Culture Night Nocturne Painting at Stephens Green

Culture night nocturne painting

It’s about time I  uploaded this post, more than three months after I started it. Last September, I participated in Dublin’s Culture night 2019 by painting a nocturne in oils at St Stephen’s Green, just outside the Stephens Green Club at the junction of Kildare Street and the Green.  

Originally, I had decided to paint the Freemason’s Hall in Molesworth Street but I was put off by the queue outside, so I traipsed around the corner and pitched up here. 

This is me at around 6pm. Plenty of light to get the structure drawn out with a light mix of burnt umber oils and turps. 

As you can see, the light is starting to fade at this point. Also, I realised that I should have brought some kind of light with me! My excuse is that I haven’t painted a nocturne from life very often.

So I did what I could with the receding light and realised that I’d have to complete the painting in my studio. There was plenty of life around and I had a bit of a crowd around me for most of the time. That doesnt faze me at all; I enjoy talking to people.

Around this time, a chap sat down on the other side of that traffic light control box you can see on the right and began playing the tin whistle, so I was accompanied by ‘The Fields of Athenry’ for a good hour.

I teach this kind of painting all the time but especially at my one day workshops and excursions. You can see details about them at this link.

I’m really looking forward to 2020 and all the en plein air paintings I’m going to do. Do get in touch -I’m always delighted to hear from people. Maybe we’ll encounter each other in the coming months when the waether improves. Until then…

A Stephens Green Nocturne. Oils on stretched canvas 20″ x 20″ Collectors can call me on 086 247 0737 to arrange a viewing.