McCarthy Mór Castle, Ballinskelligs

McCarthy Mór Castle, Ballinskelligs
original watercolour © Teresa Newham

I fell in love with McCarthy's castle on my first visit to Ballinskelligs more than ten years ago.  Ballinskelligs beach has become a fixture to visit whenever we are in Kerry - it's a great place for dog walking - and I have photos of the castle in sunshine, rain and mist.  It was the subject of one of my earliest watercolours - now mercifully consigned to the bin - so it was high time for another painting . . .

source material, and the painting blocked out
© Teresa Newham

The ruin is more properly known as Ballinskelligs Castle or McCarthy Mór Castle, but it's really a tower house built by McCarthy Mór in the 16th Century to protect the bay from pirates (and so that he could charge a tariff on incoming trade ships).

mountains & rocks appear . . .
© Teresa Newham

We were always frustrated that we couldn't get close to it because the causeway was cut off at high tide: to our delight, after the storms a couple of years ago this was built up, enabling visitors to walk there at any time.  But the sea is gradually eroding that possiblity once more.

. . . then the castle itself
© Teresa Newham

Ballinskelligs Bay is an atmospheric place, so I've chosen to portray it using just two colours - raw sienna and cobalt blue.  These have combined well for me in the past (remember Swan and Skellig Morning?) and I'm happy to say that they've worked their magic again!

grass added in the foreground to finish
© Teresa Newham

Studio practice: daffs

daffs ~ watercolour study
© Teresa Newham

It's always a good idea to flex those watercolour muscles before trying to do any serious painting.  And as I haven't touched my paints for while, some studio practice seemed to be in order!  The jug of daffodils in the kitchen - past their best, I have to say - made an excellent subject.

the subject . . .
© Teresa Newham

Because this was just a practice, I didn't bother to stretch the 300 gsm Arches sheet of hot pressed paper I took from my trial pack; I simply taped it roughly to the backing board and started to sketch with the paint on the unfamiliarly smooth surface.

. . . .sketched out in paint
© Teresa Newham

I used Transparent Yellow for the daffodils themselves and Cobalt Blue for the shadows, bringing in Permanent Sap Green for the stems and introducing Quinacridone Red amongst the other colours to deepen the trumpets of the flowers and brighten the pattern on the jug.  I added a red and green background for good measure, but the result was disappointing.  What's more, the paper had started to buckle . . .

wet and wishy washy!
© Teresa Newham

Under these circumstances it's usually best to keep going and trust your instincts.  So I deepened the red and the green of the background to bring out the shape of the flowers and the jug.

beefing up the background
© Teresa Newham

The result - which you can see at the head of this post - is far more vibrant.  What's more, that paper dried virtually flat!

from the archives : Kerry photos

white boats at Waterville
© Teresa Newham

Taking a look back through my photos recently, I found many which I haven't yet shared here on the blog.  This is a selection of some of my earliest Kerry photos, which over the years have been made into posters and cards; the images are so familiar to me that I'd almost forgotten about them.

near St Brendan's Well, Valentia
© Teresa Newham

The titles are largely self-explanatory:  but I cannot for the life of me recall where the one below was taken.  As it's been called Reflections since the outset I suspect that I couldn't remember where I took it by the time I got the camera home . . .

reflections
© Teresa Newham

All the examples here are point-and-shoot, with no set up at all.  Sometimes this technique works and sometimes it doesn't, which explains why I can take several hundred photos even on a short visit.  Most of which end up in the bin - good job it's a digital one!

Ballinskelligs Priory
© Teresa Newham

These pictures date from 2007 and 2008 and were taken with my trusty Canon Digital Ixus, which I still think of as my "new" camera even though it's nearly ten years old.  I should probably  think about getting a new one . . .

the shores of Lough Currane
© Teresa Newham

I hope you've enjoyed seeing at these as much as I've enjoyed revisiting them.  Sometimes it's good to look back and re-evaluate photos with a fresh eye - these seem to have stood the test of time, anyway!

Ballycarbery
© Teresa Newham

A Celtic Cross for Easter

the Celtic cross - a powerful and ancient symbol
original linocut by Teresa Newham

For my Easter card design this year I've turned to the image of the Celtic cross.  As anyone who is interested in Celtic imagery knows, there are many stories about its origins and history.  For me as a Catholic it symbolises the sun (Son) rising behind the cross of crucifixion, and reminds me that we come to the love of God through our sorrows and difficulties in life.

This day was made by the Lord

Let us rejoice, let us be glad

This day was made by the Lord

Let us rejoice in salvation.

Whatever problems or hardships you might be facing right now, I wish you a happy and blessed Easter in the love of Christ.

the Celtic Cross in a variety of colour combinations
original linocut design by Teresa Newham

Barcelona sketchbook

If you're expecting dainty depictions of sights and scenery, don't look in my sketchbooks.  I enjoy people watching and jotting down what grabs my attention, which ranges from the beautiful to the bizarre.  And I have to say, usually the bizarre wins out!

a shop on the Placa Sant Josep Oriol, Barcelona . . .
© Teresa Newham

Maybe it was the Barca football shirts - or possibly the Catalan flags on the balconies - and the contrast with the Art Deco shopfront. Either way, when we stopped at a café in the Placa Sant Josep Oriol, I got the zig pens out and made the first Barcelona entry in my A5 sketch diary.

. . .  and what the Placa actually looks like!
© Teresa Newham

At Park Guell I eased my aching legs by sitting on a low stone wall next to a street trader selling scarves.  Before long, my A6 sketchbook was out and I was scribbling innocently away, looking for all the world as though I was writing something down.  But of course I was really sketching (I added the colour later).  After all,  I had to do something to fill the time while my husband queued for tickets . . . . he's the one in the blue coat and grey hat!

selling scarves near the ticket office, Park Guell
© Teresa Newham

Still at Park Guell, we were enjoying the best cup of tea of our trip when my sketching urge started bugging me again, struck by the incongruity of three Japanese tourists enjoying a coffee in front of what is surely the most bizarrely decorated gift shop in the world . . .

Japanese tourists at the cafe, Park Guell
© Teresa Newham

The bug hit again when I walked into the tea-room at the Palau de la Musica Catalana - the main problem was what to leave in and what to take out.  It was beautiful and quirky at the same time.

as soon as I saw the tea-room at the Palau de la Musica Catalana . . .
© Teresa Newham

I edited it down by using a limited palette of colours and forcing myself not to include every detail of the background.  I could have done with a whole afternoon in there, but we only had twenty minutes until the guided tour . . .

. . . I wanted to draw it - and did!
© Teresa Newham

Even waiting at the airport became a chance for some more sketching practice.  At this time of year travellers are wrapped up against the cold, mostly in black or dull colours, which is why this girl's pink sweater caught my eye.  I love people watching!

tourist, Barcelona Airport
© Teresa Newham

looking up in Barcelona

Nothing gets the photographic juices flowing more quickly than visiting a place for the first time.  Barcelona, full of art and churches, was a delight from start to finish. Approaching the old cathedral from the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter, we soon realised this was a city which could only be partly appreciated at street level - there was even more to see when looking up!

old cathedral, Gothic Quarter, Barcelona
© Teresa Newham

Our visit to the Sagrada Familia confirmed this impression - the outside of Gaudi's masterpiece is completely covered in statues depicting stories from the Gospels, gargoyles, and foliage in ceramic and stone - all topped off with finials of Venetian glass:

Sagrada Familia - top of the Nativity facade and towers
© Teresa Newham

As we stepped inside, the scale and beauty of the place took the breath away.  Every inch of the interior is a feast for the eye in stained glass or carved stone.  I didn't know which direction to head in first - so I looked up.  And was very glad to have done so!

Sagrada Familia - glass and stone
© Teresa Newham

So many of the most beautiful details were near - or actually on - the ceiling, that I soon had a crick in my neck.  Gaudi meant the interior to resemble a forest, and the trunks - pillars illuminated in every colour of the spectrum by the sun streaming through the stained glass windows - lead the eye higher and higher . . . .

ceiling, Sagrada Familia
© Teresa Newham

The Palau de la Musica Catalana is so snugly tucked away up a side street that the visitor is forced to look up to appreciate the ornate tiled facade.  The founders had a particular attachment to the site, but the architect thought the Palau was being built in the wrong location - he would have preferred his work to be seen easily!

Palau de la Musica Catalana, Barcelona
© Teresa Newham

The guided tour allowed us onto the balcony at the front of the building, which is wonderfully decorated to the height of several storeys.  Everyone had their cameras out.  And yes, they were looking up.  What photography enthusiast worth their salt would want to miss this?

pillars on the front of the Palau de la Musica de la Catalana
© Teresa Newham

We sat in the main auditorium, with its amazing central glass dome, for some time.  I must admit, I wasn't listening to the guide.  I had my camera pointed to the ceiling and my head right back . . .

glass dome in the auditorium of the Palau de la Musica Catalana
© Teresa Newham

Another Gaudi masterpiece - the Casa Batllo - also boasts a quirky facade in the modernist style.  "Modernisme" is the Spanish equivalent of Art Nouveau.  And this place, shown here bathed in the early evening sunshine, has it in spades:

sunshine on the facade of the Casa Batllo, Barcelona
© Teresa Newham

From bottom to top, it was just thrilling.  And when we got to the roof and couldn't go any higher, we still had the tiled chimneys to look up to!

chimneys, Casa Batllo
© Teresa Newham

. . . and the tang of the sea

Skellig Dawn
original watercolour by Teresa Newham

Perhaps it was the salt that made me decide to paint a seascape next?  After my experiments with Cosmos it seemed like a natural progression.  This time I chose Cerulean blue, Quinacridone Magenta, Raw Sienna, and Phthalo Blue, and laid them - not quite as randomly as last time - on pre-wetted paper.

paint and salt, flowing
© Teresa Newham

Once everything was dry and the salt removed, I added another blue wash over the sky and sea areas, and some more salt, which produced this:

a second layer of washes
© Teresa Newham

Using a large brush, I dabbed in the shape of the Skellig rocks in Raw Sienna, then went over them again in magenta and finally blue, brushing in a firmer horizon as I did so.

Skelligs on the horizon
© Teresa Newham

Still not happy, I added another wash over the sea.  Even that didn't make me like this painting, although my husband loved it.  Secretly, I resolved to chuck it in the bin when his back was turned.

Skellig Dawn, with mount
© Teresa Newham

And yet, and yet . . . somehow it stayed taped to its board in the studio for another week, even though I was convinced I was going to throw it away.  But it worked its magic somehow - and now I rather like it!

a pinch of salt . . .

Cosmos
original watercolour by Teresa Newham

I recently took it into my head to create an abstract painting using watercolour and rock salt.  This was one of the techniques I was shown several years ago during a short course introduction to watercolour at Central St Martins - it produced fantastic results but I hadn't tried it since.

splashing & sprinkling
© Teresa Newham

Rather than use my best paper, I stretched some 300gsm Arches, wetted it, and dropped in Transparent Yellow, Quinacridone Magenta, and some Winsor Blue (Green Shade).  Also known as Phthalo Blue, it's a colour I use a lot in printmaking but rarely for watercolours.   As the paint spread, I sprinkled salt over the paper and wetted it again in places with a spray.  Then I walked away firmly, without looking back.

how the base layer dried
© Teresa Newham

Next morning the painting was quite different, with some amazing patterns.  I carefully brushed away every scrap of salt with my fingertips.  As the overall effect was a little gaudy, I covered the whole lot with a wash of ultramarine, graduating towards the centre and out again.   I sprinkled more salt onto the paper, used the spray a bit, and once again turned my back on it.

the ultramarine layer, with salt
© Teresa Newham

I couldn't resist taking a look from time to time at the colours marching across the paper - there were some vibrant hues emerging that usually only appear in the water I use to rinse the brushes - but again I didn't touch it until the following morning.  By now the salt had absorbed so much pigment that it resembled those coloured sugar crystals you can buy for your coffee - these ones, however, were strictly inedible.

salt or sugar?
© Teresa Newham

Some artists say you should keep the salt in place as part of your painting.  But I wanted the effects underneath to be seen; besides, my student portfolio from that long-ago course now has a crunchy layer of salt at the bottom from my early experiments.  It does fall off eventually . . . and removing it was such a tactile experience it felt like an integral part of the creative process!

trying out a mount
© Teresa Newham

I was happy enough with the finished piece to see how it looked in a mount.  For a few days it didn't have a title, but eventually I settled on Cosmos.  Make of it what you will . . .

Backwards and Forwards

Ladies chatting - pen sketch
© Teresa Newham

New Year is a time for looking back, as well as forward.  A flick through my sketchbooks reminds me that 2015 was the year I finally started to carry one with me most of the time.  As the weather warmed up, anyone who stopped for a chat or sat down for a picnic became a potential subject - particularly if - like the ladies above - they were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't spot me scribbling away.

bench, Portmagee - Zig pen sketch
© Teresa Newham

When I began to draw a tourist sitting on a bench at Portmagee harbour I thought I was in luck - he was intent on his smartphone - but I knew things would change as soon as his girlfriend arrived.  Sure enough, within a minute or two they were heading somewhere else and I had to finish the drawing from memory.  For some reason, I decided they were French - they did look rather chic - but I never got close enough to find out.

Ladies chatting, Childwickbury - pen sketch
© Teresa Newham

These ladies deep in conversation at Childwickbury Arts Fair were too good to miss.  I was sitting in some shade on the other side of the stable yard and I don't think they even saw me.  Like me, they were taking a good long rest and were still nattering away when I moved on.

Dog's day out on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway - Zig pen sketch
© Teresa Newham

A captive subject is always welcome:  and the couple sitting across the aisle from me in the railway carriage had a dog with them.  Too good to miss!  I managed to complete this sketch while the train was waiting to leave Pickering Station.  Just as well, because the two-hour journey to Whitby by steam was so enthralling that I didn't draw anything else until we arrived - when I managed the quick impression of Whitby Abbey, below.  At least that wasn't going to get up and walk off . . .

Whitby Abbey - Zig pen sketch
© Teresa Newham

As the weather worsened and the days shortened, my enthusiasm for outdoor sketching waned somewhat, even when we spent another week in Kerry.  But I couldn't resist making the drawing below, from the comfort of a brightly-lit conservatory with a wonderful view - it would have been rude not to!

Valentia from Kilkeaveragh - Zig pen sketch
© Teresa Newham

I don't make New Year's Resolutions - far too easily broken - but I must get into the habit of sketching again.  Whatever the weather!