Have you ever sat spellbound while looking out over a glorious landscape, and just wished you could somehow share it? Well Padraig McCaul feels this way about western Ireland, and it certainly shows in his rich oil paintings.
A self-taught artist, Padraig lives in Dublin, Ireland and has been painting professionally since 2004. Padraig’s paintings focus on the “rich landscapes and coastlines” of Western Ireland, but about 70% of his paintings are inspired by or based on the vistas of Achill Island located off the west coast.
Padraig uses a paintbrush to sketch his initial image on the canvas. He also uses a brush to transfer more paint, but the real process begins when he gets to work with his palette knife. It is with this tool that Padraig creates his strong forms and lines.
In the painting above, you can see the simple shapes that make Padraig’s work so spectacular. A purely rectangular cottage draws your eye to the center, while soft blue sky and warm, rich earth wrap around it from above and below.
Padraig often uses rich, deep colors straight from the tube, rather than combining them on his palette. The minimal mixing and blending that occurs in his paintings is done right on the canvas.
In order to create engaging images, Padraig enjoys exaggerating colors to “bring out the life and energy in landscapes and seas.”
This last painting depicts a beautiful vista of Achill Island. The composition is simply a series of land-masses meandering through the sea. In this image, Padraig uses pure, primary colors to add a subtle intensity to the scene.
I encourage you to take a longer visual vacation off the coast of Ireland by visiting Padraig’s website at www.PadraigMccaul.com.