Malley 

12 creative works found

• 

  Caffeine Girl 1
  by Leith O'Malley

  One of several works I am presenting for a SALA (South Australian Living Artists) exhibition on Aug 2nd in an Adelaide gallery (see details below). / The Exhibition runs till September 12th. Title: Caffeine Girl 1 / Medium: oil on canvas __________ / /

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  BDO Original Magazine Cover Art
  by Leith O'Malley

  US$23.94

  The cover art I did for a magazine feature on the Big Day Out 2007. / I own copyright on this image so there are no reproduction issues. -Leith O’Malley. More information here - / - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - - / - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – / - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

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  "Talking to the Muses about Art"
  by Leith O'Malley

  Oil on canvas tryptich. / The painting is a large oil on canvas diptych approx 2metres X 120cm and features three painters at the end of a table (Brett Whiteley, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Vincent Van Gogh). The table is also a barron Australian landscape with the foreground area being a resting spot for various art materials and a cup of coffee which has an actual handle petruding from the canvas (I dropped a cup one night whilst painting and collaged on the broken handle). There is a lot of text scratched into the paint (with the back of a brush) which I have reproduced below for readability. There is also a fair use of collaged material scattered about the painting. A letter from Australian artist George Gittoes, a CD of Miles Davis along with a notepad with some of the other music I have been listening to in recent months whilst painting this work. Jigsaw pieces, pencils, pencil shavings, a loaded paint brush, a matchbox and even a reproduced letter in Vincents pocket to his brother Theo (the original 1883 letter had a sketch included aptly titled “People in the Studio” More..). I have also included a reference to a letter from an artist friend in the US who used a Andy Warhol stamp on the envelope. Painted within the landscape are two small easels with two of my previous paintings on them (“Miles Davis” and “Pots” which hangs in my studio at present). More information plus reproduction of my own prose for this painting here: / http://www.leithomalley.com/artprize.html / - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - - - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – / Here is the full text which I scratched into the background of the painting featured here at Red Bubble titled “Talking to the Muses about Art”. / These are my own words and thoughts.. a tone poem if you will.. Paint on regardless. / Paint on through expression & meaning. Paint on through metaphor and symbolism. Paint on through elaboration & simplicity. Paint on through caffeine & turpentine. Paint on through the early hours. Paint on through imagination & mystery. Paint on through inspiration & interpretation. / Paint on through self doubt & apprehension. Paint on through solitude & crowded thought. Paint on through fashion & trend. Paint on through stumbling blocks & open doors. Paint on through dishonesty & distraction. Paint on through routine & boredom. Paint on through broken charcoal & broken spirit. / Just paint on. Paint on through broken rules & pushing boundries. Paint on through textured passage & scratched thought. Paint on through form versus content. Paint on through figuration & landscape. Paint on through reality & exageration. / Paint on through infatuation & interpretation . Paint on through motivation & passion. Paint on through responsibility & deadline. Paint on through key & contrast . / Paint on, Paint on, Paint on. Paint on through expectation & surprise. Paint on through 3AM & exhaustion . Paint on through exhilaration & dissapointment . Paint on through misunderstanding & enlightenment. Paint on through stereotype & label . Paint on through collage & memory. Paint on through spontaneity & laboured thought . / Paint on through ignorance & envy. Paint on through music & silence. Paint on through the sound of brushwork & the smell of linseed oil . Paint on through circus, canvas & colour . Paint on through age & beauty. Paint on through influence & originality. Paint on through Modigliani & Miles. / Paint on through blank canvas & empty palette. / Paint on through exhibition & inhibition. / Just paint on. -Leith O’Malley MORE INFORMATION: / Talking to the Muses about Art” is more a case of elaborating or building on all that I liked about a previous painting I did called the “Talking to Picasso..” . One thing I did start to develop however was turning the table top in the foreground into a landscape and yet retaining the idea of it being a tabletop at the same time. I have carried this through to more recent paintings and am enjoying mixing my love of figurative work with the landscape elements. / / The text in the background of Muses is a sort of tone poem. It is reproduced in full on my website and talks about the struggle to paint and the obsession with wanting to keep painting (“paint on through”) no matter what. / Sometimes I feel like the painting is telling me what it wants rather than the other way around. There is definitely a sort of love/hate relationship with some of my work and I often feel empty after a painting is completed. I scraped the text and thoughts into the paint with my fingers, stick and a brush handle mostly and they represent my thoughts and the imagined conversation with Whiteley, Basquiat and Vincent. / / The painting has a road running from the foreground which sweeps up and around to the central figure (Basquiat). There are several motifs along that road which deal with struggle and decision making (eg. The hurdles). There are also collaged pictures of paintings I have done along the way and references to the circus via the striped tents. My parents traveled Australia with Ashton Circus when I was young and I have recurring imagery about this time in several of my works (clowns and tents). / / There are also some collaged quotes scattered about the painting. One of my favourites is a line I reproduced from a Laura Viers song which reads “all the time spent dreaming is never lost” and another unrelated quote “art is never finished, only abandoned” which also struck a chord with me. / / In the lower left of the foreground I have made reference to my love of graphic art with a painted colour chart and just below the bowl containing the collaged pencil shavings I have presented three pencils. One is real (glued on), one is painted realistically and the other is a photograph of a pencil. There is also a collaged article on Picasso’s use of collage in his work. / / Just writing this brings back so many good memories about the painting, and upon reflection it is very interesting to look back and think about the motivation behind the work. / / “Talking to the Muses about Art” was recently purchased by the Chairman of Country Arts SA (Adelaide) so I won’t get to see it for some time unfortunately. Photographic reproductions don’t really do it justice as there is quite a significant amount of texture, thick paint and glazed areas throughout the painting. / - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – / - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – / - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

• 

  Grace O'Malley and Rockfleet
  by Larry Davis

  US$4.66–US$33.25

  Rockfleet Castle also know as Carrickahowley Castle stands at the mouth of a small inlet of Clew Bay in County Mayo, Eire. / It is also renowned for its links with the female pirate Grace O’Malley. / And in 1593 in her own Galley, she sailed the south coast of Ireland, through the Straits of Dover and up the Thames estuary to have an audience with Queen Elizabeth I. / How she escaped a hanging for being a pirate and a rebel, let alone being granted an audience with Elizabeth .I. is in itself a tribute to this legendery woman. / ( read about her in the book ‘Granuaile’ by Anne Chambers ) . ============ Click here! if you want to read about the history of Grace O.Malley and Rockfleet Castle.. ============ / / Click here / if you want to see all of the images on castles and anything medieval so far.

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  Grace O'Malley's Tower with Yew Tree
  by Alice McMahon White

  US$4.32

  Achill Island, Co. Mayo Ireland September 2008

• 

  gov o' malley
  by BOOKMAKER

  US$3.99–US$91.20

  .....Maryland’ s OWN…...

• 

  What the..
  by Leith O'Malley

  Photo of myself in conversation during the painting of “Black Butterfly”. / I thought it might be a good idea to show my ugly mug sooner or later.. - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – /

• 

  In the Studio..
  by Leith O'Malley

  A rare photo entry for me as I usually just post images of my paintings. / I kind of like this one though. It was taken in the last few days after completing all of the “Caffeine Girl” series. / I was talking one night with a friend about painting and “what’s next”. I was caught sort of contemplating that very question. / I’m still thinking about that question but it’s only a matter of time.. / ___________

• An Interview with the Artist..
  by Leith O'Malley

  Why are you an artist? Creativity simply drives me. / I love the act of creating something from nothing really and for some reason th…

  Why are you an artist? Creativity simply drives me. / I love the act of creating something from nothing really and for some reason the world always seems a better place afterwards. Why am I an artist? It really isn’t something I can try and explain in just a few lines but I will say it is an extremely intoxicating, passionate and rewarding act for me which can be both a frustrating and exhilarating journey. / Brett Whiteley nailed it when he called it “a difficult pleasure”. Could you tell me some more about your art? I’ll try… / It seems to be evolving although I’m not sure where it is all leading at times. I like to move between various mediums but have a fondness for oil. I like to express parts of my own personality or interests within my paintings. I am fairly isolated from metropolitan art circles and am certainly not influenced by art trends. I tend to lean towards a figurative expression of some kind in my work and employ a sort of ‘to thine own self be true’ approach to what I do and paint. / You seem to enjoy working in different mediums using such things as oils, pastels and digital mediums. Do you just like variety or are there other reasons for the changes in medium? / I generally get a little stagnant or bored with my own work if I stay in the same place too long, so I like to keep moving. Also, some of my ideas simply call for a particular medium. My love of illustration and graphic art often draws me back to the line orientated mediums such as charcoal, pastel or even the computer since I use an electronic pen and tablet for some of my design or preliminary sketches these days. Experiment I say! / The trick is being able to retain your own style throughout the medium changes and knowing the limitations. Like music, I have a broad appreciation of many different forms of art and thankfully don’t have that blinkered approach where everything needs to be categorised, or you must stick to what you do best. I just let art lead me in all sorts of interesting directions and personally, I get just as much enjoyment out of looking at Robert Crumb cartoons as I do Goya or Rembrandt. On Inspiration I have produced hundreds of scribbles, sketches, drawings, cartoons and paintings over the years, yet when someone asks me how I come up with ideas for work I tell them I’m really not sure. A truly original idea for a piece of art is always a gift from somewhere else, and you just hope and pray it might happen again. / I have thought about this subject a lot lately, about where inspiration or stream of consciousness comes from. / Sometimes inspiration can be conjured up in other ways. If you surround yourself with material to spark your interest such as favourite artworks, books and music it can often help you get into the right frame of mind to generate an original idea. On creating art and personal style I guess that the style of work I do might be described as expressionistic, figurative or even illustrative. / I am not usually trying to approach reality in my work and prefer to use my memory when applying details to a picture. This probably has more to do with my background in cartooning and love of line art illustration than anything else, and is quite indicative of my style and approach to a picture. On drawing and technique I draw a lot. It really is the integral foundation of all of my work. Everything starts with the drawing and the happy little accidents or sidetracks which come from that initial train of thought. I often wish I could capture the immediacy and vitality of the original sketch when working in pastel or paint, as it so often get’s lost later in the labour of tone and colour. I also keep sketch books which I fill with ideas, doodles, marks and anecdotes. I usually create a lot of my initial ideas for pictures in willow charcoal or pencil and once happy with that, I’ll use a fixative to ensure there is no melding with the overlayed colours that follow. Occasionally I will purposely leave some of the underlying drawing to “peek through” a picture just to give the piece a sense of history or effect. What are your working methods, how do gather your ideas eg. through a journal, drawings, collecting info etc.? / / I don’t have a standard routine for producing art but I do keep artist notebooks and sketchbooks which are filled with ideas, preliminary sketches and observations. Some paintings have come about through perusing these at later dates or using certain motifs or ideas I noted earlier but in a different context than originally planned. / Usually my work is topical in that I really have to be close to the content in some way and can’t paint for paintings sake. This slows me down a little as I concentrate on one or two paintings at a time. The Red Dust Girl series was an exception of course, being four paintings in progress at any one time. / / I guess what I am trying to say is that I need to be inspired for the whole creativity process to take place and for me to be happy with a concept and eventually the final painting. I like my work to be as original as possible so source material is really what I call stuff which inspires me. This can be anything from music, personal situations or through looking at other artists work. I have a large collection of art history books, music magazines and graphic art magazines. I have a broad appreciation of illustrators and artists from all over the world and love looking at the work of Brad Holland, Ashley Wood, Martin French and many unknown artists I find on the internet. Closer to home there is the art of Brett Whiteley, Gary Shead and Gordon Richards. Vincent, Modigliani, Goya and Jean Michael Basquiat will always be of great interest. / / As far as method or process goes, I usually try to map out my initial rough drawing onto large (primed) pre stretched canvas in willow charcoal. I wipe the charcoal line back slightly and fix it with a spray fixative. Sometimes I use an oil pastel for early line art and wipe it back with turps. Another lesser-known transfer method I use is a women’s eyeliner pencil which blends well as it already contains an oil element within it. / / Because I sometimes use collage pieces in my work I glue any pieces on with strong araldite and add painted washes or medium later. I collaged brushes, matches, pencil shavings and even a broken CD of Miles Davis onto the “Talking to the Muses about Art” canvas during the course of that painting. / / From here on in it’s all basic oil painting.. starting with darker tonal areas of shadow and working up to the lighter shades. I tend to favour a warm palette so Alizarin Crimson and Cad Yellow feature heavily. Washes of Burnt Sienna are also common features of my paintings in recent times along with the use of a medium Windsor & Newton produce called liquin. There are lots of little decisions along the way until I’m happy with it and I try to avoid that overworked look as best I can. The paintings take days to weeks to complete, as I need layers of wash to dry in some parts of the paintings before going in over the top again. What are you working on in the studio right now? Currently I’m concentrating on a small series of paintings and drawings tentatively titled “Café Girls”. / The paintings are large oil on canvas works and each feature a girl sitting at a café table. There is also a small bird in each of the paintings which is symbolic of the girls personality. / You seem to enjoy working in different mediums using such things as oils, pastels and digital mediums. Do you just like variety or are there other reasons for the changes in medium? / I generally get a little stagnant or bored with my own work if I stay in the same (place) medium too long, so I like to keep moving. Also, some of my ideas simply call for a particular mediums application. My love of illustration and graphic art often draws me back to the line orientated mediums such as charcoal, pastel or the computer. Experiment I say.. The trick is being able to retain your own style throughout the medium changes and knowing the limitations. Like music, I have a broad appreciation of many different forms of art and thankfully don’t have that blinkered approach where everything needs to be categorised, or you must stick to what you do best. I just let art lead me in all sorts of interesting directions and get just as much enjoyment out of looking at Robert Crumb stuff as I do Goya or Rembrandt for instance.

• Interview with the Artist (part 2).
  by Leith O'Malley

  What inspires you to paint and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio? I’m inspired all the time and am alway…

  What inspires you to paint and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio? I’m inspired all the time and am always filling up little art notebooks with ideas for paintings. The inspiration behind a lot of my work comes from wanting to express something within myself and usually associated with the things I love (or dislike) about life or have experienced. Some are metaphor, others more obvious. Music is big influence and of course.. emotion plays it’s part. / I keep motivated by looking at other people’s art or by (as mentioned) changing mediums. I just really love all aspects of creating art so motivation isn’t too much of an issue. What were your early influences when starting to paint? I have certainly been inspired and influenced by the many different art movements over the years but like music, my tastes have changed a little in respect to some.. although I have certainly gained from their presence. My earlier work was definitely inspired by Van Gogh, and I still enjoy looking at Vincent’s pictures along with other European painter’s such as Modigliani, Manet and Picasso. OK, what artists have influenced you the most and why? I guess this is the name dropping part right? Mmm.. let’s see.. / Michael Leunig / For showing me that less really is more. He is able to say so much with so little detail. Definitely an inspiration early on and I’m a sucker for satirical cartoons! / Brett Whiteley / His work helps remind me from time to time to take more risks and think about challenging or engaging the viewer. There’s also something about his paintings and also Vincent Van Gogh’s which makes me feel somewhat welcomed…like the familiarity of meeting an old friend – I can’t quite work out why though. Also showed me that great art can also have a sense of humour! / George Gittoes / Definitely one of Australia’s greatest living artists and a little under appreciated. His art workshops many years ago gave me an introduction and insight into art from both sides of the canvas and inspired me to give the brush a more prominent place in the arsenal. Yep, blame George. / Vincent Van Gogh / It’s all been said by too many others, but you have to ignore or put to one side the popularity and commercialism to really appreciate his brushmanship. / Contemporary Artists & Illustrators / The internet has opened my eyes to an endless array of known and unknown artists who now influence and excite me the most. these days I get just as much enjoyment from a reasonably unknown artist’s work than that of an experienced and respected artist. I do have some personal favourites and notable influences though. I adore the illustrative work of American artists Brad Holland, Joe Sorren and the digital art of Canadian Chet Phillips. Some other gems include Australian illustrator Shaun Tan, Brad Holland, Blaine Fontana, Jack Unruh, Natalie Shau, Sterling Hundley, John Puglisi, Ami Rice and Banksy to name a few.. / I don’t know how to broach questions concerning art vs. illustration, mainly because illustrator friends of mine sometimes get offended. Its an old argument. Do you find that an issue with your work? The blurring of boundaries between art and illustration? I love blurring the boundaries. It used to worry me a bit coming from a drawing background and working mainly with line. I’ve since found out there are no rules. I can get knocked out just as much by a spot illustration in a magazine as I can by a four-foot canvas. It all depends on what you’re looking for. / I have to be careful though. With music for example, I can sometimes get caught up listening to what the horn player or piano is doing on a track and miss the whole point…you know what I mean? You can get too close to it. I think that’s what happens when I look at magazine illustration. I’m often thinking “now is that oil pastel or dry brush there?” or “ how did they get that shadow effect on the text.. and what font is that?” I sometimes can’t help myself. So personally, I don’t think there is an issue with it. / I still swing from pen, pastel and ink to brush and rag…whatever suits the piece I’m working on. To make matters even more complicated, I also do a lot of digital art and illustration. What advice would you give to an artist just starting out? Don’t try to be a famous artist. Just focus on doing good work and building up a body (or portfolio) of work you can be proud of. Put it online! / Believe in yourself and trust your instincts. Be critical of your own work and learn how to take criticism from others. / There are not better artists, just better publicists. / Engulf yourself in art. Learn more about it and don’t have blinkers on. Study traditional and contemporary art styles and mediums. / Follow your heart and enjoy yourself, but be prepared for some disappointment along the way. Promote yourself. Find like-minded souls to share your frustrations with!

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  Cafe Girl 1 (early charcoal)
  by Leith O'Malley

  Here’s the painting (yet to post) in it’s early form as a charcoal on the canvas. / It’s now close to finishing in oils and I’ll post it here as soon as I finish procrastinating over the detail.. Well, back to the axis of easel.. / -Leith

• An Interview with Leith O'Malley
  by Marilyn Brown

  I think my first memory was sitting at the kitchen table when I was nine or ten years old and drawing TV cartoon characters.

  In a quest to continue the mission here is my second interview with the creative and incomparable Leith O’Malley.