Donegal Sketching Holiday 2018

An Port Ghost Village

An Port is a favourite destination of mine and we visited it this year on the second day of our workshop. Port has a very special atmosphere. It is said that the whole village was abandoned at the time of the famine in the middle of the 19c leaving the houses to fall into ruin. It must have been a very hard existence – what appears picturesque to those visitors who make their way down and leave again, the reality was in fact a harsh existence.

On the first morning we spent an hour on Fintra Beach before moving on to St John’s Point. At Fintra our first exercise was to walk and make marks as we go, seaweed, stones, footmarks, pawmarks, feathers, waves – anything that took our eye. These sketches ended up as scribbles in most cases but served the purpose of honing hand-eye coordination.

St John’s Point

Ceramic Workshop

On the final morning we had a ceramic tutorial from the potter Alan Snape. At the start of the holiday he had asked everyone to think of five or six motives for a mini frieze. Always daunting at first the final results were awesome to the delight and surprise of all the novice ceramicists!

Muckross Head

Our final destination was at the stunning Muckross Head with wind and waves and foam – an inspiration for any artist of paint or words.

Thank you to all who took part – to the tutors, the companions, the helpers. Thank you for all your work – sketches , paintings, poems and most of all – thank you for the craic!

 

Donegal Sketching Holiday 2017

The weather gods were kind this year although if I were one to bite my nails they would be down to the quick! For painters it was perfect – windy, cloudy and sunny all in one Donegal day. Motifs are always plentiful, satisfying every taste whether landscape, water, fishing ropes, scudding clouds, busy, colourful, towns or sweeping mountain passes.

 

Below is a slideshow of some of the work produced

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                                          This year we had a guest tutor, the ceramic artist Alan Snape, who gave a masterclass in modelling in clay. Results were stunning as you can see…

All over for another year. My thanks to Alan Snape, the Potter, for his excellent tuition, to Gerry (Mrs Potter and my big sis) for her help making thousands of sandwiches and gallons of coffee and tea and of course to all those who took part for your work, the laughs, the wine and the company!

Donegal Sketching August 2016

Another long overdue blog!

Monday August 8  – The deserted fishing village of Port was our first venue. A windswept but sunny day creating a continually changing light show….

       Tuesday August 9     Assaranca Waterfall and Ardara Town

 

Wednesday August 10 – A wet day so drawing exercises inside the cottage using Donegal’s wild flowers

‘Losing control’- Sketching with charcoal taped onto the end of a paintbrush                   (left to right Margaret F, Kay McC, Karen W, Gavin H)

‘Large and Small Scale’ – drawing with a paintbrush and black ink on scrolled paper, pen and ink on small scale card. (left Kay McC, right Pamela G)

Subtraction drawings with charcoal and putty rubber.(left Pamela G, right Gavin H)

Brambles (Margaret)

Thank you to all who took part!

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Drawing in the City

                                                       Pen and wash Rosie McClelland

This year, in May, I undertook a new, exciting venture. In conjunction with my talented daughter  Jessie ( www.jessicaweberphotography.com ) I led a tutored sketching/photography break in Berlin.

With a small, select group we took in the sights of that fascinating city, visiting locations such as the Eastside Gallery (old Berlin wall), the historical Oberbaumbrucke  to the beautiful Museuminsel, Gendarmenmarkt, Berlinerdom amongst many others,  sketching and taking photos on the way.

Included during the week were gallery visits, most noteworthy of which this year for me was the Erwin Wurm exhibition at the Berlinische Galerie.

Below are a few examples of work undertaken during the course but, for a fuller picture, head over to the Drawing in the City website www.drawinginthecity.com and have a peek.

Our next Berlin sketching break is May 2017

Sketching in Donegal August 2015

The summer already seems like a lifetime ago but before the Autumn draws in completely here is a little reminder of the August sketching holiday in Donegal.

I don’t think I could get away with saying the weather was brilliant (the photos of raincoats and warm jackets are a testament to that) but we certainly weren’t washed out and Donegal is beautiful and inspirational no matter what.

Our locations this year were Killybegs Harbour, Fintra Beach, Port, Muckross and an “invigorating” sea outing with Sliabh Liag Boat Trips.

Eilish Smith pastel

Eilish Smith pastel

Eilish Smith pastel

EIlish Smith coloured pencil

Roberta Lindsay charcoal pastel

Roberta Linsay acrylic

Roberta Lindsay charcoal

Roberta Lindsay ink crayons

Roberta Lindsasy acrylic

Pamela Greene acrylic

Pamela Greene acrylic

Pamela Greene pencil

Pamela Greene acrylic

Pamela Greene acrylic

Marie Murray watercolour

Marie Murray pastel charcoal

Marie Murray mixed media

Marie Murray watercolour

Marie Murray watercolour

Margaret Finlay pencil

Margaret Finlay

Margaret Finlay gouache

Margaret Finlay gouache

Margaret Finlay gouache

Margaret Finlay oil astel on newspaper

Mandy Bryson watercolour

Mandy Bryson pencil

Mandy Bryson watercolour

Mandy Bryson watercolour

Mandy Bryson watercolour

Mandy Bryson pen

Mandy Bryson pencil

Mandy Bryson watercolour

Janet Clarke

Janet Clarke acrylics and grasses

Janet Clarke acrylics and grasses

Janet Clarke acrylic and grasses

Janet Clarke inks

Janet Clarke inks

Janet Clarke inks

Janet Clarke pen

Janet CLarke inks

Sue Bryson soft pastels

Sue Bryson soft pastels

Sue Bryson soft pastels

Sue Bryson soft pastels

Sue Bryson soft pastels

Sue Bryson soft pastels

Donegal Sketching Holidays 2015

It might be snowing outside but it’s time to think about summer sketching in beautiful Donegal

Location:    Largy in SW Donegal lying between Ireland’s largest fishing town of Killybegs and the beautiful village of Kilcar in the heart of Donegal’s Gaeltacht
Dates:           Sunday July 5 – Wednesday July 8
Sunday August 9 – Wednesday August 12
Tuition Fee: £195 (£50 deposit with booking-form and balance to be paid 4 weeks before beginning  (Euros 260, deposit Euro 80)

The weekend starts with light refreshments on the Sunday evening, continuing with painting on location on Monday Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am – 5pm with a break for lunch from 1–2pm (sandwich lunch included in price)
The course is suitable for all levels

There is excellent accommodation in the area at reasonable prices
Contact me for further info and a booking-form

Sketching in Donegal August 2014

Just a few images from this year’s sketching workshop in Donegal.

Eight painters took part over 4 days starting on the Sunday evening with a meal and a chance for everyone to get to know each other followed by a short talk on what to expect over the coming days.

The weather when I travelled down from Belfast on the Saturday was horrific. The rain was coming down in stair rods and Sunday wasn’t much better! Just as I was expecting to put plan B into operation, on Monday morning the sun came out and we were off to our first location, Maghera waterfall (above) and later across the dunes and down to the beach and caves (below)

      

        

Making marks to convey the movement of the water and texture of the vegetation.

        

           

        

 

Moving into colour and making colour notes

On Tuesday we travelled down to the very tip of St John’s Point for a panoramic view of the Sligo mountains across to Sliabh Liag.

     

Tonal sketch capturing depth and atmospheric perspective

        

Negative drawing of  ragwort

Not a bad place to have a picnic!

The plan for the final day was to sketch around the Church graveyard and megalithic Ogham stone in Glencolumbcille, beautifully nestling in a valley surrounded by rolling hills. As we settled in to sketch and, in some cases, take rubbings from the ancient stones, the rain set in.

Now, in my experience, rain in the hills doesn’t always mean rain elsewhere in Donegal so we set off for a favourite spot of mine- a peaceful little harbour on the coastal road between Kilcar and Carraig with a spot of retail therapy on the way at Glencolumbcille Woollen Mill and Kilcar’s Design Weaving Studio. Sure enough we managed to escape the rain here and spent a peaceful afternoon with nothing but the sound of lapping water and seagulls crying.

      

      

 

       

Thank you to all who took part on the course you were amazing –

Brid, Margaret, Kay, Pamela, Karen, Sue, Mandy, Bernie.

Thank you Gerry (big sis) for all your help.

Thank you to Ethna at Inishduff House  who, as always, provided excellent hospitality and accommodation

Thank you for the good company and delicious food at Kitty Kelly’s

The images above are just a small example of the work produced and my apologies to those who had to leave early and whose work has not appeared here – I stupidly forgot to take photos before you left.

Da dah!!

Sketching in Donegal in the Sun (part 2)

Another few images from July’s sketching workshop.

MUCKROSS

Just before I took this photo (below) at Muckross beach, we watched, astounded and thrilled, as a school (pod?) of dolphins leapt above the waves in the direction of Muckross Head. Unfortunately I didn’t have a good enough lens with me to capture it but we found them again later as we headed round to Muckross Head tumbling and playing in the bay and I believe they may still be there.

I love the close tonal values of this image

Watercolour sketch Harry Foy

Charcoal sketches Kay Cullen

Pencil sketch Aileen Hull

Water flows down from the mountains cutting a path through the sand and when the tide is out it creates a universal pattern as it weakens to a trickle.  It looks like a delta, roots of a tree, tresses – how often nature repeats itself!

KILBEG HARBOUR

The perspective of boats can be difficult to capture so I suggested some “blind” drawing i.e. not looking at the paper when you’re drawing. This can be challenging as there is an automatic reflex to look down at your sketch book. However, as is seen in the sketches below,  the results are worth it – strong flowing lines, spatial awareness and perspective “seen” without realising it!

Kay sat for ages studying the movement of the water for this sketch and I really think she captured it.

Pencil sketch Kay Cullen

Watercolour sketch Harry Foy

Of course there were lots of interesting subjects to draw other than boats….

Pencil sketch Anne Marie

Looking forward now to August’s workshop. I am under no illusion that the weather will be as stunningly warm and sunny but Donegal offers so much more than good weather!

Sketching in Donegal in the sun

Dolphins leaping, long, white sands, rusty rivers, waterfalls, salmon, guiness, sunbathers – hang on a minute – SUNBATHERS! Yes, that’s right, Donegal was hotter than the Costas last week and 10 times more beautiful! It isn’t often that I don’t have to pray, cross fingers and toes and do a fair amount of cosmic ordering for good weather on my Donegal sketching breaks but this time it was a piece of cake.

Seven painters (and one spouse) met up at my place on Sunday evening for three days of sketching on location. I like to choose some of my favourite spots where there is plenty of subject matter to suit all tastes.

Below are a few images from our day at the Glen river

 

Before they started I asked them to do some quick line drawings showing the flow and direction of the water’s movement and to be aware of how dark the river and river bank actually is despite the bright sunshine.

Pastel sketch – Harry Foy

Pencil and watercolour – Aileen Hull

Charcoal sketch – Kay Cullen

Black pen – Lillian Weatherup

Pastels – Lillian Weatherup

Black pen

Soft pastels – Georgie Lilley

Black pen Joan Hull

At the end of the day we took a trip up to Sliabh Liag to the highest sea cliffs in Europe

and what do you think we found there?

Nothing like a delicious cool ice-cream after a hard day’s sketching in the sun!

Another blog will follow with more of the week’s sketches

DONEGAL SKETCHING BREAKS

Muckross Head

DATES:                        Sun July 7 – Wed July 10

                                   Sun Aug 4 – Wed Aug 7

TUITION FEE:           £175/Euro 210 (includes light meal Sunday eve and 3 x sandwich lunches)

LOCATION:                Largy in south west Donegal lying between Ireland’s largest fishing port and the beautiful village of Kilcar in Donegal’s Gaeltacht

Breaking Wave at Muckross Head

The weekend starts with a light meal and a demo on the Sunday evening at 7pm, sketching on location Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 10am – 5pm with a lunch-break from 1 – 2pm

The course is suitable for all levels

There is excellent accommodation in the area at reasonable prices and there is plenty to do for non-painting partners

Early booking is advisable!

Contact Rosie for further information

Sketching Holiday in Donegal

Arriving down at the cottage in Donegal on Saturday, I feared the worst weatherwise. With statistics echoing through my ears of the wettest June on record I looked out the front window of the living -room and couldn’t see the mountain for mist. The window to the back (the house is one room wide!) usually shows a panoramic view of Donegal Bay and the Sligo mountains beyond – nothing- I couldn’t even see the bottom of what I laughingly call my garden! Now I always have a Plan B for wet days but the whole idea of sketching holidays is to experience first hand the colours, smells, sounds and feeling of space that our photos don’t or can’t portray. However, Donegal didn’t disappoint and on the first day the clouds parted and the sun shone. In fact, two out of three days were sublime showing this part of the world to be the little bit of heaven that it is! In the evenings we spent our time wining and dining in Kitty Kelly’s restaurant at Largy and The Clock Tower at Fintra. I shall be running a further sketching holiday in August and there are 2 or 3 places still available. Below are images of some of the locations and a few of my sketches which I managed to do in between tutoring and a finished pastel based on sketches from the boats in the harbour at Kilbeg Pier

Hopefully a blog will follow with images of work from the sketching holidays’ participants

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Pale light at a beach at Muckross showing the Sligo mountains beyond

The waterfall and salmon leap at Teelin

Of course without the rain the rivers wouldn’t be so amazing and the fishermen would be very sad!

Kilbeg pier at Teelin Bay looking across to Slieve League

Oil pastels

Oil pastels

Oil pastel sketch

All sketches Rosie McClelland

Sketching in Donegal

I  have just spent a week painting in Donegal with four other artists. When I send out the information letters, with a list of materials, I always include raincoats, woolly jumpers and sturdy shoes in addition to suntan cream and a sunhat! Anyone who has painted in Ireland is prepared for glorious sunshine interspersed with showers and indeed that can be the reason for wonderful “light shows” and magnificent cloud formations over an ancient, majestic landscape. However this year, on a couple of days, the sky fell and hovered just above our heads like a heavy grey blanket. On one such day we took ourselves off to the Glebe Gallery, beside Lake Gartan near Letterkenny, to see the exhibition  “Burst the Heart Open – A Celebration of Irish Painting” http://www.eaf.ie/detail.php?id=12  On view are works from artists such as Sean Scully, Derek Hill, Sean McSweeney, Jack Yeats, Ciaran Lennon and Patrick Collins amongst many others. Open until August 28th and well worth a visit. While you’re there take a tour round the fabulous Glebe House which was the home of Derek Hill and houses an amazing array of international art.

On the way home we visited the studio of Donegal artist Stephen Bennett, near Ardara. Stephen used to be in advertising working for Saatchi and Saatchi in London until he returned to Donegal with his wife and started painting the beautiful Donegal countryside and it’s people in his own inimitable bold style. Check out his website and call in if you’re in the area.  http://www.stephenbennett.net/

Muckross Head

An intrepid artist – this piece of coastline is only reached at low tide!

Trying to capture the movements of a wave crashing against the rocks in soft pastels (Rosie McClelland)

Sketch in oil pastels (Rosie McClelland)

Well on a wet day there’s nothing else for it but to retreat to a Donegal pub for lunch!

Nancy’s in Ardara

Wild flowers along every wayside oil pastel sketch (Rosie McClelland)

We spent a morning at Killybegs harbour- below are a few quick impressions

I love using oil pastels for the instant saturated colour and quick coverage

(Rosie McClelland)

It was a small group this year, about half the size of previous years but nevertheless, despite rain, we produced a lot of work, had a lot of laughs and drank our fair share of wine! Thank you for the good company.

A week in Provence

I have just spent a week in Provence. I was very kindly invited to stay in a beautiful appartment in St Saturnin d’Apt by a member of my art classes.The last time I visited Provence was 25 years ago and I don’t remember it being quite so spectacular but perhaps that was because my children were still toddlers and we all came down with a stomach bug! This time there were four of us – all grown-ups – and we  spent our days sketching, sight-seeing, browsing colourful market stalls and drinking copious amounts of wine in breathtaking surroundings.

One of the highlights was visiting Cezanne’s studio. To see his painting jackets hanging on the wall close enough to touch (I didn’t!), familiar objects from his still-life paintings such as jugs, bottles and the white statue of Putto sitting on shelves was magical. I lingered long enough to let the inspiration soak in. Mont St Victoire didn’t let us down either with a display of blood-red poppies and wild flowers in the fields at it’s base.

The urge to paint landscapes doesn’t happen often to me and when it does it’s usually in the form of water – tethered boats in harbours, atlantic waves crashing onto ancient rocks or rushing salmon-filled rivers – there needs to be some kind of emotional connection for me to want to capture – so I was happy to sketch buildings and people and make notes on the mediterranean light and palette.

Tangled cables in Bonnieux Rosie McClelland

oil pastel sketch Rosie McClelland

St saturnin Rosie McClelland

Oonagh Catchpole – View of St Saturnin – Watercolour

Caroline Twemlow -Roofs at Bonnieux

Janet Clarke -Irises

My three companions, Caroline, Oonagh and Janet