The Fighting Sangars
Soooo… I got a response from the Ministry of Defence and they SENT ME an architectural drawing of the watchtower!!!! I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!!I had seen some previous responses online where it was an automatic NO or £560 squids please for their time etc. etc. So that was all systems go for me. I knew I wanted to do thirteen paintings because there werethirteen watchtower sites (I included Bessbrook Army Barracks in this) along the south Armagh border.
I knew I wanted to include the linear aspects of the watchtower from the drawings but only obscurely and I still wanted the circle ever present – a reminder of the ongoing surveillance and intrusion that the British army had over the lands and people of the south Armagh border.
I started off with a very muted palette for the first six pieces, using only two colours of Magenta and Paynes Grey. Each painting is individually named after each one of the thirteen watchtowers.
With the second set of seven paintings, I became a bit more adventurous and introduced a new colour of oil paint that I had always wanted to try, Micheal Harding’s Cobalt Teal. A game changer and a colour that I am never without now. If you can, always try and use the best oil and acrylic paints that you can get. The pigment pay off is unreal and you can see the quality in your paintings. Any tube of paint that says ‘hue’ is a NO NO!!! I use Michael Harding and Winsor and Newton Artist Oil Colours. My preferred brushes are Winsor and Newton Hog Filbert and Round and for larger paintings, the super Omega brushes. The last thing you want is hairs falling out all over your painting and I have all my brushes for the last eighteen years with no casualties.
Whilst I was painting these pieces, I managed to get an unofficial tour of the now disused Bessbrook Army Barracks- simply amazing but SCARYEEEEE!!! I was getting new wooden floors down and the guy happened to have the keys to the site so me being me- never misses an opportunity!!!
These are two of three large pieces of oil on paper and I have visually translated certain pieces of the buildings and imagery that struck me whilst I was there. I can see now looking at them that this was a turning point in my practice and that my painting turned a corner…
I will talk more about my tour and show some of the pics in my next blog so stay tuned!!!! You too will become a watchtower nerd like me… wish there were emojis on this thing!!!!
