Paintings Stories

Fleeting Florals:Calla Lily Yellow Calla lilies! Decided it was time to paint another one, went out looking for white ones and discovered there are yellow ones, too! That looked like fun to paint, so brought one back to the studio and chose to do another painting knife piece. Just as in the white Calla Lily… Read More »Fleeting Florals: Calla Lily Yellow The post Fleeting Florals: Calla Lily Yellow first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.

Fleeting Florals:Fairy Fingers This was one of the paintings I completed during a residency at Cill Rialaig on the west coast of Ireland. It was a completely overcast sky (Ireland normal?) which is actually a perfect setting for painting. Because the sun is obscured, the light tends to be diffused and a mid-range in brightness.… Read More »Fleeting Florals: Fairy Fingers The post Fleeting Florals: Fairy Fingers first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.

Fleeting Florals:Daffodil I enjoy experimenting when painting, and complementary colors—hues that lie across from one another on the color wheel—is one of my favorites to explore. Similar to the series Reds and Greens which juxtaposed those two colors, this painting of a bright yellow daffodil against a violet backdrop explores how bright will the yellow… Read More »Fleeting Florals: Daffodil The post Fleeting Florals: Daffodil first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.

Fleeting Florals:Calla Lily Calla lilies are such interesting flowers—softly shaped white petals with yellow pistils—making them a perfect invitation to paint. There were three things I wanted to explore in this painting: the subtle variations of white, using a rigid painting knife to express softness and simplified composition. I had fun playing just using a…… Read More »Fleeting Florals: Calla Lily The post Fleeting Florals: Calla Lily first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.

Figures:Looking, Pingyao There was a parade going on in this ancient city of Pingyao in central China. Of course I was fascinated to see this local event in a country that was entirely new to me. The streets were packed with locals and visitors, who all seemed to be as equally attentive as I was.… Read More »Figures: Looking, Pingyao The post Figures: Looking, Pingyao first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.

Figures:Wondering, Pingyao Have you ever had a moment when everything seemed to stop and time was frozen? When everything around you seemed to become quiet, even if the room was filled with people? This painting was inspired by a moment I experienced that was just like this. I was in a restaurant in Pingyao, China,… Read More »Figures: Wondering, Pingyao The post Figures: Wondering, Pingyao first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.

Figures:Josef How do you perceive this person? Does he look lifelike, poised as if listening? His hands aren’t detailed, but does this make you think of him as any less of a person? Whereas if Josef’s eyes weren’t finished, he could look a lot less… alive. Why is it that as humans, we don’t require… Read More »Figures: Josef The post Figures: Josef first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.

Figures:Light in the Dark There seems to be something sacred, something universally recognized in opposing forces balancing each other. Sacred and profane. Movement and stillness. Light and dark. At the release of this painting, we are poised at the start of a new year. We’ve journeyed into the depths of winter, yet since the winter… Read More »Figures: Light in the Dark The post Figures: Light in the Dark first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.

Reds and Greens:Elk Creek Red Barn Another painting made using a painting knife! This one is a landscape with a red barn in a green field. Part of the fun—and challenge—of using a painting knife is how to create edges. Most paintings have a variety of edges, such as a hard, soft and and lost… Read More »Reds and Greens: Elk Creek Red Barn The post Reds and Greens: Elk Creek Red Barn first appeared on SEAMUS BERKELEY.