The North Wind Doth Blow

Now we're in the depths of winter, I find myself wanting to actively embrace these short days – yes, amazingly they are slowly starting to draw out – I'm loving the feeling of hunkering down and losing myself in the wonder of creative experiment.

In these half-light days I can be found way up in the top of the house in my attic studio. The sound of the winds as they batter the front of the house, the sea slapping against the sea wall – all just a distant murmur as I lose myself in the magic of making images move – discovering the immense joy and fascination that early film-makers must also have felt as stills come to life and a story unfolds.

This is my latest creative project. Sometime back in 2021 I was fortunate enough to secure a grant from Creative Scotland which enable me to purchase good quality lightweight filming equipment as well as providing me with a period of mentoring with a film-maker as well as studio time to further develop and consolidate these skills. Needless to say I've been having a ball. For years now I have tried with varying degrees of success to create my own short art films. As the frustration has grown so has my deep seated desire to fully master working with film as I find it such a truly captivating medium.

The two films that I'm in the process of creating are all extensions of my work on The Cillíní Project. As such I'm spending time going through and playing with old images from my many visits to County Kerry. The alchemy for me comes from the joy of layering various images which start to create a narrative which multiplies as the pictures morph, change, overlay and fade. Even more incredible is what happens when music is added – then layers of meaning twirl, twist and weave, working on almost all the senses.

I can safely say I am completely in love with this wonderful medium and all the creative possibilities that I'm starting to see open out before me.