Holy Redbreast! ..just sold my Robin design!

Sold!!!... thanks to the person in North Carolina USA who bought this 'Robin' chiffon top design from my Redbubble webstore. This is the first time I've posted details of an art product sold by an online webstore. I hope to do it again. I would be very pleased if buyers could send me photos of my artwork or products so I can share on my blog or facebook. If any of you have anything simply contact me through my Facebook page 

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- Alan

For the Records!

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I presently have a garage full of old wood left over from a bathroom and sauna renovation. I have used quite a lot of it so far as firewood over the winter. I intend to salvage whatever reusable pieces I can. One idea I had is to build a little unit under my old vinyl record player to store all those old records I've collected over the years. I stumbled upon a few cool designs here on the internet just to inspire me. While the wood I have is old, I still think I can build something suitable and functional. Nothing like a bit of functional design!

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You can receive my blogposts direct to your email or facebook profile by pressing the follow button at NetworkedBlogs  and you are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button under my signature below.

- Alan 

    

Abbey Theatre revisited

'Old Abbey Theatre' 
- illustration Alan Hogan, 1998.

I recently received a request from Freya Smith, a MPhil student at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. It concerned my illustration of a famous old building called the Abbey Theatre. The student has been constructing a visualisation of this theatre as a module for one of her college assessments, and chose to use my image as a small backdrop on her presentation blogsite. I gladly agreed for my illustration (above) to be used.

"The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904 in the former Mechanics’ Hall, also known as the Hibernian Theatre of Varieties. Prior to opening as the Abbey, the interior was remodeled by architect Joseph Holloway. He reused the existing structure of the auditorium and balcony, but he completely remoulded the proscenium arch, created a new entrance on Marlborough Street, introduced a substantially different seating arrangement, and changed every aspect of the décor, fixtures and fittings.




Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, the theatre was rebuilt to a design by Michael Scott and reopened in 1966. After the demolition of the Mechanics’ Hall facades, the stonework was rescued by Dublin architect, Daithi Hanley, who intended to preserve it." 

- above text by Archiseek, Computer reconstruction imagery of the interior as it was in 1904, courtesy of Hugh Denard and Noho.

As a Dubliner born and bred, I am very familiar with the location of the Abbey Theatre. My grandfather worked for the Irish Press and my father for the Irish Independent, two newspaper companies situated only a short walk from the Abbey theatre. I myself used to meet friends quite often after work in The Flowing Tide pub which sits facing the Abbey Theatre. At the time it was no surprise to see familiar faces from the theatre occasionally dropping in for a drink. Another pub situated nearby was Sean O'Casey's Bar which was named after the famous Dublin playwright who's name and plays are synonymous with the Abbey Theatre. I used to drop in to this pub occasionally for a chat after college. An annex of the D.I.T. College of Marketing and Design which I attended is conveniently located next door. This small area of Dublin city is full of history and stories that still live on through the people, the shops and the pubs. And when you least expect, some of the best and most theatrical performances can be found right under your nose!

Above is a video by British Pathe featuring Irish President Eamonn de Valera arriving at the site where the new Abbey theatre was built - historic Abbey theatre was destroyed by the fire in 1951.
From an architectural point of view I have never been a fan of what was constructed in place of the old Abbey Theatre. While it was unfortunate that the old building was destroyed by fire, for me it was equally unfortunate to see such an ugly replacement. On the bright side however, there have been welcomed modifications in more recent years making the new building more aesthetically pleasing.

An impression I made showing how the old Abbey theatre (bottom) would have looked in comparison to it's replacement in the 1960's (top).
Click on image to enlarge.

I also created this quick videoclip with my drawings and old photos of the Abbey Theatre through the years. 

'Old Abbey Theatre, Dublin' - Alan Hogan, 1998

The illustration above is the second drawing I made of the theatre. I haven't made any ink illustrations such as these for many years now, but I think I may have another attempt having received some positive feedback. Maybe something from Finland where I now live. 
Here's a few more samples of my old ink illustrations. 

A section of the old George's Street Arcade building
owned by The Grafton Hotel.

'The Four Courts', Dublin - 1988

'John Kehoe's Pub'
- South Anne street, Dublin - 1990

My illustration of the Abbey Theatre can be seen as a background image on Freya Smith's Old Abbey Theatre Blog. Also, don't forgot to check out some of her wonderful 3D digital models.

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Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to share it with any of your friends.

You can receive my blogposts direct to your email or facebook profile by pressing the follow button at NetworkedBlogs  and you are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button under my signature below.

- Alan