I'm not the thickest painter in Ireland, that honour goes to the artist Paul Walls who works in oils employing a heavy impasto technique, the paint its frequently applied a few inches thick and can take years to dry. I'm not the quickest painter in Ireland either and while my work dries a lot quicker than Paul's, often I'm still a few paintings short when exhibition dates approach. I've a habit of sketching early in the day and painting late in the evening. The sketch is first transferred to watercolour paper, soaked in a bath, taped on to a board and allowed to dry overnight. This process stretches in the paper and prevents it warping when washes are applied. The painting then follows a pattern with loose wet washes to set down the main tonal arrangements followed by detailed work to make the composition work. It's a slow process and each painting can takes ages to complete. A lot can be gained by occasionally breaking out of this routine, trying a different medium, scale or a fresh subject matter; a bit of pressure to complete work on time has the same effect. I had steadily built up a body of work for the Celtic fusion exhibition before stumbling across a potentially lucrative outlet and displaying some of the pieces there instead. The backup supply was also exhausted, this is evident by the sight of pictureless fixings adorning my studio walls so I was very busy producing replacements in time for the festival. I wouldn't recommend off loading work just before an exhibition but it should however put me in the running for the dubious accolade 'thickest painter in Castlewellan'.
If you are interested in a painting you can contact Eamonn by ringing 07962 189132