Stormy seas at Portballintrae. Watercolour 18 inches by 8. The sea was so white with the spume created by the 70 miles an hour winds!

A very nice few days in Northern Ireland , but accompanied by a fairly fierce storm meant our trips around  beautiful Ulster  were a little curtailed , but very enjoyable none the less.

Meeting up with family and friends was of course great and the storm did give a somewhat different view of the Antrim coast.

However intermingled with our trips there was a little time to paints some sketches and take a lot of photos to paint when back in the studio.

The header painting is of the storm raging at Portballintrae, which is a delightful sea side town not far from Portrush and The Giants Causeway, although the weather put paid to any thoughts of a visit to it’s amazing hexagonal rocks!

Nearby is Bushmills with it famous Whiskey Distillery, and as we drove from there to Portrush the sea spray was coming over the road across the 100 foot cliffs, very spectacular!

So here are my sketches of a few places we visited

Glenarm with it’s Castle , Barbican and the river running into the harbour is a very nice small seaside town, with a great Jewellery Shop (Steensons) to retreat into when the rain and wind arrive!

The Barbican of Glenarm Castle. Watercolour sketch 8 inches by 10.

The Genarm river and st Patricks Church in Glenarm.watercolour sketch 10 inches by 8

In a break in the weather I managed to invent an Antrim Coast sunset, as they are very often really spectacukar, one of my 15 minute sketches.

Just beyond Portrush  on the Antrim Coast lies the really nice seaside town and popular holiday resort of Portstewart. Not as busy as Portrush but a really nice place to visit.

Just for fun I have included paintings of two  my favourite scenes painted during previous visits, which are Ballycastle and the Mourne mountains near Newcastle. I have resisted including more!

Fair Head on the Antrim Coast Watercolour on Canvas 24 by 12 inches

The Mourne  Mountains from Murlough Bay near Dundrum. 21 by 9.5 inches

I know I have said it before but if you have never visted the Antrim Coast or even Northern Ireland  then do so, it is spectacular and well worth it for so many reasons from The Titanic Centre, the Game of Thrones locations, to the coasts, the people and the food!

Happy travelling

Brian

You can see more of my watercolours at  http://www.artfinder.com/brianswatercolours

Have look, there may be places you love and that you have visited.