Carl Doran

Even I struggle for words sometimes. There’s a lot of upheaval in my life currently, but hardest of all is the loss of my great friend, and last of my cats descended from Cáit (living with me), who has gone on her final wander. On Friday August 29, I had to bring her to her last visit to the vets (Treaty Vets – wonderful and kind people), as she was losing power in her legs, and her quality of life was on the decline.

It’s a very painful and difficult decision to put your friend to sleep, but I was happy to be able to be with my Dear Puss as she passed peacefully. Many tears were shed, and indeed as I write this now, a few more come.

Mandy was one of those cats that embraced her later years and seniority. A couple of yeas ago she decided she would retire from any mousing/security around the house. She would sit on her rocking chair, gently rocking as she groomed, as I (and she) spotted a pygmy shrew wander behind her, and act as if nothing was happening.

Ol’ Mandy down the garden in New Road with her Uncle Seány, summer 2025.

Mandy always had a voracious appetite – she would have to sample food from all bowls available – even if one of her siblings or mother were eating from them! Large, at 5 kilos for a queen, we would affectionately refer to her as ‘The Fridge Magnet’, as even in her decline, she would always appear at the sound of the fridge door opening, expecting a snack!

Puss is sorely missed by her many friends, particularly her Uncles Seány and Paul, who tended to her many times, and were among the first human friends she made, owing to her suspicious and feral nature.

My especial thanks to all our friends who looked after her, and I thank you all most sincerely, and to Siobhán and John at the vets for your empathy and kindness, to me and my Beloved Mandy.

Puss has a lovely resting place now, which I visit, and has the company of a true friend. Coladh sámh my Love XXX.

Skippy’s Tale was screened in Limerick, and Quimper, Brittany, as part of the second Quimper – Limerick Film Exchange, part of the St. Brigid’s Day festivities. It was a fun evening both sides of the sea – great attendance and a live stream with our French counterparts bringing good humour and levity. The venue was an old stomping ground of mine – The People’s Museum of Limerick, though in this instance the very photogenic Blue Gallery Ballroom. It is a preserved Georgian House, and fantastic for such events.

My especial thanks to Mark Peter O’Connor for inviting me to show my film! It is a very exciting development for me, being the first time I’ve ever had my work on the international stage.

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My thanks to my Breton friends for their part in the endeavour, Bualadh bus mes amis!!!

Original drawing for Skippy’s Tale book.

Glad to end 2024 on a high note! I have previously written here with news of my animated film – Skippy’s Tale, based on my illustrated book of the same name. The film tells the sad story of Skippy, a stray cat to my friend Des’ childhood home, her kittens, and what happened on a bitterly cold night.

I began the process of making the film in 2018 while in Contact Studios’ second iteration in the Cahill May Roberts building (since demolished to make way for the Opera Centre) in 2018. With natural (or any!) light at a premium in that building, painting really was impossible for me, so I put together a complete rendition of the book (with some necessary editing sympathetic to the medium) in miniature panels.

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Drawings/storyboard with production notes for Skippy’s Tale, 2018.

New life was breathed into the project during my Test Space Residency in Limerick City Gallery (2021). I enlisted Declan Greene (Contact/Wickham Artist) to animate, while my good friend and Gallery Interlude collaborator Mark S Sheehan composed an original (brilliant) score, and we completed it in late 2023. Sincere thanks to both, and congrats on your hard work! The film is short, at 4.26minutes, and I hope that visitors to Ormston House enjoy my movie.

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I am very grateful to Pádraic E. Moore, Artistic Director at Ormston House, and all associated there for selecting my work for the show. I sincerely thank Úna McCarthy and all at Limerick City Gallery of Art for furthering the project and encouraging my practice – míle míle!

Thanks to Tom Prendergast for keeping Wickham St. Studios going, and the best of luck to my studio colleagues in the show, and the many other Limerick artists showing! It is a great idea to get the local arts practitioners together, so fair play.

Lastly, a shout out to Limerick Arts Office, for studio funding during 2024.

Go n-éírí libh!!!

I was delighted to be asked to bring my collection of paintings and drawings, based around and created in Wickham St. Studios over the last 4 years, to Newcastle West in Co. Limerick this September 20. September 20 is of course Culture Night across Ireland, an evening of free arts events for the public, so hopefully we will get a nice crowd. In addition to the works shown in The People’s Museum last December, this exhibition will feature a number of new paintings and drawings, completed over the previous 9 months or so.

I’m pretty happy with this new small painting (above), portraying Ester Redlichova’s space, which had a lovely retro style hoover (vacuum cleaner) for a time resting on an old armchair. Ester – a Czech/Irish Artist with a background in printmaking is a relatively new member to Wickham, just over a year or so, and has been a great addition. Her space is also very interesting to me – print, paint and other materials, bicycles, machines and stepladders – a wonderful variety of lines and shape!

Sincere thanks to Vicki and all involved for the invitation. Hopefully be a great night for all, looking forward to spending time in the Treaty County!

Exhibition Details Open Saturday September 21, Thursday 26, Friday 27, Saturday 28 September 12 – 4 pm. The Red Door Gallery, Gortboy, Newcastle West, County Limerick, V42 X244, Ireland.

It’s an honour to be awarded the Curator’s Choice for July 2024 at the esteemed Hunt Museum of Limerick. The above painting is on view for the month of July in the museum, and it’s a nice opportunity to showcase the best of local artists to the Limerick public, and indeed the many visitors from near and far.

As part of this program I will have an informal open presentation of some works from my ‘About the Studio’ ongoing series, a few small paintings and recent drawings completed in the last year or so. There’ll be time for coffee and hopefully some nice discussion about art, my own and others.

Tá fáilte romhat chun gach duine! All are welcome and sincere thanks to all at The Hunt Museum for inviting me to exhibit, and assistance throughout!

2023’s end came as somewhat of a relief for me, a year that didn’t start great and continued on in that vein. That is just life really, and aside from those matters, it did constitute a strong creative year in terms of my practice.

Not least among this was the launch and hosting of my solo exhibition in The Coach House/People’s Museum of Limerick in December last. The esteemed Pat Normoyle – of NormoyleFrawley Framing/Artmad delivered a lovely, funny and touching (short) speech, and delivered kind and inspiring words – sincere thanks Pat!

There was a great turnout for which I was most grateful, for the opening and the week that followed, and a few stocking fillers were had. I was delighted to see friends and colleagues form Contact Studios and Wickham St. Studios alike, along with new audience members. I am most fortunate to have the support of many friends in this and other endeavours over the years, and my good friend Seán Healy was most helpful throughout, in logistics and practical assistance – including manning the Mulled wine bar for the night – thanks Seán!

Go raibh míle míle mhaith go dtí gach duine!!!

Carl’s studio – back door view, pen on painted paper

I continue to explore Wickham St. Studios though drawings and painting since the show, experimenting with coloured paper (see above), a light green/grey type shade among other things. It gives just a bit more complexity to the end drawings, a bit more depth I feel. The composition of the above drawing also led me to make my first painting of 2024, which I’m pretty pleased with (below).

I’ve also been exploring the first floor of Wickham St. Studios artist spaces, hallways and rooms for the last few months. They are quite complex and challenging with so many elements to convey, but most rewarding.

Next up, some news on exhibiting with The Hunt Museum,

Go n-eírí!

After 3 years of work sketching, drawing and observation, we are finally at the point of bringing my new body of work to the public. The venue is The Coach House, part of The People’s Museum of Limerick, in Pery Square, and is a very fine, venerable building with a lot of history.

I’ll present 11 paintings, oil on boards and canvasses, and 23 black and white pen drawings, all completed in situ in Wickham St. Studios, my artistic home in Limerick for the last 5 years or so. The works are a visual journey through the studios themselves, mostly focusing on my own space, while also profiling my fellow members’ working conditions, featuring Paul Rhatigan, Isabella Walsh, Declan Greene, and Tom Prendergast.

For the last 3 years I have really been trying to play around with different approaches and techniques in painting, emphasising directness and playfulness. Some works have taken on or near a year, while some have been completed in less than 2 weeks, but I very much like to maintain the sense of enjoyment of the medium at all times.

Last March, myself and Isabella Walsh facilitated Isabelle Ryan’s first solo show in the same venue, as part of Connect 5, and the venue is just great! Lovely and atmospheric House, garden and the old Coach House make it possibly the most beautiful venue in Limerick City, old and new combined.

I am particularly delighted that Pat Normoyle, of Limerick Senior College, NF Gallery, Art Mad/Normoyle Frawley Art will say a few brief words on the night. I had my second solo show in the Treaty City in Pat and Kate’s NFGallery many years ago, and as Gallery Interlude fans might know, the lads were among the sponsors for our shows. It’s been a real privilege over the years dealing and chatting with Pat, and as with Gallery Interlude, Normoyle Frawley Art will give a 15% discount on any framing of works bought in the show – go raibh míle míle maith!

I’m very much excited to present these works, and hopefully we’ll get a good crowd for the opening, and visitors during the show. My sincere thanks to my family, friends and colleagues for getting me this far, and many thanks to all at The People’s Museum.

Especial thanks to fellow Wickhamer Declan Greene for his great work on the poster, and photography – brilliant as always, and to my Contact Studio’s friend and artist Sean Healy for his input and help throughout.

Le buíochas, Carl.

Painting in Declan’s studio, photo by Declan Greene.

After a relatively quiet period for creating work over the last few years, it feels great to be free again – to travel, to paint, to mingle and organise. I’m very grateful to have a place – in Wickham St. Studios – to come in and make work and plans, to mingle and learn from others. I feel 2023 is like a restart, a new chance to try new things, and retry and invent old practices.

I’m delighted to say I will have a solo show of works in the Coach House, part of the beautiful Georgian era Peoples’ Museum of Limerick, in October this year. We say deadlines were invented for artists in this business, and it is true that having a target to make and present a body of work is a great stimulant. It’ll be called ‘About the Studio’, and will feature drawings and paintings depicting my own and other spaces in Wickham St.

It has been a most satisfying and exciting journey so far, and as I haven’t been full time making artworks through paint, it has led to new approaches and revelations. I will of course update on the progress.

For now, hope 2023 is a good year, go n-éirí!

After quite a long time I feel comfortable back in the studio, the daily routine once again normalised. It’s been a pretty productive period over the last few months, kick started in part by undertaking a drawing everyday for a few weeks (sort of).

Start with what’s around you, and as I am next door – so to speak – to artist Paul Rhatigan, I portrayed the view from my side. I’m using the pen and white paint (pen) brush technique, similar to my residency in Limerick City Gallery last year. I’m pretty happy with the results.

I like the challenge of trying to capture chaotic scenes, with several competing hard and soft lines and textures having to be portrayed, and it’s a great discipline.

I have completed the painting of the pink vase I had been working on, the ‘solid’ painting that is. In a month or so I will glaze and sign it. The glaze will most likely be two oil washes of light pink, and pretty electric cerulean blue hue. Hopefully that will bring it together nicely.

I’ve also been working on a couple of other paintings, but for now, I’ll post up the drawing one of them is based on.

Oíche mhaith a Dhaoine Úaisle,

Carl.

I wish a happy and peaceful 2022 to all. The last two years have played out in a bit of a haze (lockdown began March 15 2020), but with getting back regularly to the studio, and latterly the Test Space Residency in LCGA, creatively things are moving.

I am concentrating on painting again, particularly on canvas, and the above image is the first layer of one (of two). The works depict a couple of views from a seated position in my studio, and have been occupying me for the last 10 weeks or so. I always draw with the brush(es) when painting. It is another way to relax the outcome and the wrist. Using a pencil or other media to begin a work tends to tighten and restrict I feel.

Stage 2.

This particular piece is a vase of some sort above the back door lintel. The colour is quite exceptional -an electric pink – very much what we would call ‘plastic’. It’s quite an unusual composition, but I’m (quietly) confident it will work out. Working with canvas so much again brings back the old techniques and solutions, while at the same time the lack of practice can bring new approaches.

As can be seen above, the painting is built from the background up. The second image is after about four layers – dry paint (no medium like turps/oil added) is built up gradually, worked into the fabric, the darker and underlying colours (in my eyes!) being the base. These patchy bits, disguised more and more with each layer, go on to have a significant, but very subtle effect on the eye, particularly after the last stage of glazing.

This is where I am now with it (ignoring the brutal quality of the photos of course). The more solid and defined image is emerging. When we get to a point where it feels ‘real’, I will add a few layers of glazing -the oil painting equivalent of a water-colour wash – the image will rescind or diminish, leaving us with a more cohesive, moody work.

A question I, and many others have when beginning to pursue painting/visual art had, was what purpose does colour have? It may seem a simple question. Yes if we want to be faithful to a scene, and want to recreate it then we use similar colours. But what else is it for? Put simply, adding colours through glazes/washes sets a mood, and provides the audience with a lens to judge it. Say we have a scene and apply a red glaze – it is uneasy, and makes us think of danger. A blue glaze makes it feel cold/depressed and so on.

The above work was also done from the same seated position, and took about six weeks or so. I’m figuring out what colours I’ll apply to soften and enhance the feel and mood. Most likely I’ll use a lemon yellow to start with – really drawing out the acidic feel, and a little uncomfortable on the eye. After that a soft, perhaps pinkish hue. There may be another one, but we are on the home stretch(er).

Tá suil agam go bhfuil an bliain seo go mhaith ar son go léir.

Peace out.