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After nearly two months of mentoring the celebrity artists have handed in their very first art pieces for auction on this years R.T.E Telethon.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Green Inc for considering me for the show, its been a great experience and a lot of fun working with Jim, Glenda, Phillip, Shalini and Eamon.
Id also like to say a huge thanks to Eamon Coghlan, he was an absolute pleasure to get to know and work with. He made it very to easy to teach with his enthusiasm for wanting to learn and it showed in his sketches over the weeks. His final piece worked out great, showing us a dramatic view of the avenue at Kilkea Castle. Not bad for someone who had never drawn or painted before this exercise began. Ill be looking forward to having a few pints with him and discussing his next work.
That said all of the artists work worked out great and I wish them the best at the auction and hope that some good money gets raised for people in need.
Press relase from the show:
Glenda Gilson, Eamonn Coghlan and Shalinin Sinha completed three fabulous paintings under the mentoring of artists, Jim Fitzpatrick, Shane Sutton and Philip French. Each painting is being sold through e-bay for telethon.
How to bid: Log onto www.ebay.ie and on the homepage you will be directed to the telethon section. The auction for each of these paintings runs until the night of telethon, Friday the 26th at 8pm.
If you want to get a taste of all three celebs, there will also be one lot on e-bay that will sell all three sketches of Jim Fitzpatrick that our 3 celebs did in studio a couple of weeks ago. That lot will close at 16:15 on the day of telethon, Friday 26th October.
Every day this week, there will be an update on the show of how high the bidding has gone. Get bidding for Telethon!
[All Photos by JIm Fitzpatrick]
Phillip French, Shalini Sinha, Glenda Gleeson, Jim FItzpatrick, Eamon Couglan, and myself at the reveal in the studio.
Background of the work
Eamon, Shalini and Glenda at work.
The Work:
Artist: Eamon Coghlan
9 times Irish Champion - 800m, 1500m, 5000m
10 times U.S.A. Champion - 1500m, mile, 3 miles
3 times British AAA Champion 1500m, 5000m
4 times U.S. NCAA Champion - 1500m, mile
8 times IC4’s Champion
3 times World indoor mile record - 3:52.6 - 1979; 3:50.6 - 1981; 3:49.78 – 1983
11 times Penn Relays Champion (9 relays, 2 individuals)
World Record 2000m - 4:54.07 - 1987
European Indoor Champion 1500m - 1979
European Silver Medallist 1500m - 1978
World Cup Champion 5000m - 1981
World Champion 5000m - 1983
7 Time Wannamaker Mile MSG
World Record Masters Mile 3:58.17
Ran 75 sub-4min miles
His painting:
I cannot dance, I cannot sing and, for this reason I never entered Jigs & Reels or Celebrity You're A Star. However, when the opportunity was presented to me to participate in a "celebrity charity challenge" to team up with an artist, I jumped at it right away. I felt it would force me to learn to paint which, was something I always wanted to do, and that I would continue to do as a hobby.
The experience has been incredible so far, thanks to the teaching and enthusiastic encouragement given to me by my artist, Shane Sutton. I found out how much concentration is required, how much I can forget what is going on in the world around me, and how much personal satisfaction and pride is gained as the masterpiece gradually comes to life. I never really thought I would ever do anything like it in my life.
I used acrylics on canvas as I felt it would be an easier way to start but, I didn't realise how time consuming it would be to produce. The piece I chose to paint is the Avenue which, leads from the entrance gates up to the magnificent Kilkea Castle in Co Kildare. And, because of the autumn season, the colours which radiated on the trees produced a most amazing natural beauty to the eye."
Title: The Avenue
Size: 24 x 40 inches.
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Artist: Shalini
www.shalinisinha.com
Shalini is fast emerging as one of Ireland's most insightful commentators. Well known for her weekly Irish Times column, 'The Bigger Picture', Shalini has also been the life coach for RTÉ's programme, The Health Squad, is a columnist for Ireland's only multicultural newspaper, Metro Eireann, and presented Ireland's first intercultural television programme, Mono.
Her painting:
I chose this scene because it made me think of a journey: mostly the river somehow finding its way towards the bridge, but perhaps also the bridge crossing over towards somewhere else altogether. For me in life, bringing ourselves through journeys of growth – into unknown and unexpected experience – is what I relate to most.
This painting is created with oils on a linen canvas. My mentor, Philip French has been consistently committed to ensuring the image be created using the highest quality materials, and so provided a linen canvass rather than cotton.
This is my first ever use of oils. I enjoyed it completely. The more I painted, the more I relaxed and let go with my heart. In response, my colours and brush strokes got stronger, and my enjoyment of the exercise grew. Since I finished the painting, I’ve had an excitement that just hasn’t left me. I hope this image also brings out feelings of excitement and inspiration in others.
This has been an amazing experience for me. Painting was never something I thought I would do. I didn’t think I could draw. I was afraid to use paints. On top of everything, in my heart I couldn’t relate to a value of creating images. Through the process with Philip, I learned to trust my drawing, gain confidence, use water colours and oil, and mostly, discover the inner joy of creating images and so a deeper joy in seeing them. For me, the journey has been one of breaking down barriers and rigidities within myself, and in so finding a greater love.
Shalini has written about recovering the artist within and her experience towards painting this image, both published in the Irish Times Health Supplement as part of her weekly column, ‘The Bigger Picture’. These articles will be made available to the buyer. Shalini works as a life coach for clients in Ireland and internationally, and practices the Bowen technique in Dublin and Wexford.
Size: 30 x 36 inches
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Artist: Glenda Gleeson
Glenda Gilson began modelling at a young age and is now one of Ireland’s best known models. Glenda has fronted many campaigns appearing in Marie Claire as the face of Hawaian Tropic to most recently fronting the campaign Rehab Bingo currently on line.
In August 2006 – she became the face of Sky Digital channel Bubblehits.
Her painting:
The painting for telethon was fantastic! I met wonderful, interesting and knowledgeable people, I brushed up on my painting skills and of course got to do it all for charity!!
I was honoured to work with such talented artists like Jim Fitz, Shane Sutton and Philip French, and to meet great people like Eamonn and Shalini!
Our art camp in Kilkea was one to remember, as there was such fun and laughter from start to finish.
My landscape was chosen by me as I thought it to be a bit of a challenge as there was a lot of detail and dept to it which I hope I’ve achieved. Our theme was autumn so I wanted to make my autumn, though small, the focal part of the painting- where immediately your eye is drawn to that point!!!! I wanted to capture what I saw which was a huge, mysterious, haunted castle. A castle, that gave you the shivers at first but automatically you were drawn to the gates by rays of the autumn colours bursting through it!
Thanks again to everyone helping out this great cause......now get voting!!!
Size: 30 x 30 inches
Medium: oil on canvas
