Connemara.

"There's something sleeping in my breast

That 'wakens only in the West

There's something in the core of Me

That needs the West to set it free"

                                                                           Oliver St John Gogarty

There is no where nicer than Connemara especially when the sun shines, I know you have heard me say this before but we all have our favorite places and mine is this rugged, westerly, on the edge of the Atlantic place where my kin are so deeply rooted we even have an area named after us "The Joyce Country". A few weeks ago I took these pictures at Dogs Bay near Roundstone. You can also find lots of nice images of Connemara both old and new over Here

   

Antique Apothecary Cabinet

We have had the most beautiful weather for June, which is a novelty for us to have days on end with blue skies, sunshine and no rain. In fact we now need some rain. I have been busy in the garden and generally being out doors," make hay while the sun shines" as they say. I have made some progress on my furniture restoration project because it is so much easier to sand out of doors and the whole piece got a good airing. Here it is all sanded. I now have to bring it to a carpenter to repair and replace the missing bits. Then I will stain and varnish it.

 I am missing some of the beautiful glass drawer pulls, Have any of you any idea of where I might source replacements?

Tulips from Amsterdam

Just sharing some of the photos I took while in Amsterdam. We had a wonderful few days there. It is a beautiful city with lots to see and do. Small enough to walk around and the shops are fantastic, so many specialized and authentic shops. Here are a list of my top five.
Posthumuswinkel, they have the best selection of stamps  I have ever seen.
Oker Gallery they had interesting, quirky some exclusive affordable art, and across the road we got an excellent lunch kerkstraat59.
Haarlemmerstraat  is well worth making the effort to visit, all the shops there are wonderful I especially liked
Sukha Restored. and top of my love list is Sixandsons which describes itself as a general store but the displays and shop fittings care like no other general store I've ever been in. I bought a Palomino black wing pencil there, its sooo cool. I only regret that I did not buy the pencil sharpener too, it sharpens the lead and wood separately, everyone should have one!
I never saw so many bicycles, and the rules of the road for cyclists are a mystery, we took our lives in our hands just trying to cross the street, and on de9straatjes you are crossing over all the time as there are so many delightful shops.

Mobile Phones and Art Galleries

I had the pleasure of visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam last week. I was really looking forward to it as it had been closed for many years due to refurbishing and it is home to so many iconic works of art. But my pleasure was ruined due mobile phones. When did it become acceptable to photograph works of art in Galleries? Is this a new think? I don't remember encountering it before. Why can't people just look and enjoy the moment and if they need a memory of the experience why cant they buy a postcard in the shop? It was especially annoying where the art work was small such as the Vermeer, you can see what I mean by the pictures below, now this may seem like a contradiction, me using my phone camera too, but I am taking pictures of those taking pictures, not photographing the art work which was almost impossible to see.

 The Gallery is beautiful and well laid out and easy to get around, I down loaded their app. before hand which is handy so that you know what you want to see and where it is. Their audio guide was also excellent although the que to pick it up was long and slow. There is an "Art is Therapy" exhibition running along side the main displays by Alain de Botton and John Armstrong which I very much enjoyed, as the name suggests it highlights the therapeutic effect of art, although it did not comment on the negativity of having to view it alongside snap happy art lovers.

How can I write a post about Amsterdam in April without including a photo of some tulips, These were in the garden outside the Rijksmuseum, this year they were early so we were lucky to catch the end of them.

A little stirring...

Maybe because Spring is here and the clocks have gone forward but I am back in my studio a little, not painting yet but pasting a bit, here are some little pieces I have done.

Patchwork

Sometimes I don't feel like painting, well more often than I like to admit really, I can have a creative block or just a fear of getting started, not knowing what I want to do. Although over the years I realize that its only by beginning that I can overcome that, work generates idea and thus more work. It has been a while since I've been in the studio. I am happiest when creating, so while I'm going through a painting void I find my other interests come to the fore. I have been doing a little sewing. I love all the fat quarters and the array of beautiful fabrics now available for patchwork and crafting. I don't have the patience for a long term project. I have an unfinished quilt sitting in a wardrobe for 30 years! Imagine, the original fabric I started with is no longer available, but more of that another time Here is a cushion I made during the week and another I have started using up all my little scraps, I hate wasting even the smallest piece of fabric. We have a wonderful Quilt shop shop in Tuam, well worth checking out if you are close by.

Maybe now I can put the sewing machine away and take out the paints:)

Beautiful Ballinahinch

I always think that Connemara looks its best this time of year, the light on a good day is far sharper than it is during the summer, the shadows are more pronounced and the mountains can be that special "Paul Henry blue " I was in Ballynahinch Castle  last Sunday and it was beautiful, it is a luxuary Hotel that has recently changed ownership and has under gone some refurbishment but thankfully they have not altered its character and have improved many of the wonderful walks around the grounds. Here are some pictures I took on one of the walks.