Omey

It has been awhile since I was out travelling further then my immediate surroundings. But this weekend I arranged a drive through Connemara with a visit to Omey. It is the most westerly point of Connemara and the island can be reached by crossing the beach. This can only be done when the tide is low as the walkway gets completely submerged and unpassable during hide tide.

It was a beautiful day during the visit and it was hard to believe that I in fact was in Ireland. I started walking over to the Omey Island from the beach on the mainland but it became clear that the tide was coming in quicker than I anticipated. So I had to turn back settle for doing some research and visual gathering on the beach instead. But that was not a major issue as the beach kept me busy taking photos, doing sketches and collecting organic materials such as stones, shells and seaweed.

I became particularly intrigued by patterns and textures created in the water during this visit. For example these shadow arrangements shining on the surface and reflecting a travelling pattern on to the seabed. As well as the soft lines created through the sand as the waves was rolling in.

I also took some time to do some on-site sketching which is a way for me to register the shapes and compositions within the landscape. I focused mainly on using graphite pencils and ink pens this time. These sketches can potentially be used to influence and inspire how I will chose to design artworks in the studio.

And I can’t leave a beach without collecting some stones and shells. These items are then brought into the studio and studied further through drawings and painting. I find it can be really beneficial to have actual objects on hand in the studio, both to look at and to touch, as it can stimulate creative thinking differently than a photograph.

It was definitely a successful trip and visit. And I think that I gathered some important visuals and feel inspired and invigorated after the day. I’m looking forward to going back into the studio and work with the collected material.

More to come soon

Marlene