Closing date for applications: 21st of May, 5 pm.
McCormaic will present a lecture on his work to date and then demonstrate how photography can be used to underpin a painting. over a 2-day course, a study portrait will be completed covering the principles of drawing facial features, colour mixing, light and shade and final glazes. Students will be encouraged to use quick-drying oils with accelerators such as Liquin and Alkyd paint and then glazes will be applied on day 2. Students should arrive with a good quality photo of the subject (flash not used) and a photocopy of the same that is the actual size of the intended painting. For larger images, A4 photocopies can be patched together like a jigsaw to form the image to be traced. The emphasis will be on faces and hands. Students can opt to drawing directly or use photographic supports.
Artist Bio:
Paul McCormaic was born in Dublin in 1961 and grew up in Finglas. He continues to live and work in the capital. As a mature student, he read History of Art and History at UCD and then went on to Dún Laoghaire IADT to study Fine Art, graduating in 2006. Since then, he has worked as a professional artist and in 2014 completed a teaching qualification. Paul’s work takes the form of realist painting, collage, drawing and printmaking. Since 2020, he has embarked on a series of portraits of people who were dismissed by the powers and authority subsequently campaigned for social justice. He has been shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize three times. Paul’s portrait of Catherine Corless was purchased by the National Gallery and his portrait of Lucky Khambule received a portrait award at the 2023 RHA. His portrait of Annie Murphy generated much discussion on both broadcast and print media.
