Blissful Baaaah - sold

5"x7" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs."
- Sir John Pentland Mahaffy


I think this is the first summer I won't make it over to Ireland,after traveling over there for the last five years. But I will be going there in paintings - and sharing more of these visions with you! I have tons of reference photos, notes, sketches & small plein-air paintings that I've make over there to work from along with some truly treasured memories!

When I went over, I never thought I'd be so enchanted by simple sheep! They were honestly as cute as could be. But one day, I took a walk by myself up to Bray Head at the end of Valentia Island. It was quite sunny that morning, and a nice breeze was blowing in off the Atlantic. The sheep and lambs were all in the pastures over looking the sea, they looked happy in the warm sunshine, and I felt,,,mesmerized! My heart rate slowed, I felt a real sense of calm (which I do over there anyway, but even more so). They brought such a smile to my face, as I studied their shapes, their movements, how they lay in the fields. Now I find that I've painted them many times over, and I never get tired of them, they still make me smile!