Inspirations

My love for Irish landscapes came from my father who is a great lover of walking and climbing mountains, and always brought us out walking the countryside. Also when we were kids our parents took us away travelling to different parts of the country, and abroad. I started using watercolours when my dad's brother Damian was painting with that medium one day, and I liked the style of it. It is the most difficult medium to use because it doesn't give any leeway.

My Grandparents had a chalet just outside Gorey, County Wexford. We spent a lot of time on our summer holidays there. We also went to Achill Island as children. We were always outdoors. I loved the magical scenery in Achill, no matter what time of year we went. I started a few years ago to do a painting of Keem Bay, Achill Island, but a heavy shower came out of the blue, and ran the watercolour paints off the page! I've also painted in Kinvara, County Clare, and have one or two paintings from there. Most of the West coast of Ireland has incredible views. There is such a contrast of light and dark, which makes a watercolour painting stand out. Some of the paintings I have are copied from a photograph.

"It's amazing when your painting outdoors how often the colouring, and lighting changes". When I'm out with my parents in the car, or walking, I would often look at the ocean, sky, and plants, to see the different colours. Monet is my favourite artist because of his use of colour.
"With watercolour, you have to keep mixing the different colours, and water to get different effects. Acrylic paint lets you away with a lot more, because if you make a mistake, the paint will dry off, and you can paint over it. With watercolour you can't paint light over dark, and if you make a mistake, you can't fix it. It is possible to mix acrylic and watercolour together, because they are both water based, and sometimes give a nice effect. Plenty of times it hasn't worked out for me doing a painting, and I would have to start again".