I work from my studio in Kilcock. It is a small room with shelves all around to put my finished and unfinished work onto. I like to give each work a few days to 'rest' before I completely finalise them and email my clients their portrait scans. On this page, you will find more information on how I work together with some progress photos and videos of my process. I discuss the materials I use and how I go about completing each piece of work. Because I work from photographs, I like to share them here too for comparison. You can subscribe to the blog and receive updates 3 to 4 times a month.
This drawing is drawn from a vintage photograph from the early 20th century. It was commissioned by a return client and is of his mother. The photograph has certain romantisizm with strong shadows cast onto the face from the large hat. I softened these shadows a little to show the…
This is a portrait I completed a few weeks ago of a man fishing. The man in the image is the client’s father-in-law and has passed away a few years back. The painting was commissioned as a birthday gift to his son, the client’s husband. His father did not like…
A few weeks ago I was contacted by a PhD student completing a history thesis on Cornelius O’Brien at the University of Limerick. He had a sketch made of Cornelius which got destroyed by his nephew, by accident of course 🙂 He wanted me to draw a new portrait of…
I was commissioned to create this family portrait as a christening present for them from the baby’s godmother. She wanted to give the young couple something very special as a keepsake and a christening gift. The photograph was beautiful and the only one I had to work from. Sometimes professional…
A couple of months ago, I was contacted by Maura and Orla fro the Irish Hospice Foundation. They wanted to commission a painting of their co-worker Bryan riding on his horse PJ. The portrait was to be a gift for Bryan. The photographs they provided me were wonderful, especially the…
This is a portrait painting of a graduate. The post details the process and painting in detail.
A few months ago I was contacted by Brendan Power from Fethard on Sea in county Wexford. He contacted me on behalf of the local community group. They are working on a project to build a replica of the Helen Blake Lifeboat which sank in 1914 with the loss of…
This painting was the fourth painting commissioned by return clients. It is of their son who recently graduated from the National College of Ireland in Maynooth. The clients wanted to capture him in his graduation gown in front of the university building. The colours worked so well here especially with…
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought this portrait is very fitting for this time of the year. It was commissioned as a Christmas present from the young man in the picture to his girlfriend. He wanted to capture a moment in their past that was very special to both of…
These two paintings were completed in October for one client. They were quite straight forward. I worked from one photograph for each painting. I thoroughly enjoyed the process as the photos were very interesting, taken on a sunny day with some beautiful shadows. The photos were very detailed and I…