A form of wet precipitation more familiar to most people than “Wet Precipitation 1”, though it’s usually pronounced “rain”. That greenish blue under a big rain cloud is probably the best colour anywhere, which is why I’m one of the few people happy to see a forecast for thunderstorms. Also, this makes it three paintings in a row from right outside the front door…there’s always something new to see if you look up.
Clouds are under-rated. Sunny weather is all very nice, but I could paint a blue sky with a roller. Clouds on the other hand give us rainbows, and even without the rainbow they can be just as colourful.
The Irish summer….I think I see a bit over there, get the barbeque ready!
Wet precipitation is the process that gives us stalactites and stalagmites, teeth, and many other interesting things. Dissolve the right ingredients in water (wet), mix them together in the right way, and all kinds of solids can form out of the liquid (precipitation). I use it all the time to make nanocrystals like the ones in our teeth, and many other people use it for many other things, but exactly how atoms go from bouncing around a liquid to lining up neatly in a crystal is not entirely understood. In my head it looks like this.
Wicklow, the garden of Ireland. Rich farmland, rolling green hills, tree-lined rivers…and the odd dusty valley that would convince you you’re in the wild west when the sun is blazing down on it. I asked the man with no name to sign it for me but….
This time last month I was in Limoges, in central France, for the 13th conference of the European Ceramic Society. The conference includes a presentation competition for young researchers, and I was lucky enough to represent Ireland in it. As well as meeting some clever people and learning a few things, I had a chance to explore the town a bit. Gare Benedictins is the central train station, a beautiful building at any time but all the better when the sky gets dramatic behind it.
The surface of our teeth is made of a hierarchical structure of very small and very organised crystals. Individual atoms are organised into 50-nanometre-wide crystal rods, which are organised into 4 micrometre wide prisms, which are organised into overlapping layers that make your teeth hard enough and tough enough to last a lifetime. It’s an amazing material and a lot of my research is about trying to copy it. Rather than waste any more words trying to explain, here’s a video that does a much better job!
I had planned something with a bit of science in it for the opening, but the weather we have at the moment deserves a painting I think. So here’s a nice bit of a sunset.
Remember, each painting in The ART Approach is for sale for one week only. Find it on eBay
The ART Approach is a technique in dentistry that uses simple tools and materials to repair teeth quickly, and I’ve spent three years of my PhD researching new materials for it. ART stands for Atraumatic Restorative Technique, and the coincidence in the name is too good to pass up, so now I want to apply the ART approach to my art – smaller paintings and simpler materials than my usual work, but hopefully just as beautiful and interesting.
Starting next Saturday the 13th at 8pm (Irish time), and continuing every week for the next year you will find a new painting here, with subjects ranging from my usual landscapes and abstracts to some things straight out of the research lab. Not many painters can use an electron microscope to look for inspiration so there’s sure to be something you haven’t seen before!
And in keeping with the fast and simple approach I’m leaving the price up to you. Each painting will be on auction for a week on eBay, so you just might get an original piece of art at a very good price. Follow The ART Approach here or on your favourite social network using the “Follow Me” box to make sure you never miss a painting or a good opportunity to start your own art collection.
On Sunday October 14th at 3pm this painting and many others will be auctioned to raise funds for the SCOOP (Save Children Out Of Poverty) Foundation, a charity based in Dublin. It should be a great chance to support a worthy cause and see the work of a wide range of artists.
The exhibition and auction will be launched with a free drinks reception on Thursday 27th of September in the Ormonde Wine Bar on Ormonde Quay, Dublin. Even if you can’t make it on one of these days, the paintings are already on display in the bar.
For more information about the foundation check out SCOOP’s website.
