"This blog is not necessarily for lovers of art, it includes a variety of topics and whatever. I'm a painter who likes to know what's really going on in the world today. So you might find anything from Shamrocks to Salmiakki mentioned here on my blog. There will of course be some boring, factual and informational posts, but I'll keep them to a minimum, I promise!
The first here is called 'Sophia's Landscape' and it shows a typical summer scene from western Finland. This particular painting was from a photograph taken near the town of Nivala in the province of Oulu. The original painting is now owned by a private art collector in Helsinki.
This original photo from Nivala/Finland was inspiration for 'Sophia's Landscape'
'Fourteen Angry Trees'
The second painting is made up of four individual frames each sized 70cm x 50cm. I decided to call it 'Fourteen Angry Trees', but I might be willing to change the title if anyone has a better suggestion. It depicts an imaginary landscape behind fourteen distressed and bitter-looking trees with a lot on their 'mind'. To achieve the image above I photographed the four original paintings and joined them together using image-editing software on my computer. The original painting or tetraptych (size 70cm x 200cm) can be seen in the video below.
Prints of 'Sophia's Landscape' are available here!
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Part 5 of my holiday adventures in Ireland and sadly this was our last day on the west coast. The main reason I made this blog was to reflect on the type of holiday I rarely have a chance to take. Mainly because whenever I do manage to get back to Ireland it is important for me firstly to spend time with my parents and my brother's family living in Dublin. Also, it's rare that Ireland's summer weather gets as good as this year 2013.
This part of our trip took us around one of Ireland's best locations to drive, the Connemara Loop. After leaving early in our car from our Kinvara holiday home we first drove around Galway bay and immediately tried to bypass Galway city. Easier said than done however, with so much traffic and a chain of roundabouts to pass. Luckily our Finnish friends had lots to talk about and questions to be answered, so the time went nicely. Below are a few photos from our trip, simply click on each image to enlarge.
Roadtrip map around the Connemara Loop. (our route in red)
Having bypassed Galway city our journey took us right through Galway county and it's beautiful landscape. It's easy to enjoy the views of the Twelve Bens mountain range along the way, but care was necessary as some of the local sheep have a habit of wandering out on to the roads. Here's someone else's video footage of the views.
This area is a popular part of Ireland for artists also, with some of the country's most famous artworks originating from here. Jack B. Yeats and Paul Henry are just some of the famous Irish names associated with painting in Connemara.
Cloudy Day, Connemara - Paul Henry
Oil on canvas board,
The first stop we made on our route was Roundstone, a village popular for it's culture and arts. As well as being a home for painters, it's also rich in traditional Irish music and dancing. Unfortunately we weren't sticking around long enough for any of that. So a quick stroll up and down the village, a cup of coffee and a slice of cake in a cafe and we were on our way again. We did get to see the nearby bus-stop, an all-in-one Post office/Petrol station/Grocery store and a couple of Galway Hookers!
Click images to enlarge!
Bus-stop at Roundstone
Shop/Gas station/Post office
Galway Hookers Traditional fishing boats used in the Galway Bay area
Roundstone, Co.Galway.
After leaving Roundstone, we couldn't resist stopping of at one of the many nearby beaches dotted along the Connemara coastline. Here we had to kick off our shoes and go for a paddle.
White sandy beach at Gurteen Bay, Roundstone.
'Good to get the feel of Irish waters again!!
Beach at Gurteen Bay, Roundstone.
It was time to head to the town of Clifden next for dinner. The sea air in Ireland always makes me hungry for some reason. We had some excellent food at Mannion's Seafood Restaurant on Market street in Clifden. A great place to eat!
After dinner we headed out from Clifden via the Sky road, a scenic route which takes you up over the landscape and offers amazing views of the coast from a parking point along the way. It's not called the Sky road for nothing!
View from the Sky road, Clifden
With the sun finally began to go down it was time to head back to spend our last night in Kinvara. But before that we made our way past several other scenic locations, stopping at Connemara National Park, Killary Harbour (Ireland's only fjord), Leenane and Kylemore Abbey. Although we didn't actually manage to see much of Kylemore Abbey as the sun was setting blindingly in our view. But I did capture this nice shot from the opposite direction which I thought was even more appealing.
Landscape close to Kylemore Abbey
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This is part 5 of a set of 'Ireland' travel posts here on my blog. Click on the destinations below to read the rest!
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You can receive my blogposts direct to your email or facebook profile by pressing the follow button at NetworkedBlogsand you are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button under my signature below.
Part 3 of my summer holidays 2013 in Ireland, and a visit to the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. Once again the weather was on our side. A perfect day to see these amazing cliffs. I've been here on a few other occasions when it was always either raining, misty or just dull and cloudy. But I finally got some nice photos this time. Click on images to enlarge!!!
A drive up Corkscrew Hill on the way.
Nice place to dial a pizza!
The Cliffs of Moher
A quick pose with my BK-46 Finnish football jersey!
I took a few video shots of my own while at the cliffs but it looks like I won't get to edit them just yet. Here's one I found on the net.
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This is part 3 of a set of 'Ireland' travel posts here on my blog. Click on the destinations below to read the rest!
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 NetworkedBlogsand you are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button under my signature below.
... And so to part two of my Irish summer holiday recollections. This time a look at the village of Kinvara in County Galway on Ireland's west coast. This was to be our basecamp as planned back in Finland since way back in January beforehand. I even mentioned my plans to Irish radio presenter Hector Ó hEochagáin on his breakfast show to warn him I was coming over!
Kinvara can be found on the map below just south of Galway city in the centre of the picture. The village name can also be spelt Kinvarra as on the map here, but please don't ask me why!
After driving non-stop from Dublin it was nice to stretch the legs and find our pre-booked accommodation. And we were not disappointed!
Click on image to enlarge
View of Kinvara harbour with the Burren hills behind in the distance. Our house rental is in the centre of this photo.Click on image to enlarge
Nice living space with all mod cons and free wi-fi! Click on image to enlarge
Hawthorn / Fushia House Rentals Click on image to enlarge
This was our home for three hot days and nights (that's something you don't hear too often in Ireland!). It got so warm that the asphalt on the roads started to melt. Unusual weather for Ireland, but always welcome. We prebooked our accommodation at the Hawthorn home rental after we booked our flights back in Finland.
Patio view of the harbour
Patio view with free parking
The tide comes in!
The tide goes out!
Kinvara Garda Station (Police)
Watching the sun set at a nearby beach
Old ruins close to Kinvara
A boat
A wall
A closed Pub???
For some reason P.J.Flatley's pub seemed to be closed while we were in Kinvara. I heard about a cellar bar there which interested me. But a visit wasn't to be had! Luckily there's no shortage of bars and pubs in this small village, and over our short stay I got to visit a few of them. We got to hear some traditional Irish music in a pub called Connollys. Even though it's a pub aimed at the tourist trade, it came with a decent pint and prices weren't a rip-off like so many other tourist pubs. We also popped our heads into a pub called Conole's, but skipped having a drink as it lacked any atmosphere whatsoever. Instead we headed up the street to Tullys Bar which was just what I was looking for. A normal bar with a tv and music playing in the background. It also had a pool-table and friendly staff behind the bar. I wouldn't call Tullys a tourist pub, but it's a good place to meet and chat with the friendly locals. I couldn't have found a nicer place even though some dog ran off with the cue-ball in his mouth! A decent pint of Guinness also.... mighty!!!
Good Morning Kinvara! Maidin mhaith!!
After a pleasant Guinness-fuelled sleep it was great to open my bedroom window to the smell of the sea. I've done this on occasions in Finland also, but it's never the same. It's a completely different experience. The sea looks and smells very different with salty water and seaweed everywhere.
Kinvara, Co.Galway
During our time in Kinvara we used the facilities in our house rental as often as we could. I got to cook a full-Irish breakfast to my Finnish guests which was hard work but fun. I then watched as they all tried to figure out how a typical Irish heating and shower system works, which was even funnier! Yep, some things are different in Ireland. We did get to sample some of Kinvara's restaurants and pub-grub, the best being served at the Merriman Hotel where the staff were excellent. Using Kinvara as a base on the westcoast we also travelled to nearby Doolin in County Clare, driving through the Burren and visiting the Cliffs of Moher. We also took a boat-trip over to the Aran Islands as well as driving around the Connemara loop. But I'm gonna write about that on my next blogpost. Before leaving the west coast and heading to the city of Kilkenny we visited Kinvara's main tourist attraction Dunguaire Castle.
Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara, Co.Galway
Check out this program from the BBC here which shows more scenes from Ireland's west coast as well as some interesting bits of history. Might be a good idea to go full screen for this one!
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This is part 6 of a set of 'Ireland' travel posts here on my blog. Click on the destinations below to read the rest!
Share this blog!
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 NetworkedBlogsand you are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button under my signature below.
