"What Kate Did Next"

On Saturday night I went to see a wonderful play, called "Terminus" by Mark O'Rowe.
I was invited along by one of the play's stars, a terrific young actress named Kate Brennan.
That's Kate on the right hand side.
She is from a very well-known Irish acting family, and it's great to see her doing so well in the family business.
Kate has developed into a very powerful performer, but she was already impressive twelve years ago, when my friend Ann Kavanagh suggested she would be perfect to model for the central character in the book I was about to start work on.
It was in large part thanks to Kate, and Maya Jussek, who modelled for her grandmother, that "When Jessie Came Across the Sea" worked so well.

The Academic Tradition

We had a full house last night for my talk at the National Print Museum in Dublin.
Many thanks to everyone who braved the cold to come along.
Unfortunately the recording didn't go to plan, so instead, I will chop the talk down, and do it as a formal podcast when I get the chance.
In the lecture I touched a little on the subject of the academic painting tradition, and how it came to be inherited by American illustrators like Howard Pyle and NC Wyeth.
Here's another of my academic studies.
This one is of Mike holding the studio brush.

Illustration: The Cinderella Art-form

"Saturday Evening Post" cover by Norman Rockwell 1922


Here's a reminder of the talk I will be giving to-morrow evening.
I hope to be able to record and podcast it at some future date for anyone who can't get along.

"Illustrator PJ Lynch will give a lecture entitled Illustration: The Cinderella Art-form at The National Print Museum in Dublin, on Thursday 3rd December 2009 at 7.30pm. Admission is free.

He will discuss how in the area of children’s books, authors are generally, and thoughtlessly privileged over illustrators. And how in the visual arts arena, illustration is very often categorized as being at best, a lesser, junior art-form, and, at worst some sort of low brow craft, tainted by commercial motivations. Lynch asks if the boundaries between disciplines are breaking down, and whether contemporary illustrators can rise above the limits imposed by tired old definitions."

Oppenheim Platinum Award.

Walker Books and Candlewick Press have brought together three glorious Christmas stories that I have illustrated ,"The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey", "A Christmas Carol" and "The Gift of the Magi" in a wonderful three volume slipcase, lavishly packaged and produced.

Andwe have just heard that the PJ Lynch Classic Christmas Collection has won an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award.

Two Paintings of Tony

Two more of my paintings of Tony.

Tony

Here's another more finished study of Tony.

Rapid Sketch in Oils

Here's a small oil sketch that I did of one of our new models, Tony. I only had a half an hour on this one, but I think the rapidity of the brush strokes works pretty well.