"Dublin Liffey Bridge Night" (oil on stretched canvas; 11" x 14")

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I painted another version of the charming, cast-iron Liffey Bridge of Dublin, Ireland. Also known as the Ha'penny Bridge, it is an iconic image of Dublin. The new painting, I think, is even more impressionistic and moodier. Which one do you like better?

"Dublin Liffey Bridge Nocturne" (oil on linen, 9" x 12"; sold)

"Dingle Peninsula, Ireland" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Have you ever been to Dingle in County Kerry, Ireland?  The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, at the westernmost point of Island and Europe.  Greens are even more vivid in this Emerald Isle after a squall.  The painting brings back the fond memories of our trip in 1996--driving on the "wrong side" of the narrow roads, frequent rain showers, rocks and ruins, green rolling landscapes, and the pub visits.

"Dublin Liffey Bridge Nocturne" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

The charming, cast-iron Liffey Bridge is probably the world's most famous footbridge.  It is a pedestrian bridge, built in 1816 over the Liffey River in Dublin, Ireland.  Also known as the Ha'penny Bridge, it is an iconic image of Dublin.  At night, it is even more charming!

"Evening Walk in Dublin" (mixed media on paper, 14" x 10") sold

sold

The scene is Dublin in sunset.  The mood is dreamy.  The technique--definitely pointillist.  The painting won the Best in Show in The Art League monthly show in 1996.  When I heard the news, I almost fell off the chair, because I had never been accepted in a juried show, not alone won an award.  The beginner's luck!

This piece is the first decent painting I have ever created.  When I started painting, I chose colored pencil, because it felt least intimidating.  In Pat Barron's class at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA , there were some students who were working on the paper first painted in watercolor.  So I emulated them.  Pat complemented me on the palette I had chosen--orange, green, and violet, saying that it was a classic triad of secondary colors. 

At that time, I didn't know a darned thing about colors.  Now I look at the body of my work, I see a great deal of these three colors, as if I was born color-coded with oranges, greens, and violets.  Interesting.  Pat no longer teaches; she has retired and moved.  I hear her health is failing.  She was one of my first art teachers and I am grateful to her.  The painting is dedicated to Pat Barron.