Finally back to painting again

I have been back from England for over 2 months. The house and my studio have eaten up loads of my time with renovation, reclamation and renewing - basically making as much as we can look like  new again. Painting on panels/canvas was replaced with painting on walls and woodwork. Well about a week ago the good old oils came out and I headed outside to get the cobwebs out of my hair and to claim my artist self. 

Posted here are the products of those efforts. They are all set just out my door - I am fortunate enough to live out in the sticks on 4 acres of wooded property surrounded with farmland. I expect that there will be lots and lots of paintings from my yard coming up so you will be getting very familiar with what I see everyday.

Purchases can easily be made by clicking the the link under each piece. The pieces are small and easily mailed unframed. Larger paintings of any of my subjects can be done on a commission bases.

The Lonely Mailbox

5 x 10

Across the Empty Field

5 x 7

View of the Corn Wall

5 x 10

Chicken Coop 1

10 x 8

First Beams of Day Light Savings

5 x 10

Passing this on from Robert Genn

I have been back in the US for over a month now. Still no painting yet - except for the walls etc as we renovate the house. Hopefully real painting will not be far away as our things arrive from England tomorrow, to include all of my art supplies. Yahoo!

In the mean time I thought I would pass this newsletter on to you from a fellow artist named Robert Genn. Enjoy.

This morning Evelyn Dunphy of West Bath, ME, USA wrote, "Some time ago you wrote about the experience of feeling an overwhelming emotion in the presence of beauty. There was a principle named after the man who identified this feeling of awe. Who was it and what was the name of the principle?"

Thanks, Evelyn. You're probably thinking about my letter on January 18th, "The Stendhal Syndrome," where I talked about looking at beautiful art and having rapid heartbeat, dizziness and confusion. In 1817, the French writer Stendhal was discombobulated after visiting the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence. It was a similar discombobulation I was to repeat in the same place in 2010. Fact is, most of us have had wobbly legs in public galleries when suddenly confronted with art we may have previously only seen in books or online.

Or you may have been thinking about my letter of March 29th, "Spinoza and me," where I wrote about one of my favourite Dutchmen. Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) felt that "all things are worthy of interest and study, including the tiniest animalcule or flower, and the universe itself."

Spinoza and Stendhal were not the only ones to be in awe of everything. "The world," said the Irish poet W. B. Yeats, "is full of magic things patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."

That's it. As we sharpen our senses the world becomes a more awesome place. Artists of all stripes are particularly favoured to develop a high degree of awe. Our profession demands that we see more than others and apply our love and talent to exploit it.

On our recent painting ventures into the magnificent Bugaboo Mountains, artists would step out of the helicopter and start screaming. We called these involuntary outbursts "Boogasms." Only the seriously jaded were not having them.

A dictionary definition of awe is "an overwhelming feeling of reverence and admiration produced by that which is grand, sublime or extremely powerful." In modern times, a great deal of awe centres on the field of science. "The feeling of awed wonder that science can give us is one of the highest experiences of which the human psyche is capable," wrote Richard Dawkins. "It is a deep aesthetic passion to rank with the finest that music, art and poetry can deliver. It is truly one of the things that make life worth living and it does so, if anything, more effectively if it convinces us that the time we have for living is quite finite."

Best regards,

Robert

Before the Day Begins

Before the Day Begins

10 x 5, oil on panel 

Bob and I stayed at a B&B at Leed's Castle last week. It is a stunning castel and grounds that is very parklike and romantic. Being there after hours made it that much more magical to us. A nice bottle of champagne in the evening in the stunning gardens overlooking the lake full of swans and other bird foul made the evening perfect.  

The next day Bobby went and played 9 holes while I did some plein air painting. I am generally  not pulled to paint the obvious scene of a noted location. In this painting I painted a little tunnel that is at the base of the castle and the mote around it where they store the gondola's overnight. The painting was moving right along when.... they moved the gondola to get it ready for the visitors of the day. Luckily I had gotten enough information to finish the painting off in my studio.

This may be my last plein air piece before I move back to the states. 

There are lots of mixed feelings I have about moving back but, I am leaving a place with many, many posititve memories cemented into my head and coming back to my home with high anticipation of great things to come.

Willow Ablaze

Willow Ablaze

8 x 10

oil on panel

You can't see the pond next to this but it is there. Occasionally in a painting I choose to go way beyond the local colour. I plan on doing more and more of it too. Usually when I do this it is on a studio piece but this time I tried it out in the field. My mind had to keep stopping and going through a reassignment of colour over and over again yet staying relatively true to the values. Kinda fun actually.

My New Website

Happy Dog

Happy Me

Yes, you have seen this painting before. You will see it again if you visit my brand new website: www.eileenmcconkeyfineart.com . It is a simple site all about the work. Let me know what you think.

I have been wanting to make a new site for a long time because my other website is all about the space paintings that I was doing (www.eileenmcconkey.com). I am keeping that one up and running too for it is still a part of me and is so different from my current work and I want it to stay alive on the web.

On another note - I am heading HOME. USA here I come! Just about 3 1/2 more weeks to go. I have been loving living in England but have also missed family, friends and other things about the US that just aren't here.  England will stay in my heart strongly for the rest of my life. Bob and I have been blessed for the opportunity and have become richer because of it. My work has changed and grown. My world view has become more realistic and appreciative. We are happy that we came.

So this means that I will be seeing lots of you who are following this blog. Can't wait.  I really appreciate your support. 

In the mean time, there are still paintings to paint whilst I am still here so stay tuned. ooxx

Dreaming of Italy

Dreaming of Italy

10 x 5

Oil on panel

SOLD

It is not often that I use other people's photos for my paintings but I did for this one. It was an opportunity I took advantage of as Leslie Saeta is traveling in Italy. This painting will be posted on her blog and of course at any other of my sites - My Facebook fan page, my regular timeline on facebook  (lots of links huh!)

I usually shy away from building because they conjure up nasty memories of doing VERY detailed house portraits years ago that were more like architectural drawings. Today I would do a house portrait soooo differently. 

So - this painting was actually quite fun as I started with a red-orange underpainting so it gave the whole thing a warm glow right off the bat. I  haven't done underpainting colour fields all that much lately but I think you will be seeing it more and more often as I go along.

By the way - I am heading home form England soon. Time to get on with the rest of our lives. Stay tuned.

Old Farm Shed

Old Farm Shed

12 x 6, oil

At times I paint out with a plein air painter friend here. She grew up on an orchard and fruit farm near West Pecham, UK. I have gone with her a couple of times to paint there. It is really hard to select just one scene to paint because there are so many. We got going at 8am on this morning so that we could catch a bit of the morning light (I wasn't about to get up at 5:30 for the sunrise so 8 am was the best I was willing to do).

This painting, and the last one, were 80% done en plein air and the rest done in my studio. I am liking this ratio of outside and studio time on a piece. It takes away some of the anxiety of the timing and gets me lots more focused on getting the main color notes and values down right on site.

Farm Trailer

Farm Trailer

9 x 12, oil on panel

SOLD

There is lots of farm equipment on the farm here. This one struck me for the texture of the peeling paint and the grasses growing around it. It looks forgotten and abandoned but it is not. I don't normally like to paint a square-edged object like this or a building but when it is softened by vegetation, like this one is, I find them most intriguing. There is more of a story to it.

This one was done 80% en plein air.

Francis Iles Gallery

I just got accepted into a really lovely and high quality gallery - the Francis Iles Gallery in Rochester, Kent, UK http://www.francis-iles.com. We are both excited about meeting each other and our future and hopefully on-going relationship. I will be amongst some mighty fine UK artists as well as several top notch international ones. My work gets delivered mid-August so if you want one before it goes let me know and I will replace it as a gallery entrant.

The pieces are these plus a new one not photographed yet:

Happy Dog

Happy Dog

5 x 10

Oil on panel

I seldom paint from photos I have not taken but, with permission, I have used this photo from a lady from Norway who has several border collies and uses them to really work her sheep. They are such smart animals. It is fascinating to watch them do their thing.

In this painting I loved the way the sun hit the dog and the funny shapes the posture created. I also wanted to capture the joy and relief of a job well done as this sweet little thing found the cool pan (of water I presume) to relax in. If I ever do pet portraits as commission pieces they will surely have to be ones that tell a bit of the animals story and personality like this one. I could do this kind of thing all day. I think I am also a little pet deprived right now too as we don't live with any at the moment.

Good Morning

Good Morning

8 x 16

Oils on panel

I haven't painted my little darlings in a while. Here they are all cuddly as I came upon them before they got up for the day. Sooo cute!

Working in the exaggerated oblong format is getting addictive for me. It seems to show off the subject  matter in a more pronounced way. I am also working with a different pallet too. Zero whites. 

Wading

Wading

Oil on panel

12 x 6

SOLD

Every once in a while I like to do a figurative piece. Sometimes I think I should paint more of them because I do love creating them. And what is it about the figure or animal from the back? It somehow tells a story that is somewhat simple and everyday that often speaks of innocence and quiet times.

Water can be quite a challenge but I am pretty pleased with my rendering of  it here.

Standing in the Sunshine

Standing in the Sunshine

7 x 5

SOLD

You may realize that one of the subject matters that I really like is stately trees. It must be the compelling abstract design of their shape against the relatively blank canvass of the sky that pulls me in. This painting was somewhat of a breakthrough for  me as I tried a technique that starts off with much larger and simpler shapes from which I chisel out the forms. I am very pleased with the results.

Old Tips

Old Tips

10 x 8, oil

SOLD

I have painted this fence before, much, much smaller. I keep going back to the pull of the sun seeping through the slats of the fence as it is in the very slow process of falling down.   You can see these fences of such character all over the place here. Often they are put up as a temporary boundary marker. Property owners usually plant bushes or trees along the same line that will eventually take the place of the fence so they leave the fence to slowly rot away and become part of the land. None of the slats are perfectly shaped either - unless you think that irregularity is perfect. They make me turn my head every time I see them - especially scenes like this one.

Celebrating .... it all

I am in the midst of an 8 out of 10 day Open Studio experience at my home. People come to my house during my open hours and look and buy (hopefully). I am in day two. Not many people here but the ones who are coming I am enjoying immensely.

During my waiting time I am working on some important things in my art - my vision, artist statement, why do I do what I do? What do I personally like about my work? Where is it all going?

Within this quest  I am getting clearer on some of own knowledge of self. I can now put into words that I understand why I paint - I am pulled to celebrate my connection with the subject by painting it.

The celebration just starts with the connection with the subject, which for me could be a special emotion or story that is enhanced with some specific lighting to help show it off.  It is also partly the 'pat on the back' when the painting is done and successful, or when a challenge within the process had been bested. Partly it is the gratitude for having the ability to begin with. Partly it is giving me credit for pushing myself to get better and better.  I guess I do believe that life is to be celebrated with all that we are - I am a painter, thus, I often celebrate with paint.

Several Plein Air Pieces

Sleeping Sailboat

10 x 5

oil on panel

Done on site at Whitstable Harbour in Kent, UK. This harbour town is jam packed with people on a nice day - especially since there aren't that many nice days in England. And it was a nice day the day I painted this. Odd how easily I could pretend all the people weren't even there, even as 100s walked by or settled in within 20 feet from where I was set up. There were also 100s of boats either in the water or waiting on the shore to go in or just nestled in their sleeping rows waiting for their next venture into the water.

Seashore at Clovelly

10 x 5

Oil on panel

Done on site in another gorgeous and out-of-the-way, ancient village called Clovelly, Devon, UK. I got up bright and early to catch the light. We stayed at a wonderful hotel, Red Lion Hotel, right on the water, so the walk to my painting site was a near 50 feet away, on a slippery, rocky shore. 

Clovelly from Below

10 x 8

oil on panel

This one is really just a sketch, generally I am not drawn to paint buildings but this place was just too captivating so I wanted to get some of it down in paint. The ancient beginnings of this village was 2500 years ago! Steep, VERY bumpy cobblestone streets. Cars are not allowed cause they simply cannot navigate the roads - all 1 of them.  The only traffic is by donkey, people and these odd, home-made sledges that they use to slide their goods from the top of the very steep hill down to the restaurants and homes there. The entire village is privately owned and has been associated with only 3 families in the last 600 years. What a place!

The Cliffs at Valley of Rocks

10 x 8

About 1 hour away from Clovelly lies a much larger tourist attraction - Lynton. One of it's beauty marks is the area they call Valley of Rocks. Not for the faint hearted for the cliffs can make even a seasoned height viewer a bit uneasy. I painted this at a cliff area where I only had to go about 2 steps out to .... my death I guess.  Really stunning area.

Rocky Bed

Rocky Bed

8 x 10, oil

I never thought I would get into painting boats. I was wrong. I am really enjoying the visual exploration of the shapes and colours. The different reflections that subtly come about on the shiny sides whether they are in shadow or sunlight. The nuances of colour and the distortion of shapes too. 

There is something very romantic about a boat in harbour - especially an empty one. It speak of adventures had and to come; of rest and yet anticipation; of imagination and wonderment. There are people always present having just left the scene or are due to come back into it. They are the living ghosts of the mysterious stories behind the travels of the vessel. 

I am studying with a renowned English painter this weekend. He is in the historic Wapping Group of painters and we will be painting boats in the harbour in a little seaside working harbour called Whitstable. The boat paintings I have been doing from my photo references have been in preparation for the different shapes and conditions that I will be doing from life.

Waiting to Float Again

Waiting to Float Again

9 x 12, oil on panel

SOLD

A last minute long weekend trip took us to North Devon and a little village called Clovelly that was first settled 2500 years ago! The town was amazing - no cars, very cobbly streets that only donkeys can manage along with the fit human. They delivered the goods to the houses and few businesses via a crudely made sled of 2 x 4 rungs nailed to a shallow plastic bin of sorts. The entire village is owned by one man and his family has owned it for 100s of years. EVERYBODY there rents from him - no one else owns property there but him. And as you can see, the base of this village is at the sea with this little harbor and a lovely hotel, where we stayed right on the shore. 

The boats were fascinating. I can't remember ever painting boats before. Great challenge, one that I will be doing again for sure. In fact, this weekend I am taking a workshop at a fisherman's harbour not too far away from home so this painting was great preparation for it.

The Progression of the painting, "Learning from Mama"

I thought I would give a little insight into the process of the last painting. 

Learning from Mama

Learning from Mama

16 x 8, oil on panel

SOLD

I am having more fun with the new elongated format. I also am re-in-love with the gypsy horses and their gorgeous mane and feathers. So instead of the tail end of this Millie, this time I thought I would show her beauty from the front. again, this is a reference photo I took 3 years ago and thank goodness I took so many photos then. 

Newborn's Nap

Newborn's Nap

5 x 10, oil on panel

SOLD

On the farm where we are living it is the time of year for foaling. Seeing these darling newborn horses is such a delight. Some years there are up to 8-10 newborns and when they lay napping it looks like a killing field as they seem to lay dead. And of course they are just being babies needing rest.

This painting is actually from a reference photo I took the first year were here (over 3 years ago already!!). Now this horse (Wobbly is his name) is a beautiful full grown 3 year old who is about to be trained for the saddle. I have yet to do a painting of him all grown up but it will come.

Girl with a Stick

Girl with a Stick

12 x 6, oil on panel

I do love a backlit scene. This one hopefully captures her innocence and mystery as she walks along lost in thought with a found stick to take along as a friend. Simplified background. Just suggestions of the details on the body. I want to do  more of these.

I am also experimenting with the new format of an elongated panel. Lots of different things to consider when working in this shape. 

A Collage of Some of my Animal Paintings

 

There is something pure, innocent and somewhat mysterious about animals as they interact with each other and with people. I love capturing that in a painting. Mom and baby, owner and pet, groups, no matter what, there is a relationship going on that is without words. I hope you enjoy this collage. I may be posting more of them down the road. Some are available, some are not. If you are interested in any of them let me know and I will get back to you on if I still have it.

The Lone Tree - Reposting one of my favourites

Lone Tree

9 x 12

One of the things I love about England is her trees - all of them. But the ones that speak to me the most are the tall and stately lone fir trees that are like silent giants watching over the land. This one was guarding the not-yet-plowed farming field. The irregular overall shape of the tree and the distant haze made for a composition that I thought showed off the scene well.

In June there is a 16 day period that is called "SouthEast Open Studios" where artists in South East England open their homes and/or studios for the public to visit and possibly purchase their work. This is the second year I will be in it. This painting is the one that I chose to be in the book for the show. I really love it.

Along the Way on a Sunny Day

I heard this a while ago and it hits home everyday:

     The more you learn about painting, the harder it gets. The more experienced you become, the more effort and time it takes to get to the next level. In the words of Monet:
“My painting...obsesses and torments me. I don’t know which way I’m going. One day I think I’m at work on a mas- terpiece, then it turns into a nothing. I fight, I fight on with- out making any headway. I believe I am seeking the impossible, but I’m filled with confidence.” Monet, 1888.

I am determined!
Here is my most current painting....

Along the Way on a Sunny Day

12 x 16, oil
SOLD

And as always I am a bit disappointed in the colouring of this photo.

I am very pleased with this painting. The light is doing what I want it to do as parts of it seem to glow in the bath of sunshine. I am doing what I have been wanting to do and that is to start with larger, simpler shapes of colours and values and then cut into them with other colours and shapes to sculpt the images and give them life. Like... the tree trunks were loads thicker to begin with so that I could be freer with the colour nuances that I wanted the trunks to have, then I chiselled  them down adding the cool tones of the background. Same thing with the sparse leaves in this painting - cutting into larger blobs of colour to create the illusion of the leaves against the sky.   Doing this has me appreciating the abstract basic shapes of the composition lots more.