On Sunday last the weather was fabulous my family were visiting and we decided to take a trip on the Doolin2Aran Ferry for the Cliffs of Moher cruise. What a wonderful day out, the sea was calm the sun was shining and the colours of the Wild Atlantic and the Cliffs of Moher were spectacular.The cruise took us right under the Cliffs of Moher and the Sea Stack. We could see the puffins as they whooped and dived gathering food for their young.I have been on the Cliffs of Moher cruise before specifically to see the cliffs up close and from underneath, and to create some oil paintings from that angle. This is the kind of thing as an artist I need to do to in order to study subjects around the Burren and the Wild Atlantic Way.The thing about taking a day off is I never stop painting in my head, everywhere I see paintable subjects!
The oil painting I have attached I made as a result of my last trip on the Cliffs of Moher cruise. The Sea Stack is prominent as the the view from the boat was from underneath, and the Sea Stack appeared larger than the Cliffs of Moher. The boat I have introduced into the painting is a Currach and was the old means of transport from the mainland to the Aran Islands. Seafaring must have been very difficult when Currachs were used, as well as battling the swells of the Wild Atlantic, the cargo often included animals as well as the necessities of life. Seamen were very strong physically as they used oars to steer the boat , and they wore traditional Aran sweaters made of sheep’s wool which contained natural oils and kept them dry and warm.
As a local artist living near Doolin and on the edge of the Burren I get access to a wealth of subjects on my doorstep.From my studio window I can actually see the Cliffs of Moher, with pastoral fields leading towards them.The fields are usually scattered with grazing cows and sheep and of coarse they often appear in my Irish landscape oil paintings.
The Summer is here and my gallery is open to welcome visitors and to view or purchase a painting or a print of the Wild Atlantic Way, the Cliffs of Moher or the Burren so come and say Hello!