This was my first paint along class of 2024.
I have done many of these now for various charities, and they are so much fun.
I got to meet some amazing women from Knitted Knockers of Northern Ireland, based in Brownlow House Courtyard.
These women had the challenge of painting this scene of Lurgan park, a place which was just a few meters away.

The reference was found on a facebook site called Friends Of Lurgan Park. From there I spotted this photograph. I liked the tree and its reflection. It has a sweeping curve of the railing to led your eye into the painting while also showing perspective. I printed out a colour and a black and white version for everyone. That way they can look at colour constrast. Light and dark. Basic shapes before thinking about the colours to use.
Photographer is James Keelips a keen photographer of garden birds.

The set up is simple. Plates as palettes, paper cups to clean brushes and delute paint. Kitchen roll to share out and a few of my favouite paints bought from The Range. Brushes and canvases were provided by the club but I did have my own set with me. As I said, I have have done many of these now. The club did provide the easels, which is lovely to see them all on display at the end.

By following my step by step direction on how to draw out and what order to apply the paint we had a great base layer down by the first hour. Then stopped for a cuppa and a chat, before jumping into the detail and finishing it off. Now bad for 2 hours of painting.

To keep things fun, I like to do some warm up sketching games. Nothing too serious. Then after our tea break I play another game to gather everyone back to their seat. This one is on Art History, famous Art or not? Like a last man standing game. These 2 super star pupils won for best sketch and last man standing knowledge round.

Future Paint and Sip classes will be held here at
AEON Community Arts.
46 Church Place Lurgan

The campaign for saving our lough started years ago, but it was in the summer of 2023 it hit the headlines with images of dead swams and fishmen cutting into the thick green algae like it was wet snd floating on the surface. The water was killing the wildlife and people had noticed the taste of their tap water was different and sometimes cloudy.
But winter came and the algae rests on the lake bed waiting for this summer before it rises again.
So we want to keep this awareness and reach out to more people who may want to be involved. Then this exhibition was created. Hosted in Oxford Island as close to the waters edge as possible. It was an exhibition of Art work from all over Northern Ireland. The open night had performances of musicians, speakers, drama performance pieces and old fairy folk tales of agient ireland and its relationship with the lake.

I submitted 3 paintings

Algae- A view from Oxford Island during the summer of 2023. My signature circles can be seen under the green algae like a virus growing and spreading through the dark water. While bringing a balance with the beautiful upper part of the view showing Oxford Island on a bright summers day. It almost invites you into the water with its crystal reflections but yet the messy thick algae shows off like a warning.

From the many images that was shared on facebook and other social media platforms, this picture stood out to me. As I wondered to myself would these cygnets ever make it to adulthood. Again I used my signature circles as the green algae. I called this painting Just Keep Swimming, as these beautiful birds are helpless in their environment. Best thing for them to do is to avoid it.

Sad Swan was painted from a photograph by Michael Hardy a local fishman on the lough shore. The head is bent low to give a sense of emotion that  the swan is upset that it is covered in this stuff and it is harder to find food.



The exhibition ends on Friday 8th March with the promise of more events such as this for the future.
My artwork will then be on display in Cafes such as the New Haven in Lurgan and if not sold in my Exhibition with Loughside Art Club in April 2024