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!

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 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