Many of you know I’m heading to Ireland for the first time in June to teach at Lora Murphy’s Essence of Mulranny Studio. As you can imagine, I’m very excited but of course only a few art friends are coming with me so for this issue, I wanted to virtually teleport you ALL to Ireland with me through words, images, music and art.

While Ireland’s history has deep roots, reaching back to 8000 BC, as artists, I would like us to focus on Ireland’s sweeping landscapes, the many mystical stories that originate from this land and of course all the gorgeous Celtic artwork! These elements are made of magic – Nature, Story & Art.

To read more about Ireland’s history click the button below.

Ireland has truly exquisite natural beauty! Let us begin here. Upon a velvety green hilltop, heather blooming, wind whirling around us. The sea glimmering in the distance. Whispers of ancient spirits, dancing druids, mystical mountains. Enjoy this video that embraces the true magic of Ireland!

View more magical landscapes of the Emerald Isle here:

Of course, modern Ireland also has its share of celebrated painters including, Charles Jervas, Walter Frederick Osbourne, Sir John Lavery, William John Leech, Mainie Jellett, Norah McGuinness, Rose Maynard Barton and Letitia Marion Hamilton.

Enjoy this slideshow of Ancient Celtic art moving forward to some of Ireland’s most loved painters. I encourage you to research the ones you love further and even do some master studies in your sketchbooks.

Learning about other artists that inspire you is the perfect way to refill your well and inspire magic! Make note of what you love about the artists work, is it the colors they use? The brushwork? Their compositions or interpretation of a subject? How does the artwork make you feel?

You can view more art on our Pinterest boards:

How did growing up in Ireland affect your understanding of magic, myth and story?

I grew up in the very center of Ireland close to a place called Lough Derravaragh. This lake is associated with one of the most famous tales of Irish imaginative literature – Oidhe Chlann Lir – The Fate of the Children of Lir.

It was impossible to escape the story and it was something we thought about a lot as we splashed and swam in the lake and somehow it always seemed very real. Ireland was (and to some extent still is) a very superstitious land and we take care to not anger the Fairy Folk who can be a capricious bunch! I grew up hearing about incidents of tragedy that happened to people who did not respect the magical folk that shared our Island.

What is a magical childhood memory you would like to share?

When I was really young my friend and I would play outdoors,near our homes,in a place we called Glennenaar. I can’t remember why we called it that but we loved that place. It was a stone circle surrounding a small depression and was shaded and sheltered by trees that seemed really old and magical. We would run there after school in the spring and spend many summer days there drawing with pencils in our notebooks. We would often picnic there and we were very careful to keep it our secret. No one else visited it and we told no one about it. One summer both of us were away for the entire summer and we didn’t visit Glennenaar for months. The next spring we set off with our picnic and couldnt find it! We never found it again..and I have looked many times since, even up to adulthood. I can’t explain this and I cannot imagine that it was bulldozed or that the standing stones were taken away as country people were very careful about disturbing sacred sites. Which is why so many survive to this day. The last time I looked for Glennenaar was about 15 years ago and there was still no trace of it!

How has Ireland influenced your artwork?

The influence has been tremendous! Being Irish is a huge part of my identity and I have always really loved our Myths and stories.

I studied Archaeology and History of Art at University and specialized in Irish Studies. I was the site artist for an archaeological dig called Ceide Fields in Belderrig County Mayo, so I was always very connected to Irish art from ancient times and really appreciated and loved our heritage. I used Celtic motifs in my work from the beginning although they are not always obvious.

In later years, I became fascinated by and very saddened by the stories of the Women of the Magdalene laundries and I have based years of my work around their plight. My ongoing series of works, called The Lie of the Land was based on these stories and was an attempt to give these women back their beauty and identity.

What does magic mean to you in your creative life?

Magic is critical to how I live, how I paint, how I think and love, and really who I am. I see Magic and beauty, in the people I meet and especially in our natural world here in Mayo. I try to think in a way that is distinct from rigid beliefs and be open to the possibilities of the unexpected. I like to really connect with the sea and sky and go to the beach at least once a day, whatever the weather. I also study the stars and am a member of an Astronomical society. We are so fortunate to have Dark Skies here in Mayo so you can really see the beauty of the stars.

How do you seek out and actively work with magic to help fuel your art?

Ok, you may laugh at this and it’s something not many people know about me but I play music for trees and animals! I am currently helping to run the Old Irish Goat sanctuary here at EOM and I have the task of feeding the Goats every day. I bring my speaker and play all kinds of music for them and they love it. These are wild Goats that live in the mountains but are not protected by law yet and so sometimes there are hunters trying to shoot them.

They are really endangered and have been in these mountains for thousands of years so I want to do all I can to help. When they see me coming, they stand in a circle like an audience waiting for the music. They really like Opera but are not so fond of World music (which I love!! lol). Since I was a child,I lamented the fact that trees could not have music (I have since realized that they make their own!) so I would bring music into the forest to play for them. I still do it! In a way, this is a kind of magic to me and a way of stepping outside the humdrum life into a special place or state of mind.

I love Egypt too and I feel a very strong connection to it and some of the ancient Egyptian goddesses, especially Sekhmet. I have a statue of her in my studio along with some of the sacred Egyptian oils, crystals and various stones and every day when I get there I greet her, ask for inspiration and acknowledge the magic and mystery of Egypt and Ireland , put a little perfume oil in my burner and start painting! Pure magic!

To learn more about Lora, go visit her website, Facebook & Instagram

Please remember, our explorations in our sketchbook are really just access points to get you into the flow. However, they can also be seeds for new ideas, concepts and themes in your art. Some of them will be more about writing and others more about drawing and painting. You will see below three prompts and exercises explained and photographed from my own sketchbook. You are welcome to expand upon, invent and experiment with your own concepts too. Use our color palette if you want to. You will see I stay in that theme for my explorations. These may feel silly at first but let your inner artist play.

Enjoy the Pinterest board, I have created for you of Irish landscapes. Pick one you love and do a small painting or sketch of it in your sketchbook. What do you love about it? Make note of this. What makes it feel magical to you? Hint- this is a bit of practice for our final project.