Blog from the Bog

I’ve added a new range to my I Love Mayo site. I’ve called it my “Love Ireland” range. Hope you like them. So far there are 6 typographic prints. Love Ireland is all about referencing Irish culture in a contemporary, bright and fresh way. Ireland is a modern country; it’s not all about leprechauns and shamrocks! That’s just my opinion of course!

I plan to add more prints very soon. The prints are available, mounted and unmounted on the site, starting at €8.00 each and are sized to fit into standard frames. If you have suggestions of sayings or quotes that you would like to see added to the range, do let me know.

I’ve set up an I Love Mayo page on Facebook. Please ‘like’ it if you are passing through. I also have an I Love Mayo account on Twitter.

I Love Mayo achievements, art, creativity, I Love Mayo, ideas, inspirations

Full-sized, stretched canvas prints of some of my paintings for I Love Mayo have gone up on the walls at my favourite café, The Creel at The Quay in Westport. They will be up on the walls until September. I’m particularly pleased with my set of 6 paintings of some of our cockerels. They look great all hung together. As well as large prints, smaller mounted prints are available.

You can see enlarged versions of my pictures on I Love Mayo.

I’m really excited (and a bit nervous) to have my work on show and very grateful to Trisha and James at The Creel for being so supportive.

Life in Currane achievements, art, chickens, creativity, ideas, inspirations

Yes I really do and just to prove it, today marks the launch of ilovemayo.com. To start with, this is where I’m selling my own original paintings and prints. I plan to sell locally produced art by other artists, photographers and craftspeople. I’ve always been surprised at the lack of locally produced gifts and souvenirs for sale in the area. Many gift shops sell products that have very little in common with the Ireland of today, let alone products actually produced here.

I will personally source products that I consider to be appropriate to sell and add them to the ilovemayo range over time. If you are a Mayo artist, photographer or craftsperson, and would be interested in ilovemayo selling your products for you, please contact me.

In time, I hope to be able to provide the very best of Mayo products in one place. As always, it’s Al who’s done all the hard work on this project so well done Al, he’s made a great job of the site! Hope you like it.

Life in Currane Al, art, beauty, creativity, favourite things, I Love Mayo, inspirations

The view of Croagh Patrick across Clew Bay from The Mulranny Park Hotel

I’ve been painting quite a lot recently. I’ve put 3 new paintings in my online portfolio. There’s the one above, one of Trudi and one of the view from the shore in front of our house. Mounted prints of the picture above will go on sale at the Mulranny Park Hotel in the next few weeks. The original painting is quite large. Full sized digital prints on canvas (Edit: I originally typed ‘giclée prints’ here. It’s the same thing but giclée sounds too pretentious) will also be available for sale there. I’m quite excited about the whole thing.

Life in Currane art, Corraun House, creativity, favourite things, inspirations, Trudi

Fantastic. Vogue August arrived today. There was a price sticker on front that was EASY to peel off. In small neat letters it said ‘Jane’. Perfect. I’m very happy. It’s the little things….

Life in Currane achievements, beauty, escapism, favourite things, glamour, happiness, inspirations

Why didn’t I think of it before? I’ve ordered Vogue from Brett’s and asked Olivia not to write on it! I’m a genius!!!!!

Life in Currane achievements, beauty, escapism, favourite things, happiness, inspirations

We had a wonderful time in France with a group of our old friends from the Evening Standard. Piclist here. We laughed almost constantly. It was so good to see our friends again, the weather was great and we had fantastic surroundings and food. All of the important things in life!

Life in Currane Al, beauty, favourite things, Friends, happiness, inspirations, Piclists

As I’ve mentioned previously, I have a kind of love/hate relationship with Sweeney’s Supervalu at Achill Sound. That’s because although it’s a 16 mile round-trip to shop there, they are our nearest shop and so they have more of an influence on my life than any shop should.

If you’ve ever looked at my Main Lifelist you might know that I’ve been buying British Vogue since I was 17. It’s the only magazine I’ve ever bought regularly and it’s definitely the only one I keep. I could never throw one away. I’m not worried about keeping them in pristine condition, I like to pick them up (they’re all quite well thumbed), smell them and touch them.

It’s not the perfume samples I like the smell of. It’s the ink on paper, the varnish and the glue. (I think it was the scent of toluene in the varnish that I used to find so appealing. I don’t think they use that anymore). When I worked in magazine production, I became obsessed with the print quality of Vogue and even visited the press where the cover was printed. Yes, I was a printing press groupie. I’ve visited lots and lots of presses not just in the UK but all over Europe.

Anyway, as I say, I’m not precious about my copies once I’ve bought them (I’m considering trying to make some furniture out of some stacks of old ones) but I do think that Sweeney’s should show some respect for the products they sell.  I should be able to buy a pristine copy. If they don’t value them, why should I? I’m paying the full price after all (especially considering the huge Euro mark-up).

There is no need to write the price in Euros on the front cover in BIRO!!!. With a cover as beautifully glossy as Vogue it’s difficult to make a mark with a biro and so whoever does it has to press really hard. Whatever beautiful creature is lucky enough to make the cover ends up with a really ugly tatoo. What a thing to do. It really upsets me that they treat my favourite magazine in this way. Not just that (and I’m sure they don’t see it this way) but they are selling damaged merchandise. I buy it of course but that feeling of saving my beautiful new copy to sit down and enjoy with a huge cuppa and some chocolate has been ruined.

Life in Currane, Lifelists beauty, Corraun House, favourite things, glamour, inspirations, Lifelists

John Martyn has died today. His music has been very important in my life and on my lists.

Life in Currane Add new tag, beauty, creativity, favourite things, inspirations, music

The wonderful Tony Hart has died. He was such an inspiration when I was a child and a big part of the reason I studied Art & Design.

He was however also the source of one of my biggest childhood disappointments. My picture of ‘Sunset with Birds’ (executed in felt tips) was never chosen for the Vision On Gallery. I was so confident that it would be shown that I suspected foul play when it wasn’t. First I blamed the Post Office, then the BBC.

It seems that I’ve reached the age when this type of thing will be happening more and more frequently. Oliver Postgate, another big part of my childhood died in December.

Life in Currane art, beauty, creativity, escapism, favourite things, happiness, ideas, inspirations, TV