Big Night – A tale of culinary creativity
Many moons ago, my dad and I watched a beautiful film called Big Night, which has this remarkable food dish called Timpano as it’s centrepiece. Essentially a massive multi-layered baked pasta drum. We were so taken with it, we tried to make it together one night back then with my friend Jakob, and it was […]
man, what a concept!
Several years ago I started drawing these little cartoons that I called “The Man” and each little image was a quirky or philosophical musing on what it was to be alive. Most of them are pretty absurd (and crudely drawn) but they struck a chord with some other friends, one of whom even made a […]
ideas are free
Found this old sketch in my notebook of a character I created called Blockhead O’Yeah, and he was a cubist piece of art who had come to life to inspire his fellow characters. This little nugget of wisdom must have been my subconscious giving me a pep talk!
does your art go up to 10?
Words of artistic wisdom to live by from my son Casper! “On a scale of 1 -10 on how good your art is, it will never be a ten. There is always room for improvement. by Casper. age 8”
Remembering my mother – artist and inspiration
25 years ago today I lost my mother to cancer. While there is much I can say about the experience of losing someone so young, I will leave that for another day. But today I reflect on the incredible joy she brought to my life. She was a remarkable artist and craftswoman. She would weave […]
Creativity takes time
Having one of those days where I need to remind myself that you can’t force yourself to be creative. These things take time. So, I am going back to some writing exercises and idea starters to just kickstart my brain. I often find that I just need to ease myself into a state of flow. […]
My American Hand
Another one from my sketchbooks around the year 2001 or 2002. This one was drawn during a pretty politically charged and sensitive time in America, and I had just lived through the September 11th terrorist attacks, so was undoubtedly influenced by that. But at the same time it feels kind of jokey and irreverent, which […]
What is creativity?
The Dublin based artist Vicky Knysh recently released this short film about creativity, where she interviewed different creatives from varying disciplines here in Ireland. A lovely little snapshot of the creative process and what makes artists tick. I also recommend checking out her website Minushka, which features some of her gorgeous illustrations and artwork.
[VISUAL ART] Charcoal portrait by my father
Spotted this the other night as I was flicking through one of my dad’s final sketchbooks. To me this sketch is a haiku that folds a whole universe into it. This was the last time he drew me and it is a great snapshot of a fond moment. Drawn on a sweltering humid day in […]