"If the Mournes consisted only of harbours and horse fairs an artist could not complain about a lack of things to sketch; town squares crammed with horses and harbours crammed full of boats are among my favourite subjects. At Newcastle harbour the boats, clearly reflected in the water, tugged gently against their moorings in the still morning air. Apart from a man rowing out to inspect his yacht, the harbour was deserted and very calm. The boats themselves are never completely still and the larger ones rocked gently, disturbing the surface of the water just enough to liven up their own reflections. The reflections provide the main focal point for my sketch with the depiction of the main boat and those in the background playing a secondary role. While reflections are transient in nature, never staying still, its important to take care depicting their form, shape and colour. With the main washes in place I defined the shape of the reflections with a weak mix of paint then dropped in stronger colours and let them diffuse and run into each other to give a watery effect. The water itself is not painted, instead the colours, shapes and the sky reflected by its surface are used to convey its presence while the distortion of the straight lines of the boat suggest the movement of the ripples on the surface. The infrequent horse fairs provide a lot of subject material but the harbours are there all year round and each visit provides a range of different challenges.
If you are interested in a painting you can contact Eamonn by ringing 07962 189132