An Imperishable Crown

An Imperishable Crown - oil on museum panel - 12"x8"

This piece will feature in my coming solo exhibit at Jorgensen Fine Art in the New Year.
You will also be able to see a selection of my work at Ib Jorgensen's Christmas event exhibition
which opens soon on December 1st - details to follow.

As well as at the recent Irish Antiques Dealers' Fair, which opened at the Royal Dublin Society in September, I learnt that Ib represented my work this month at VUE, Ireland's National Contemporary Art Fair at the Royal Hibernian Academy which brings together 17 of the leading Irish contemporary galleries from around the country.

The painting above harks back to my time spent painting in studio at the Art Students League of New York.
The studios at the top of the building had this diffused north light which is remembered here. It filtered in from fogged out windows set at an angle in the roof and made for a wonderful atmosphere.

- Richard

After the Market & another process

After the Market - oil on museum gesso panel - 12"x8" - sold

Thought to show another recent painting and its process, to illustrate how I might approach each piece differently at the outset of it's creation. This piece was created more 'Instinctually' - building the painting up, initially through the indication of tone, the rough placement of the objects and their scale through a sort of freeform dialogue as I went. It was a somewhat less 'Cerebral' approach in comparison to the recent piece illustrated using the grid of 'harmonic divisions'.

The initial rough in.

The second stage.

This is an image of the painting in it's final stage.
The painting actually has a greener hue to the background but I find in many instances that my camera doesn't pick up these subtle shifts in colour. I have to get myself a better camera! Did you hear that Santa!?

-Richard

The Creative Process, Grids and Colouring Pencils

During my time away I was sketching and taking notes on paintings that spoke to me at the museums and galleries I visited in Paris and Madrid.

Before I had left for Europe I began studying and endeavoring to apply, if somewhat crudely, a classical gridding system to my work to aid its development and try something new!

I had been looking at the work of the Irish modernist painter Sean Keating again, (mostly in relation to my commissioned project for SEPIL) and was struck by how he used different forms of gridding in many of his compositions (mostly to aid enlargement from staged photos). Also, upon reading about many of the painting ateliers, none of which exist here in Ireland yet, I learnt that the study of  harmonic divisions developed in the studios of architects and painters, using pythagorean laws and theories during the renaissance where common practice and staple knowledge which was passed down.

At the Prado I saw first hand how some of these grids were used in both simple and complex ways. A great example was that of Ribera's painting, 'The Martyrdom of Saint Philip', 1639.

Here is a couple of images of a piece in process, and in which I have employed the grid at the outset to aid my composition.

This Still Life, lite by natural north light, depicts my jar of my colouring pencils and a postcard reproduction of Sorolla's painting 'Alberca del Alcazar de Sevilla' from the Museo Sorolla in Madrid. I used much of a whole harmonic pythagorean grid in the placement of the various objects, but most notably allowed the two pencils at far left and right to run in exact correlation with two of the major diagonals.

If you look closely here you can see those grid lines I mentioned above.
I'm looking forward to sharing this piece with you when it's completed, along with a group of other paintings I am currently working on.

- Richard

Above and image of Jusepe de Ribera's 'Martyrdom of Saint Philip', 1639.

Highlights and Influences

Just last week I arrived home after a trip to the cities of Madrid and Paris. I know, lucky me, catching the last of the Autumn sun! Myself and Boo spent five nights in each city.

The visit had many highlights including the Musee Rodin in Paris, a day spent at Fiac - the contemporary Art Fair on the Champs Elysees which has been running since 1974, and a first visit to Museo Sorolla in Madrid not to mention all the beers and tapas!

We had been in Madrid for a weeks adventure four years ago and visited the 'Golden Triangle' of Museums there - namely the Prado, Reina Sofia and the amazing Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum of Art. But I had presumed that the Museo Sorolla was in Sorolla's home of Valencia when in fact it was in the center of the city of Madrid! This was a great opportunity to return again and spend a day at Sorolla's home and studio, which didn't disappoint! The Museum has a great collection of both Sorolla's landscape and figurative works - many of which offered me a rich insight into his processes.

The Prado was incredible as ever and there just happened to be a dedicated new wing to hold a special show of 'Velazquez and the Family of Philip IV'. But the real clincher for me on this trip was the work of Ribera and a close encounter with a Rembrandt portrait at the Thyssen.

Over the years I have held many 'favorite' artists, and have come to realize now that I have never abandoned any of these influences as I have grown - no influence becomes superseded but my appreciation just grows with time, expanding with knowledge and understanding.

The works of Ribera at the Prado really stood out for me this year, especially a grouping known as 'The Series of Apostles' and a captivating painting entitled 'Saint Paul the Hermit'. Standing at these paintings I frantically took notes and jotted down ideas and insights in my notebook.

Another real highlight was in the Thyssen this year, when I came face to face again with a wonderful and enigmatic Rembrandt self portrait. I stood in front of it for at least half an hour, just breathing it all in. I'd say Boo was about to kill me!

Below, a few of photos I took of a couple of the more memorable paintings I encountered.

Captivating garden scene, (which for me had echoes of  the work of 'the orientalists') from the Museo Sorolla Collection.

A detail from a light infused seascape at Museo Sorolla.

Detail from a Ribera.

Rembrandt.

SEPIL Commission 003 - The Big Wheel and Excellent Preparation

The Big Wheel - oil on oil primed linen canvas

There isn't just one way to tell a story, and every story has many different aspects to it, many different perspectives. The truth is often times a very complexed thing - not fixed but elusive, ephemeral as time moves on.

As I mentioned in my first Blog post on this project. The inspiration or genesis for this commission was the body of work created by Sean Keating around the development of the Ardnacrusha power plant. This 1920's hydro energy project became known as 'the Shannon Scheme'.

Sean had his way of illustrating a story, his personal preferences and background.
I have my way also. Unlike Keating, there will be little stylizing, but through the work I have found myself more interested in 'the raw mechanics of the thing'.

During the painting process thoughts come to me through the process of creation. These thoughts are often times reflections on the hidden symbolism which might exist in the work or scene captured.

Painting is transformative, and I feel reveals itself both intentionally and unintentionally.
Distilled through the nervous system of the artist and viewer pointing at some truth.

To get to a place like this where an intimate dialogue begins between the artist and the work of art, where ideas and philosophies which might underpin the work start to come to the foreground there has to be quite a bit of preparation and time working at the canvas.

The twelve or so paintings I am currently working on for this project have become a celebration of drawing, paint and surface quality. By using an array of various techniques throughout I feel I can better illustrate my concepts and ideas around this project.

Below, a detail from the painting above, as well as a couple of  images of my studio space to give you an insight into the type of preparation, research and raw materials I need to have ready in order to get 'the wheels in motion'.

I can say now without a shadow of a doubt that 'the big wheel is now rolling' on this project.

An image of my studio wall from a couple of months ago with my blank canvases at the ready.

Sean Keating used a gridding system with quite a number of his photographic references. I decided that rather than using the common grid I would study the 'armature of the rectangle', a classical system which dates back to Pythagoras' theories of harmonic divisions and compositions in music and art. I am now endeavoring to apply this knowledge to my paintings to help strengthen their foundational composition.

And a very neat and important invention - my portable palette!

Web: www.richardhearns.com 
Blog: www.richardhearnspaintings.blogspot.com

Email: info@richardhearns.com
Phone: + 353 (0)86 216 1135.

Ochre, Green and a little Cobalt

Ochre, Green and a little Cobalt 
(after a composition by David Leffel, title and size unknown)
- oil on linen panel - 7"x5" - sold

All the still life pieces I have been sharing over the past few weeks were began during a trip to Thailand last year. A month or so ago I began reworking and bringing some to a finish.

Since the first of October I have concentrated exclusively on my commissioned work to record the Corrib project for SEPIL. It's been really engaging, progressive, and a  great challenge for me. I'll be continuing to document and write about my progress, insights, and the solutions that I have made while tackling such an important project. These posts will appear on the first of every month during the duration of this commissioned body of work.

In the mean time I will continue to share with you these pieces, a selection of which will feature in my upcoming solo exhibition at the Ib Jorgensen Fine Art Gallery in February 2014.

This week I am off to Madrid and Paris for ten days! Can not wait to visit the sites, museums and friends in both of these incredible cities.

- Richard

Urn

Urn, (tribute to Leffel) - oil on canvas - 12"x10" - sold
Private Collection, Ireland.

Must have began this piece a couple of years ago and put the piece aside several times, returning to it to heighten the light and colour as well as fixing some drawn aspects. I gleaned the image of the Urn from a part of a larger painting made by David Leffel entitled Texture and Light.

It now has an extremely rich feel and many interesting subtle colour shifts, especially close to the shadows.

Hope you like it - Richard 

Study in Green, Grays and Red

Study in Green, Grays and Red (after Leffel)- oil on canvas - 18"x16 - sold
Private Collection, California.

Another composition inspired by my study of the works and thought processes of David Leffel and my time spent with Gregg Kreutz at the Art Students League of New York in 2012. This piece began over a year ago and worked on it on and off over a period of time. Only brought to a finish one evening recently.

Below is a detail from the work.

Black Vessels with Grey and Orange

Black Vessels with Grey and Orange after David Leffel, original title unknown
- oil on linen panel - 12"x9" - sold
Private Collection, Ireland.

Since I was a child I have been trying to reconnect with an art that seemed miraculous and near unobtainable. Unknown to me, I somehow wanted to reconnect with it's historical life which I felt alive and present, but distant.

A few years ago I came across a book with images in it by a painter called David Leffel and was really struck by his work, as his paintings to my eyes, seemed  to build a bridge back towards a somewhat lost knowledge. Their orchestration and mystery interested me greatly.

Then I was lucky enough to be accepted to work in the studio of Leffel's star pupil, Gregg Kreutz at the Art Student League of New York in 2012. I spent two months his crowded studio in advance of my second New York solo show and learnt a great deal. During that period I created several of these 'arrangements' and understood more.

I began this painting in Thailand last year, sometime in late November, and over time worked on the piece at different stages from reference, finishing it a couple of weeks ago.

SEPIL Corrib Commission 002 - Traveling New Roads.

On my immediate arrival to Bellmullet for my first site visit, on Monday July 29th 2013, I was compelled to write, desperately wanting to record the experiences of my first journey from my studio in the heart of the Burren, County Clare, to the vast expanses of north County Mayo. I had wished I had a dictaphone with me all the way, but the memories of the journey were still fresh in my experience.

Sometime after leaving my studio in Ballyvaughan I began to miss the soft Burren landscape, feeling lost on roads until I entered County Mayo. Then the world opened up again!

On a regional road towards Bellacorrick, (which seemed to go on forever) all twentynine kilometers of it! I thought more philosophically about 'the road ahead', and how when traveling new roads you just trust that the road will unfold ahead of you presenting you with the next piece of the journey and so on, eventually bringing you to your intended destination. In a way this feeling extends through my life as an artist, always trusting that the next brush stroke or mark will lead on to further places yet undiscovered - a new destination.

This winding road, so beautiful with the Glenamoy river on my left, made me think of my great grandfather Daddy Jim Hearns (b.1850), and his brother Frank, the famous fishermen. They surely must have fished this pristine river.

Then I meet a lake, wild and windblown. I continued to snake along this sheltered road catching glimpses of mountains which seemed close by. And then out, onto the vast bog plains which stretched away on all sides, and then rose up into unreachable heights out of nowhere. 

I looked at this wild and untamed landscape, contemplating the job that lay ahead of me. A feeling of foreboding, something sinister rose up in me, knowing of the opposition and history of this project and of some of the more contentious issues, but perhaps that was heightened by the recording from Conception des lumières by Anne Dutoya which was playing ominously that moment on RTE Lyric FM!

I continued on, acknowledging several farmers who worked tirelessly on fences at the side of the road. I reminded myself to be aware and conscious of the communities here and their important traditions. 

These small bog roads rose and fell, knocking out any kinks in the spin. It was a real adventure as I had never taken this road before. And then I was there, having entered the Gaeltacht and the larger Erris area.

Since that journey I have had two site visits, inductions and safety training and had the opportunity to visit the sites at Aughoose, Glengad and a walk from the Leenamore River Crossing along the entire Wayleave. 

I have also taken the time to explore sections of the vast and stunning landscape around the Barony of Erris with it's extraordinary natural beauty,  sandy beaches and sea cliffs carved by the atlantic. The area covers around two hundred and ten thousand acres!

The works I have began to date includes notebook sketches and larger studies in oil on canvas. I am making great progress and have a number of strong visual references that I am working with currently.

I look forward now to my next site visit where I am planning to compose paintings at the Terminal at Bellinaboy, progressing this body of work further. At that stage, I believe, I will have a very good idea of how the overall project might unfold and what I will be interested to record in paint.

Please do pop your email address into the 'subscribe' feature on this Blog to receive updates on this project, my work, and future exhibitions.

Web: www.richardhearns.com 
Blog: www.richardhearnspaintings.blogspot.com

Email: info@richardhearns.com
Phone: + 353 (0)86 216 1135.