Knocknarea Sunrise Painting

I climbed this historic Irish mountain at 5am on a Summer morning in order to greet the sunrise from the summit. The great cairn on the mountain was constructed over 5000 years ago and legend has it that it is the burial place of royalty, and most famously Queen Maeve (Meadbh, Meadb, Medb), from our Irish folklore. I was born and grew up in County Sligo. My family home is in the distance to the right. The famous table top mountain, Benbulben, can be seen in the distance. In the foreground, sheep graze around a ring of large stones which mark another ancient tomb. This area has the greatest accumulation of prehistoric sites in Europe. I only use acrylics but I use them with techniques learned from previous years, painting with water colours, pastels and oils. I like to think that the combination of techniques allows me to recreate the various textures and the soft atmosphere and light.