet iron riveted together and possibly brazed.

While at Dublinia a few weeks back, there was a lovely rounded Viking hand bell in a display. The clapper can be seen in the photo, and this is worth noting as the typical Irish bells did not have clappers but were tapped like an instrument.

Here is a selection of bells my husband has made and a leather-wrapped bronze tool to sound a bell. The smaller flattish bell in the centre rear is made of sheet iron and has been folded and riveted together; a leather thong has been threaded through holes to make a handle. James plans to braze (bronze coat) that bell. The other bells are cast bronze.

Gare d'Antibes - new painting in progress

This is the view from the third floor apartment in Antibes, where we have stayed a few times with relatives. This is looking to the left, north. at the maritime alps at sunset over Gare d'Antibes. The view right is gorgeous too, looking south the harbour is only a 5-10 minute walk away with the scultpure, Le Nomade looking out over the Mediterranean. This picture was taken last August.

 If I had turned the camera left at the time, the picture would have been of yachts and a floodlit Le Nomade. 

But I digress. I did a quick sketch last August of the parts of the view that intrigued me: the line of the mountains and the large tree in front of the station. The sketchbook I was using at the time is one of my own, pocket sized using recycled materials.

A few months ago my husband was assisting me in putting up some kraft paper so that I could start a new painting of the sunset over Gare d'Antibes.

I first did a preliminary chalk drawing. Immediate changes are apparent once I started to add paint. 

And so the process of painting begins with some blocks of colour...