Thomas & I were delighted with the positive response his interview post received – Meet My Intern. There was a lot of interest in his beautiful landscapes so he has written a post for us to give us a behind the scenes look at a Thomas Moran landscape. Take it away Thomas…
I’ve always been artistic even from a very young age. Always drawing and then eventually painting. I can remember from a very early age my aunt who also is very artistic herself, decided we would have an afternoon of painting, this is my earliest and fondest memory of painting. From there I was hooked. It’s crazy to think an afternoon copying Miss Piggy from The Muppets Show, now has led here.
After studying my BA in Fine Art, I moved back home to the west, still inspired and oozing the post degree buzz. But the sudden impact of moving back home, with no studio space made things a little more difficult than I had imagined. So I went back to my parents kitchen table and decided to paint again.
I’ve always been drawn to landscapes. There is something you can’t beat about a landscape. When I’m painting them I need to get lost while painting them. It’s almost like a time lapse and suddenly it’s done. ( saying that there a constant struggle when is you piece actually finished mine usually end when somebody ask if I want to go out for wine )
I’m truly blessed about my location on the West Coast of Ireland, it’s rugged coastline, rich green fields and dramatic sky’s. One thing many people ask me about whether or not I sit out and paint in the environment. For me it a no, if anyone is familiar with the west coast, then I’m sure they are up to date with our weather conditions. It honestly changes to much, too often. I have tried before and became frustrated with the fact the sky and shadows move constantly.
Photo taken by Mary Dillane.
So I usually work from pictures I’ve taken from the scene. Usually with my iPhone. I take a lot of photos of the scene. Trying to capture everything, as I would if was sitting there in person. When I get home I print them all off and pick the best composition for me. And then try and capture some of the missing emotion that I couldn’t capture through a lens but hopefully achieve on canvas all while sitting at my mum’s kitchen table with my iPod on shuffle.
For me, there are some important things I always look for in a landscape – a good horizon, dramatic clouds, and something to balance the foreground. I think once you have all those it the perfect combination, like a good night with friends. Horizon is your balance which good friends contribute, dramatic clouds are all the stories you reminisce about, and the wine is the balance in the foreground.
The finished piece.
The painting will always be a part of my life. And most of the time it a complete joy, it’s also very difficult to remain focused and in the zone. But it’s always worthwhile when I sit back and see the finished piece. I hope you’ve enjoyed having a look behind a Thomas Moran Landscape.
Thomas Moran, visual artist, can be found on Instagram & Twitter. He’d love to connect with you. For current updates & a look at his artwork from past exhibitions, find Thomas on Facebook.
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