Saturday, September 5, 2015

Ancient Wall, Fertile Rock.

Just close to my home is a Burren road I often walk. If you head out west on that road you find an area of untouched limestone pavement crisscrossed by ancient walls.

This painting depicts an area of the limestone paving and a part of one such wall which sits close to the road. Many times I've stopped and sat there, in this sheltered area to study the rock forms. This painting becomes almost a portrait of that wall. For me it's a celebration of what many might consider an unremarkable place.

Just as I write this I'm reminded of friend whom I first met shortly after I came to this area in 2009. Luka Bloom is a singer/songwriter, musician and performer. He wrote a song entitled 'The Fertile Rock' and to my surprise and amazement the lyrics of the first verse are as follows:

In the flowering desert
Lies the heart and soul of man
Find a deep well to draw from
And give back as you can
In the moonlight musicians
Hear their tunes in the Burren wind
And in the shadows
Where an old faith's sheltered
The painter's work begins.


This painting will appear in my coming Los Angeles solo exhibition on Friday October 30th.

Ancient Wall, Fertile Rock - oil on panel - 70 x 50cm.


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