A Tour of Ireland

In the early 2000s, the Queen Bee and I took a couple of trips to Ireland. Both trips involved biking, music, and art. Petunia took a more recent trip last summer. Since I had created a series of art around my trips, she thought it was pretty cool to finally get to see some of the places that I painted for herself.

It’s March! What better time to take a virtual tour of Ireland?

We thought it would be fun to take you on a virtual tour of our collective trips using my paintings along with some of her photos.

Her trip started in Galway, so we’ll start there.

If you’ve never been to Galway, it is a lively university town. While it’s lighter on attractions compared to some other cities, its charm is its ambiance. Walking the medieval streets of Galway is an experience unto itself. There is music everywhere, the streets, the pubs, the churches, you name it. My impression of Galway is captured here with Galway Band.

Galway Band

Below are some photos from Petunia’s 2019 trip to Galway.

  • Flights arrive early! Walking the quiet streets around 7 am.
  • Tourist Information offices are a wealth of information. This one is on Forster Street, close to Eyre Square.
  • A little bit later, the streets are filled.
  • If you’ve been to McDonagh’s Fish and Chips you’ll recognize this mural representing the Claddagh.
  • If you make it to Galway, don’t miss a trip out to the Aran Islands.
  • Inishmore
Don’t try this!
Spend the night and you’ll have the place almost to yourself.

Here are some more tips from Petunia…

In Galway, stay at Petra House. It’s close enough to walk to the Galway city center, but far enough away from the pubs to avoid the late-night noise. Frank and Joan are great hosts.

Take a walking tour with Liam Silke. You can sign up at the Galway Tourist Information Centre on Forster Street.

If you can walk, do as much of it as you can. This town is full of interesting sights.

Up Next…Doolin

Win Five Artist Greeting Cards

In case you missed it, I sent out an email newsletter last week. In it, there is a trivia question. The first person to send me an email at rhyonke@gmail.com with the accurate answer wins these cards.

I’m still waiting for a winner!

Here’s the link to the newsletter if you want to give it a shot.

There’s no catch. Be the first one to answer the question, and we send you these cards, hand signed by me, at no cost to you!

Working Boats and Waterways

The subject matter in my Working Boats and Waterways collection of art ranges from commercial fishing vessels to boats that ferry supplies along the seaboard and inland waterways.  I recently organized much of this work in a new gallery, which you can view here. Included here are a few examples that illustrate the scope of vessels I like to paint.

Towboats

Cold River

Sternwheelers

Banks of the Ohio

Fishing Vessels

Following Sea

View the entire gallery here.

Lowcountry Inspiration

This year, the family gathered on Hilton Head Island to celebrate Christmas. The first part of the week was rainy, as much of the southeast was right before the holiday. Thankfully, the second half of the week cleared up, and we were able to get some beach and golf time in.

This area of the country has provided a lot of subject matter from my paintings, from coastal scenes to wildlife and working boats.

Lowcountry Shrimpers
Morning Walk

To view more of my work, visit my complete gallery.