My Etsy Shop - Click on Picture below to visit!!

My etsy online shop is being revamped and will be showing more of my work for sale in the coming weeks and months. I am researching and working on improving and offering more work for sale there. Please feel free to call in and enjoy browsing, and maybe even see something you would like to buy. Regards Jim

What is real talent? Take a look...

You use a mirror to see your face, you use art to see your soul.

I am reading a book at the moment about the last decade of craziness in the Irish Art Market. Basically - the last decade was characterised by an unsustainable boom and now we have the bust. I doubt if we will return to those times in a hurry. Many rich people bought what to me would be considered mediocre art. Take for example Markey Robinson. He is a deceased artist whose works change hands for quite a lot, yet he is considered very mediocre by the critics. What was considered important is that you had a recognisable style and also a distinctive brand, after that talent and technique fell a distant third and fourth place. I want to show you what real talent is...take a look at the artist called Akiane, and she is still only 16. You can see videos of her working here, and her website here. This is real talent. She is rated among the top 20 achievers in art at present worldwide. Her paintings sell for 100 - 150,000 dollars, with 175,000 being her top price approx. to date.

The photo above is one I took in Sardinia in April. It's taken from a beach on Santa Maria island in the Magdelena Archipelago, here for you to enjoy.

Given my feeling that my last painting was a reasonable success I am going to try a larger scale painting again for my next effort. So be sure to check for to see progress over next month or so. Jim

Irish Landscape Painting - Atlantic Coast Achill Island

This is my latest painting, done using a reference photo taken by my sister while travelling in Achill, Mayo. Those who have been to Achill Island, they will perhaps have driven the Atlantic Coast route which really is breathtaking and full of scenery like this. The photo I used was taken in grey overcast conditions with low cloud so I have had to do a lot of colour changes. I will leave it up to you to judge the outcome, so comments and criticisms are welcome. This is a larger painting than usual for me, 24 x 18 inches, on canvas. I will continue to work on some larger sizes for the foreseeable future as I haven't done so in the past and want to see how they look. To see this painting larger scroll down this page to my gallery below. That's it for now and enjoy it. I will be working on something new fairly soon...