Thatched Roof Cottage #3, County Clare, Ireland

Thatched Roof Cottage #3, County Clare, Ireland by Bernie Rosage Jr... 8x8x1.75" Oil on wood, 2009.

Blarney Castle, County Cork, Ireland

Blarney Castle, County Cork, Ireland... by Bernie Rosage Jr.

6x8" Oil on Panel, 2009.

"Off to Kiss the Blarney Stone"... Our Quest for the Gift of Gab!

What the heck is that?

Can you guess what the four white spots below are?



This extreme close up shows exactly how our minds can fill in the blanks and finish a painting for us. Impressionism is based on this theory... as our our minds eye mixes the colors and brings form to random shapes we can identify complex subjects with little input. Pretty cool huh?

Scroll down to see what these shapes represent and you can see the subject come to life.

This original oil painting by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... email Bernie with the title in the subject line... click HERE... for price and details...

Click on image to enlarge...


"The Bunratty Mill, County Clare Ireland"... 6x8" Oil on panel, alla prima with palette knife, 1-2009.

Did you guess four Irish sheep?

Bravo!

There are Umbrellas and then there are Irish Umbrellas! The quest to get WET in Ireland!

A trip to Ireland without rain would be like going to Disney World and never seeing Mickey Mouse. Some people dread rainy days but I have to be honest by saying "I love them"... I enjoy gray rainy days as much as I do bright sunny ones. Give me a day with ominous gray clouds where the sunlight streams through illuminating the landscape making the 40 shades of green POP and I'm in Heaven! Our trip surpassed our expectations and Tami and I got wet on several occasions. The rain didn't slow us up at all and we took to the streets of Dublin, Kilarney, and Galway City like ducks to a pond.

As an artist... I saw all the painting opportunities from the great scenes of the masses with umbrellas in hand and reflections galore... I must have taken 200 rain scene photos as references for future paintings. Below is a painting I did for my "Enchanting Ireland" series from one such photo. Above is a scene set in the Temple Bar District of Dublin.
"A Stroll in the Rain"... Dublin, Ireland by Bernie Rosage Jr.
8"H x 10"W x 1 3/4"D... Oil on gallery wrapped canvas. 12-2008. Click on painting to enlarge.

Tami and I soon came to the realization that there are two types of umbrellas... "Regular Umbrellas" and "Irish Umbrellas"! This young man obviously sports an "Irish Umbrella" as he strolls the streets of Dublin. The next sequence of photos show those of the "regular" type...

Here we are at the Dingle Peninsula on our tour of the "Ring of Kerry". We hope to visit the "Ring of Kerry" again on a clear day... you can see from this photo that the visibility was limited and we missed some spectacular views.

Tami in Temple Bar with her "Regular Umbrella" while it was still in fairly good shape.

Bernie at the Parade Ground of the Collins Barracks at the National Museum of History in Dublin with his...

At one point "Regular Umbrella #2" flew up in the air, circled through the street stopping traffic, and landed at my feet... all the while the handle was still in my hand and the locals were rolling with laughter.

Tami and I learned an important lesson on our trip to Ireland... stay away from those "Euro Store" umbrellas they stack by the register and ask where they keep the "Irish Umbrellas"...

The quaint little village of Blarney in County Cork...

After arriving at our hotel earlier than expected with our group... we had plenty of time to explore the small village of Blarney before our tour of Blarney Castle the next day. And explore we did... Tami and I walked the streets of Blarney from one end to the other.

The streets and buildings had a charm and the weather and light were perfect! The only way it could have been better for me is if I had my paints and easel and could paint "en plein aire". I didn't have the paints but I did have the camera... and plenty of scenes to choose from. The small painting below is referenced from a photo I took of Tami below it.
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"Just down the hill a bit..." ... 8x6" Oil on Panel, alla prima, 11-2008.

Tami in Blarney....

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As we walked the town we found a great little "Fish and Chips To Go" place and got some chips... which are similar to our "steak fries"... and onion rings. The "chips" we are used to here in the states are called "crisps" in Ireland. We gathered our "chips and onion rings" and headed for a small park in the center of town where all the locals gathered to play or watch soccer (football). We had a great/relaxing afternoon...

enjoying our food, the park, and each others company...

resting up for the next day and our "Quest to Kiss the Blarney Stone" and gain the gift of gab...

Here we are at the Blarney Castle on the beginning leg of our quest...

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more to come...

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"Off to Kiss the Blarney Stone"... Our Quest for the Gift of Gab!

Thatched Roof Cottage #2... County Clare, Ireland

"Thatched Roof Cottage #2... County Clare, Ireland"... 6x8" Oil on panel, alla prima, "Enchanting Ireland" series, 9-2008.

This original oil painting by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... click HERE to check availabilty.

Click on image to see a larger view...



Another quaint thatched roof cottage from County Clare, Ireland.

"Galway Hooker #1"... small oil painting.

"Galway Hooker #1"... 6x8" Oil on Belgian Linen on panel, alla prima, 8-2008. "Enchanting Ireland" series, 8-2008.

This painting is for sale... Click HERE to find out about the availability of this painting. Will ship to Ireland!

Click on image to see a larger view...

Galway City was one of our favorite places on our recent visit to Ireland. The bay has a beauty all its own... especially when the Hookers are out and about. I know what you're thinking... I thought the same thing when a friend said that I had to photograph and paint a Galway Hooker... I thought to myself "what kind of tour did Tami book?". The friend told me to go home and google "Galway Hooker"... the laugh was on me... they are a beautiful sailing vessel unique to the west coast of Ireland and the Galway Bay. This small painting was for a study of the sailing vessel for a large painting I am working on of Galway Bay... expect a few more of these small studies of Hookers in the future.

These small paintings are inspired from my recent trip to Ireland... in most cases they are studies for larger works for a solo exhibit titled "Enchanting Ireland" that will debut August 2009 at the Baysden Gallery.

This painting, on a Belgian Linen on panel with painted sides, is easily framed or displayed with a decorative easel.

All my paintings are signed originals using artist grade oils and archival surfaces. "Certificate of Authenticity" included.

"The Old Homeplace"... Irish Thatched Roof Cottage, County Clare, Ireland...small oil painting.

"The Old Homeplace"... Irish Thatched Roof Cottage, County Clare, Ireland... 6x8" Oil on panel, alla prima, "Enchanting Ireland" series, 8-2008.

This painting is for sale... Click HERE to find out about the availability of this painting. Will ship to Ireland!

Click on image to see a larger view...



Thatched roofed cottages are a common site in Ireland... a beautiful site I must add. We visited Bunratty Folk Park where we got to see and go in several. The village was set up recreating the general feel of the 19th century with a period style village main street. The cottages came alive as we stepped back in time... we even got to enjoy the smell of peat fires burning in the cottage fireplaces.

These small paintings are inspired from my recent trip to Ireland... in most cases they are studies for larger works for a solo exhibit titled "Enchanting Ireland" that will debut August 2009 at the Baysden Gallery.

This painting, on a gessoed panel with painted sides, is easily framed or displayed with a decorative easel.

All my paintings are signed originals using artist grade oils and archival surfaces. "Certificate of Authenticity" included.

A little American/Irish history... "In Memory of the Irish Volunteer... Wearing of the Green"

My painting below is dedicated to the members of the famed Irish Brigade who fought so gallantly for the Union during the American Civil War. In December 1862, after many hard months of hard fighting the regiments of the Irish Brigade turned in their ragged regimental flags... they were to be replaced at a ceremony set for December 13, 1862 but the brigade was called into action for the Battle of Fredericksburg and the tragic assault on Marye's Heights that day. The New York regiments went into battle that day without their green flags. In their stead, General Meagher and his staff gave a sprig of boxwood to every man to wear in his hat to identify them as members of the Irish Brigade. The 28th Massachusetts, the only regiment carrying a green flag that day, was placed in the center of the brigade as it made the assault. The results of the attack were devastating; the Irish Brigade that had gone into battle 1200 men strong, came out with only 263 standing between its five regiments. Sprigs of boxwood (the wearing of the green) were a common adornment on their hats from that time on.

"In Memory of the Irish Volunteer... Wearing of the Green"... 8x10" Oil on Panel, alla prima from life, 2008.

Click on image to see a larger view...



Close up...



I set up this still life in my studio paying special attention to the historical accuracy of the subject. The federal kepi is adorned with a sprig of boxwood and red trefoil corp badge which was distributed to the Union army just before the battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. The Red Trefoil or Club denoted the Second Division, Second Army Corps which the Irish Brigade was assigned to for most of its service to the preservation of this country.

Check HERE for the status of this painting.

Small Study: Painting for Pat

Recently I mentioned about the painting challenge/swap between me and Pat...

Bernie and Pat's Painting Challenge / Swap...

I spoke with her via email the other day and she said she was working on her painting so I figured I better get started. I was experimenting with a limited palette... three colors plus white... the one used by the master Anders Zorn. Here's the result...

Pat's reference photo...

my interpretation...

6x8" Oil on panel, alla prima, using the Zorn palette (Yellow Ochre, Cad Red Lt, Ivory Black w/ Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White), 8-14-2008.

Click on image to enlarge...

Small Study: Thatched Roof Cottage

Thatched Roof Cottage... 6x8" Oil on panel, alla prima, 8-2008. Small study for Enchanting Ireland series.



Thatched roofed cottages are a common site in Ireland... a beautiful site I must add. We visited Bunratty Folk Park where we got to see and go in several. The village was set up recreating the general feel of the 19th century with a period style village main street. The cottages came alive as we stepped back in time... we even got to enjoy the smell of peat fires burning in the cottage fireplaces.

Small Study: Galway Hooker #1

"Galway Hooker #1"... 6x8" Oil on Belgian Linen on panel, alla prima, 8-2008. Small study for my "Enchanting Ireland".



Galway City was one of our favorite places on our recent visit to Ireland. The bay has a beauty all its own... especially when the Hookers are out and about. I know what you're thinking... I thought the same thing when a friend said that I had to photograph and paint a Galway Hooker... I thought to myself "what kind of tour did Tami book?". The friend told me to go home and google "Galway Hooker"... the laugh was on me... they are a beautiful sailing vessel unique to the west coast of Ireland and the Galway Bay. This small painting was for a study of the sailing vessel for a large painting I am working on of Galway Bay... expect a few more of these small studies of Hookers in the future.

This small painting is for sale... check on its availability HERE...

Luck of the Irish

"Luck of the Irish" ... 7x5" Oil on Panel, alla prima from life, St Patrick's Day 2008.
Click on image to enlarge. Click here for details about this painting.


I painted this small still life from life on St. Patrick's Day 2008 in anticipation of our trip to Ireland. It was my way of experiencing the trip before we left just as my "Enchanting Ireland" series is my way of re-experiencing it since our return.

Small Study: Galway Bay #1... A View from Claddagh

"Galway Bay #1... A View from Claddagh"... 6x8" Oil on panel, alla prima, 7-2008. Small study for my "Enchanting Ireland" series that will exhibit August 2009.

Click on image to enlarge...



This scene of the bay is viewed from the small village of Claddagh... a small fishing village known worldwide for the Claddagh ring. This spot was special for Tami and I because we exchanged Claddagh rings and renewed our wedding vows here in celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary... the reason for our special trip to Ireland.

This small painting is for sale... check on its availability HERE...