If you feel like going for a good cycle, Africa sounds like an interesting challenge. If you can raise some much appreciated funds for a few good causes at the same time, then why not. At least, this was the thinking of four Irish lads earlier on this year, and to date they have accomplished loads. Maghnus Collins Smith, Brian O’Shea (both from Limerick), David Burns (Coleraine), and my brother Alan (Tipperary), are the four in question. The cycle started in Addis Ababa last May, and they reached Cape Town in October, a distance of over 5000 kilometres. Most people would feel that was the end of it, and ‘Mission Accomplished’. Not our lads. a flight back to Addis Ababa to cycle home! Thats right, up through Ethiopa, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, across Europe and home. That’s the plan, and the best of luck to them. One of the crew had to return home to college from South Africa, so well done Brian. The other three lads are in Khartoum in The Sudan as I write ( Nov. 7th ‘09), so there’s much to look forward to from here on in. For a continuing update of the cycle, log into their website on www.bikeafrica2009.com  and knock in a couple of bob if you can spare it for the charaties (St. Gabriels of Limerick, OAM Sports Academy of South Africa, and Self Help Africa. The lads are doing this at their own expense, and every penny collected goes straight to the three charaties. Their website is a super read, with some photos/videos included, and is well worth a visit.

          For any serious Munster rugby fans out there, one of my Munster v All Black Prints, kindly signed by the members of the 1978 team ( including coach, Tom Kiernan) will be auctioned for the cause in Limerick. This will hopefully happen when the lads return in the Springtime, and would be a super piece of Munster rugby memorabilia to have. I believe that it’s the first time that artwork signed by the whole team of ‘78 has been done. Check back here around Feb/March for an auction date, and hopefully it will do well for the charaties.

 The four amigos on their way to Shannon airport?

Since launching the Munster/All Black 1978 Limited Edition Print last November, I’ve  been busy promoting it, and enjoyed the positive reaction that it’s received even in these hardened economic times. It seems that it’s the first time ever, that this has been done to mark that game, so it’s nice to be a part of the thirtieth anniversary celebrations in this way. Having worked on the original painting on and off for over a year, I decided on the final layout after viewing old newspaper cuttings and after twice reading Alan English’s excellent book about the game, ‘Stand up and Fight’. Once I came across the central image of Moss Keane celebrating with Christy Cantillon and Les White, I felt that this image was what I wanted to build the painting around, as it showed what this victory meant to Munster players and fans alike. I feel that the sheer grit and determination shows through here. All of the players, including coach Tom Kiernan feature in the painting, plus some of the key moments such as Jimmy Bowens try-making run, and Seamus Dennison’s crunching tackle on Stu Wilson which set the tone for the whole game, and showed the Kiwis that Munster meant business. Anthony Foley’s father Brendan is also shown in the lineout against Andy Haden, which is a nice connection between that game in ‘78 and our first Heineken cup win in 2006. Tony Ward is also shown, as is Graham Mourie the legendary All Black captain. As the photo below shows, George Hook, the well known rugby pundit has one of the prints in his possession, having been presented with it by the Munster supporters club in Dublin before Christmas.

I’ve just completed a painting celebrating Munster’s historic win over the mighty All Black touring side of 1978, and will soon launch a Limited Edition Print of this artwork, as shown below. I’ve concentrated on capturing the euphoric scenes of celebration at the final whistle, with some key moments and individuals from the game itself. The realisation of the players and fans alike that some serious history had just been made, is what this print is all about. It will be available for purchase on this website around the second week of November, and will include a detailed identification of all those featured. 

A favourite quotation is often a good starting point, when deciding on subject matter for a mural. As I’ve got a serious interest in calligraphy, I sometimes incorporate the written word in the overall design, which helps the viewer to connect also. As well as a favourite quotation, a favourite line from a song or poem can also be used to reflect a clients interest or passion. This is especially true for residential murals, but a thoughtful quotation can also have a good impact in a commercial setting, such as a marine quotation in a swimming pool mural, or a  dining related gem in a restaurant mural.  Food for thought…..

Speaking to clients recently about a proposed living-room mural for their home, I suggested that we use a subtle colour scheme. In other words, I would keep the colouring simple, no vivid reds, blues etc, which would be overpowering in an average sized area. The wall colour is a mid cream, so my proposal would use this as the mid tone of the mural, with a couple of tones lighter, and a couple of shades darker as the colour scheme. This is referred to as a monochromatic colour scheme, and it simply means that the mural will sit nicely in the area, and blend in with it’s surroundings. This approach works very well, and when done properly, can ‘unfold’ gradually to  an onlooker. Different colour approaches vary from mural to mural. Normally, commercial murals go for vivid colouring as the primary aim is to get attention, and impress the viewer in a very immediate way. There are no hard and fast rules either way, as everyboby has different tastes, and a subtle approach can sometimes be just the thing for some people. 

Since we’ve had the wettest summer in over fifty years, much of the exterior mural work planned has had to take a back seat, and it’s only in the last few weeks that I’ve been able to resume with the outdoor projects. Normally, the end of September/early October, sees the end of outside work until the following Springtime, and it’s nearly all interior murals that I do outside this timeframe. I just completed a large exterior mural in Bruff, Co Limerick commemmorating the ‘Flight of the Earls’ of 1607, which I did on behalf of Limerick County Council in conjunction with Bruff Historical Society.

 The residential market in the Mural business has grown in recent years, as people are becoming interested in doing something visually different to decorate their homes. Living rooms, children’s bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms have all been suitable areas for the’ Mural treatment’, and I’ve been asked to do some holiday homes where people aren’t afraid to let loose and do something  a little more exciting than they might go for ‘at home’.  

Shown here is a recent residential Mural that I painted for a client in Co. Wexford, who has a love of Paris. The Mural reflects some of the things which the French capital is famous for, such as the small sidewalk cafes, old buildings with broken plaster, the Moulin Rouge etc. This Mural is situated in the basement of the house, and is located beside a very impressive wine cellar which fits in nicely with the Parisian theme.