Art Blog

On Sunday 23rd November 2014 I launched the “My Place on Canvas” project at the Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. It was the product of three years work and the Blurb went like this:

30 Wicklow landscapes of real people unveiled

An exhibition celebrating Wicklow landscapes where the public have decided which scenes Rod Coyne would paint. Choosing a selection of those favourite “My Places…” Rod has interpreted them in his own distinctive plein-air style. Each canvas has its very own personal back-story. These sentiments and memories will be exhibited alongside the painting.

This is an interactive project where the artist looks at the world through someone else’s eyes, and they get to see their landscape through his. People who previously were never involved in art suddenly find themselves at the heart of this unique show. The result is a compelling mix of paintings and text celebrating the stunning beauty that is Co. Wicklow.

My Place on Canvas – opening night.

'Land of the Celt's' poster.

If you find yourself in Co. Kerry this weekend then drop into Cill Rialaig arts center where they are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with the ‘Land of the Celt’s’ exhibition. I have three painting there along with some other great artists. For more info: http://cillrialaigartscentre.org/about/

And of course we’re getting dressed up for St. Patrick’s Day here at the Avoca Studio Gallery, Co. Wicklow. We’d love to see you here too. http://www.rodcoyne.com

Raising the flag for St. Patrick's Day.

They asked me earlier this year if I would paint on a guitar, but I just had too much on my plate at the time. So I said yes, because I have always fancied the idea of painting on a guitar. It is part of a charity event to raise funds with the aim of giving musical tuition to every school kid in the country, all the more reason to become a part of it:  http://musicalyouthfoundation.org/ Along the way I managed to get Anja Coyne and Jimi Shields on board with art guitars of their own. The grand opening is next Thursday, 24th May 2012, and upstairs in the Stephens Green Centre, Dublin, Ireland. Please come along and support this worthy cause.

The following are a selection of photos documenting the creation of my “Atlantic Blues”…I hope you enjoy them.

Evite Instrumental Art

Chris Maher stripped and sanded the guitar for me, I added a coat of acrylic primer.

After hours I set it up on my easel…

…and started an under-painting in acrylics.

...more sky...

...and some waves...

...and some sea...

...atlantic beginning to show...

After the acrylics I gave it the final once-over with oil paints and a palette knife.

Rock Star Rod.

People often ask me if I prefer to work from photos or from life. I’d have to say I have no preference but it’s usually one or the other. “Ferrybank Blues 2010-2011” is obviously the exception to the rule. I started the painting at the Art in the Open, http://www.artintheopen.org/ , festival in 2010 but ran out of time before I could finish the painting. I liked the composition and how the painting was shaping up but I was nowhere near finished. I used my digital camera to take a shot of the scene in the off chance I might finish it at a later stage.

The painting went into the storeroom and I got on with all the other things I was doing. From time to time I would have it in my hand but never felt like finishing the job and I even thought of over painting the canvas and using it for a new picture.

More than a year later I found the photo on my computer and I was pleasantly surprised how cool it looked. I printed it off the image and pulled the canvas back out of the storeroom.

The original plein air work was done with acrylic paints and brushes and I was determined draw a line between the first and second sitting. So I made a point of working in oil paint and using a palette knife. I worked on the image long enough to see that it could make a strong piece but I still wasn’t finished. I looked at it closely for a week before getting stuck in late one Friday night.

The next morning I surveyed my work in the daylight and was quite pleased with my efforts. In fact I was delighted with the painting and it proved to me that there’s no reason that a piece can’t start out in the open and finish off in the studio.

The new painting will be having it premier next month at Greenacres Open Exhibition, Official Opening at 12 noon on Saturday February 4th. Greenacres Art Gallery, Selskar, Wexford, Ireland. Tel: +353 (0) 53 9122975 http://www.greenacres.ie/art-galleries/exhibitions/

"Ferrybank Blues" oil on canvas, 40X120cm.

The back-up image.

The outdoor studio.

Busy bank holiday weekend coming up; please have a little look and feel free to forward it to family and friends:

I will be taking part in the fourth annual Art In The Open Festival of plein air painting: July 29^th, 30th, and 31st 2011. This is an opportunity to see myself and several other artists out painting around Wexford and Enniscorthy during the weekend, further details: http://www.artintheopen.org/art-in-the-open-2011/

There is an Exhibition of art created during Art In The Open Festival opening on Monday the 1^st of August 2011 at 4pm at Greenacres Galleries,  Selskar, Wexford. P: +353 (0)53 9122975

Also on  Monday the 1^st of August 2011 some of the TAG sheep flock will be putting in a guest appearance at The Tinahely Agricultural, my sheep Daisy will not be joining them but I will have artwork on show in the VIP / Press tent, details: http://www.tinahelyshow.ie/

During the coming month we will be having a 1-Day outdoor painting workshop on the 20^th of august, and a 5-Day outdoor painting break from 8^th-12^th august. For details please see: http://avocapaintingschool.com/

And remember our Avoca Painting School special offer to run throughout summer 2011: you can bring along a friend for half price to any of our upcoming 1-Day outdoor painting workshops, for details http://www.avocapaintingschool.com/courses.html

And finally, on the August 6th 2011 I will be giving a 1-Day outdoor painting workshop at Greenan Farm Museums & Maze – Ballinanty, Greenan, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow, booking and further details at: http://www.greenanmaze.com/courses_two.htm

The clouds were almost too fast for my paintbrush on Wexford Bay, Art in the Open 2010.

We spent all day Tuesday planting sheep. We used shovels, rakes, sledgehammers, and a sticky compound called T7. It was sweaty, satisfying work, and it raised more than an eyebrow or two. Most people had heard about our public art installation but they were pleasantly surprised to meet them face to face.

Personally I was blown over to see how diverse and beautiful each sheep had been retrofitted and modified. I spent so long in my own “Daisy” bubble that I couldn’t imagine what else she might have looked like untill I saw all these other weird and wonderful creatures. It was hard to tell they had all started from the one template.

Sheep Meeting.

What time is it Mr. Wolf?

Wierd and worderful.

Turn the other sheep.

No animals were harmed in the creation of this artwork.

The (sheep) brians behind the operation.

Not interfering with farmyard animals.

Flocking great art. 100% thumbs up, Rod.

The Ewe Tube.

Daisy and I.

Back in March I had a curious delivery to the Avoca Studio Gallery. It was a sheep, but not a woolly one, this was a steel sheep. 25 artists of TAG (Tinahely Arts Group) each got a 2-D life-sized sheep template to create their own individually styled art-sheep. They will make up a public art display around the town of Tinahely, Co. Wicklow. They will be on display through out the summer and be taking part in various events, including the Tinahely Walking Festival and the Tinahely Agricultural Show.

As a painter I knew I would be out of my depth working with metal. But I devised a plan and enlisted some help…

Here is the text from our Press Release:

Hung for a Sheep as a Lamb

A curious flock of sheep and lambs will be descending upon Tinahely this summer in time to join the annual Trail Walking Festival at the May Bank Holiday, 2011. These art-sheep, created by the members of TAG (Tinahely Arts Group), will be “grazing” around the town and surrounding area. Each artist, starting from a uniform steel template, has worked through the winter to create their own individual take on Wicklow’s familiar woolly friends. The results promise to be as diverse as they are quirky, while adding a new dimension to the renowned Tinahely Trail Walking Festival.

Tinahely Arts Group is a collective of artists and craftspeople, all living and working in the Tinahely area. Members and their work represent a wide and diverse range of disciplines and media, including painting and drawing, photography, sculpture, textiles and ceramics, glassware and metalwork. Formed in June 2010, the group seeks to share knowledge and techniques, pool resources, and work together on projects to promote awareness of the wealth of creativity in the region. In addition, members combine to ensure that the arts and crafts heritage of South Wicklow is visible in as many local events and tourism initiatives as possible, and to contribute their talents to community enhancement projects.

The Tinahely Sheep Flock will be comprised of approximately two dozen 2 and 3 dimensional metal sheep (almost one meter in length and more than half a meter tall, with some smaller lambs), each of which will be customized by individual artists in a variety of styles and materials. The flock will celebrate Tinahely’s history as a vibrant market town and will be unveiled at Market Square, Tinahely on the Festival Weekend, on Friday April 29th 2011 at

7.00 pm. Each sheep will have an ear tag identifying its designer, and the flock will make a striking visual display for this busy weekend. For the rest of the summer, the eye-catching sheep and their lambs will be situated out and about in Tinahely in unexpected locations around town, to be enjoyed by residents and visitors sampling our wonderful location and outdoor pursuits. In the autumn the sheep will return to the Market Square, and will be taken home to over winter with their artist owners. It is hoped that they will increase and multiply over the winter, as well as getting some refurbishment if needed, and will return to the roads and hills around Tinahely as an annual event.

Details of TAG and our members can be found on the group’s website at:

http://tinahelyartsgroup.wordpress.com.

Last Sunday started like a school day: up at 7am and down for a turbo breakfast. It was a cold foggy morning in Wicklow and we’d lost an hour of sleep due to the summer-time change over. With all our gear packed we hit the road heading for Dublin. During the drive the sky transformed from grey to blue and suddenly spring was in the air.

Arriving at the Urban Retreat just in time to set up, and Noelle put the girls to work promoting the Sunday Family View of the “Skellig Brothers” with flyers for the café guests next-door. Both the Sun and the Family turned up with a whole collection of friends and collectors and their offspring. Straight away we were into masking making, face painting soon followed by spontaneous pavement art and paper boat races in the Grand Canal Dock.

While the kids were entertained I took the time to network and talk people through the exhibition. Noelle closed a few sales. My Skellig Brother Scott was in New York in body but with us all in print. A big article of his romance with Caroline had come out that morning in the Sunday Independent.

Sunday Family View of the “Skellig Brothers”

Kids first at Urban Retreat.

And the Daddies didn't come up short either.

The "creative hub".

Pavement art.

Enjoying the March sunshine.

Skellig Kids.

sundayindependent_270311

There will be a special Sunday Family View of the “Skellig Brothers” exhibition. Families are encouraged to visit the show where the young ones will be entertained with face painting and mask making. There will be some complementary brunch and I will be in attendance. “Skellig Brothers” is an exhibition of new seascapes by Irish artist Rod Coyne and New York painter Scott Redden. The work was created en plein aire during a residency at Cill Rialaig, Co. Kerry in 2010.

“Skellig Brothers” Paintings by ROD COYNE (IRE) and SCOTT REDDEN (US) URBAN RETREAT GALLERY – March 10 – 10 April 2011

HQ Building, Hanover Quay, Dublin 2

Tel: 01 633 7865

Email: urbanretreatgallery@gmail.com