My Work

Hiraeth (Work in Progress)

Hiraeth: n. (Welsh) A spiritual longing for a home which maybe never was. Nostalgia for ancient places to which we cannot return. It is the echo of the lost places of our soul’s past and our grief for them. It is in the wind, and the rocks, and the waves. It is nowhere and everywhere.

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything at all. You’ll know in future that’s likely a good sign that I am happy and healthy and *busy*…or deceased. At the moment I have a few projects floating and cannot stop reading, I’m devouring books like there’s no tomorrow. Part of the reason for this is that I am working on a writing project (more about that another day). Family life is busy and what little time I have left, in the twilight hours, is spent writing, painting, or most importantly of all; with my family. Publishing through this website comes a poor second to those things.

The work in progress pictured below is working title ‘Hiraeth’, Oil and acrylic on board, 1400mm x 700mm. This will likely end up more mixed media if it goes as expected. I’ll post more as it progresses.

Update to ‘Hiraeth’ today, more underpainting work using acrylic and a squeegee.

The painting Hiraeth in progress, update Jan 2025.

After this some glazing and layering with oil paint. The colour is more vivid in reality than it appears here. Getting colour accuracy with my phone camera is difficult.

Update 8th Feb. More layering and glazing. Better? Getting closer to what I want.

Update from Feb 10th. I can’t get the word ‘immolation’ out of my head when I look at this painting. Sometimes when I’m working and in that subconscious flow state, connections seem to be made between images and words. I don’t find this as often when I write unfortunately. Maybe I’m just not practised enough for it to flow as well when I write. So here is today’s work on the immolation/Hiraeth painting. I started at 5:00 this morning and did a few early hours. I’m happy with the progress. It feels like one of my most genuine pieces of work, which is ironic. I almost stopped painting a few months ago; not in a melodramatic way but I have been enjoying writing much more lately, more on that another day. Maybe now the pressure is off in some sense I can work unfettered by expectations. That’s a very liberating experience.

In a similar vein I am about to embark on a series of works about my favourite local hill; Ben Rinnes. This hill is such an important place for me. I find myself drawn to it day and night and climb it’s slopes often in the moonlight. More of that to follow in good time.