July 15

Everyday I head out on a walk to sketch as well as sketch objects in my studio. Each sketch is to keep my mind active. Thanks to a workshop with Stuart Shils, I sketch and then collage the drawing to give me a foundation for building a stronger composition. While I am waiting for paint to dry - here are some:

This afternoon, I decided to go gather more firewood. I plan to incorporate the commercial kindling with the wood chips from the harvest site. I walked up the hill today - it felt like a sanctuary. All the limbs are strewn across the ground to hold the logging trucks. Skinny oak trees on the edge now in full sunlight yet they are bending over like they are mourning.

The Sitka spruce is not native to Ireland but has become suitable for the wet, mild climate. And harvesting.

Below—marking of a chainsaw cut, pinecones and harvested hill.

I came back to the studio and worked on this piece using a wood chip I found on the site with the painted commercial kindling.

Last night, a new group of delightful, talented folks gathered around the table. Writers, musicians and a visual artist. Again, I feel honored to be surrounded by all this creativity in a lovely setting. Note: I am not taking pics or listing names of participants out of respect. It would be like following them around asking for their autograph. And my time needs to be spent working on new ideas. I hope you are up to something wonderful.