Uphill to Antiquity (Ballycarberry Castle, Ireland)

6"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on professional artboard (Raymar)

This past summer while painting over in Ireland at the Ballycarberry Castle ruins, there were so many others that had come to see the place as well. This elderly gentleman must've been 85 if he was a day! He looked quite dapper in his tweed jacket and "friend-maker cap" (ok, driving cap). There was a young woman with him, perhaps related, maybe his grand-daughter. The contrast between them was striking - he was rather bent and angular where she was quite upright and curvy. He, in his conservative tweeds, and she in her flowy slacks, and gossamer tunic. At this point the hill just begins to ascend, he has already had to crawl (or somehow make his way under) some barbed wire! The rest of the way up is a fairly gentle hill, but rutted in some places.

This is one of those "allegorical paintings" - most people speak of aging as "going downhill". But what if we thought of it as an uphill climb? Yes, there would be some struggle on the way, but when we reach the pinnacle of the climb - wouldn't there be a great (or at least interesting) reward?! Yeah, I'm in for quite a climb yet to come - but I know there will be great things just ahead (hope there's not too much barbed wire!).

Email me regarding this painting roxannesteed@gmail.com