Painting of Fleet Street in Dublin Ireland

This is a new painting of mine of Fleet Street, in Dublin City. It’s worth noting that it’s looking down the quieter end between Westmoreland St and D’Olier St, rather than the madness of Fleet Street as it runs through the hustle and bustle of Temple Bar.

I actually prefer this part. A favourite of mine, Bowes pub is tucked in on the right under the clock there, and then another well known boozer called Doyles just beyond it. Again a bar I’ve spent a little bit of time in years past. Now lighting might seem a tad unusual, bathed in red as it is, but it really did look that way. I took a photo on a moody wet night on the way to Bowes to sink a few pints with friends.

Now while the pints and company were good, and the painting is one I’m very proud of, there was a downside. And that was how challenging it was to paint for it seemed that every square inch of the canvas seemed to call for slow careful painterly attention. The cracked irregular paving, reflected lights, gathering puddles on the street, traffic lights, elaborate moulded forms on stone buildings, quirky architecture and even a clock to top it off, with all those subtle shades of reds in the mix.

All this to say that it took something of an age to paint, and thus, after much toing-and-froing I decided to stick a couple of hundred euro extra onto the price. I figured if I didn’t, I’d just avoid ever tackling such complicated paintings in the future, which would seem a little sad. And I did come across other artists I respect who do quite openly charge extra for cityscape paintings in general so there is that.

Anyway, I didn’t want to be sneaky about it, so decided to be open, and of course if it sits for an age before selling, then I’ll know that work like this must only be done for love, and not with that mad expectation of paying bills as well. It’s a crazy ambition for an artist to want both food and love, I know.  

LINK TO FLEET STREET PAINTING, if you'd like to check availability and pricing etc. 

Thanks for reading!

Vincent Keeling, Dublin Ireland

PS. Here's a close view below of the centre of the painting.