Pop of Color!

With the recent series of gray days we’ve had here in Wisconsin, it seemed like a good time to paint a pop of color! We spotted this wonderful “chocolate box” thatched cottage with its bright red doors and window trim on a hill overlooking the sea on the rugged and remote Fanad Peninsula. On this particular day, this moment of blue sky was quickly followed by typical Irish fall weather- a rain shower and a smattering of sleet!

This week’s painting, Thatch ‘n Stone, 8” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures this lovely cottage with its beautiful stone wall. See more paintings on the Gallery page of my website at www.wildriverarts.com

The Wild Atlantic

It’s no secret, most of our favorite places in Ireland are located in a skillfully trademarked area – the Wild Atlantic Way. This is an incredible branding effort that encompasses over 1,500 miles of the western coast of the country and successfully maps out and promotes all the villages, towns, and ancient sites of this beautifully scenic region.

It seems almost coincidental then that artZ Gallery in Amery, WI, is celebrating the month of January 2019 with a “Wild and Wonderful” exhibit! In the spirit of this theme, I decided to paint one of our recent discoveries. On a rainy day in late October, we decided to drive north to the Gaelic-speaking districts in Donegal County. On the remote and rugged Fanad Peninsula is located the Fanad Lighthouse.  The light was first lit using whale oil on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1817; a new larger and higher tower was commissioned and the light, using paraffin, went into operation in Sept 1886. The light is 39 meters above sea level; the tower is 22 meters high from foundation to the top of the tower not including the lantern and there are 79 steps in the tower. It is one of 70 lighthouses around the coast of Ireland and continues to provide a vital role in maritime safety today.

This week’s painting, Fanad Light, is 8” x 13” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, and reflects the lighthouse situated on the wild and rocky coastline in the face of an approaching storm.

The Legend of the Donkey

One day on a beautiful country lane in Ireland, we spotted a small group of donkeys on the edge of a field. When I got out of the car to take a picture, this one walked right up to us and stood quietly next to the stone wall. With its clearly defined cross marking on his back, we immediately remembered the legend of the cross. However, I didn’t realize that all purebred donkeys are born with a cross on their back, but not all of them are so visible. According to the legend, it is the gift our Lord gave to the humble donkey that carried Him into Jerusalem. According to the legend, the little donkey so loved his Master that he followed Him to Calvary. Grief-striken at the sight, he turned away but remained at his station at the foot of the cross. The shadow of the Cross fell upon him and from that day all purebred donkeys wear the Master’s Cross on their back.

This week’s painting, Humble Donkey, 8” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, seeks to capture this iconic Irish scene in a remote corner of County Donegal.  

Driving the R253

In exploring the roads of northwest Ireland, one of our favorite drives became the R253 road which ran between the towns of Glenties and Ballybofey in Donegal County. An “R” indicates a secondary road – it is usually lined on both sides by thick stone walls, doesn’t have the yellow-broken lines on the edges of the road nor the white line separating the lanes. Although it was only about 24 kilometers long, for us the R253 contained some of the most incredible scenery. Around every turn, we seemed to see something new – an ancient ruin, a fast-rushing peat-brown river, a beautiful lough (lake), a grazing herd of animals, or a picturesque stone cottage situated high on one of hillsides. 

This week’s painting, Heading Home, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reflects one of those spontaneous scenes. We came around a tight “bend” in this road to face this amazing view – a farmer/shepherd along with his two faithful dogs leisurely driving a small flock of sheep up to the family farmstead on a rainy afternoon. We were happy to just wait quietly and enjoy this one-in-a-lifetime view until the “parade” made it safely to the barn. 

See more art in the Gallery on my website at www.wildriverarts.com

Donegal Town!

When we first drove into the town of Donegal – it’s also the most northern county of Ireland – Paul immediately recognized it! It’s an iconic town – laid out in a grid called The Diamond – and centered around the still-standing, ancient castle of one of the legends of Ireland, Hugh “Red” O’Donnell and his queen Nuala and his 15^th century kingdom. This week’s painting is from the core of the town, the Donegal Bridge, 7” x 10”, and at 500 years old, it is still a vital, integral part of the town landscape.

On to the sea!

The Wild Atlantic Way is a scenic route that takes you to some of the most spectacular scenes along the western coast of Ireland. This week’s painting is from an area that we tried to see several times. The problem is that the only access to the majestic Slieve League Cliffs is via narrow, winding roads that hug the mountainsides and offer sweeping views not only of the Atlantic Ocean but also of terrifying heights off the edge of the road – usually marked with random rows of small boulders! This week’s painting, Carrick Coast, 8” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reflects an incredible view across fall-colored hills with a field of sheep (of course!) and on down to the sea.

And the sheep are . . . everywhere!

It was such fun to be back on the Irish roads – it is such an overwhelming and dynamic experience! And I’m not even in the driver’s seat! Paul is such a great adventurer, and I’m grateful that he continues to take on the challenge of navigating the narrow roads on the wrong side of the road, on the right side of the car, and expertly operating a manual shift with his left hand! I’m happy to ride in the passenger seat, obeying the signs to “mind the sheep and goats,” reading the map and signposts, sorting us through roundabouts, and on to the country lanes to the next historic site, ancient ruin, or beautiful beach! In this week’s painting, The Glenties Gang, 8” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, I was striving to capture the attitude of the Donegal sheep. These sheep are fiercely independent and run seemingly wild in fields along the road, up the hillsides, on golf courses, beaches, and cemeteries, or saunter down the main streets of villages. What a treat to see!

Ireland – here we come!

We recently returned from two wonderful weeks in Ireland! We rented homes in the northwest – one on a beautiful working farm near Ballyshannon in Donegal County; and the second one, a lovely home on Achill Island in Mayo County. Even though they were in the same section of the country, the landscape at both places was incredibly unique and spectacular. And we so enjoyed the pace of exploring the countryside during the day, developing some of Paul’s amazing photographs late in the afternoon, and then heading back to our house for supper and an evening of painting. Call it inspiration, but I was able to carry four finished paintings back in our suitcase! The first in the series is titled Gleann Colm Cille Church, is 8” x 12” and reflects a centuries-old church set in the foothills of the Slieve League region of the Wild Atlantic Way. This area is designated as Gaelic-speaking region - it’s a challenge to read all the road signs in this beautiful language, but the scenery is breathtaking.

Getting ready for Ireland

A few weeks ago, I received permission from Mary Scully Whitaker to paint her husband, Larry’s, family farm in Ireland. Larry’s family has lived on this farm for four generations and his mom, now celebrating her 101^st birthday, still lives there. This week’s painting was a joy to paint! It’s titled McDevitt Farm, Fintown, Ireland, and is 8” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper.