one brush acrylic

This week I published a children’s picture book called The Claddagh Fairy. Look how cute she is!

The Claddagh Fairy by Eileen McKenna Children's Picture Book Irish Ireland St. Patrick's Day

Book Description: Anna’s Grandpa gives her an Irish Claddagh ring. He sends her a jewelry box from Ireland with a fairy inside. Anna’s ring brings the fairy to life and teaches Anna an important lesson about friendship, loyalty and love. This illustrated picture book will delight children as they learn about Anna’s grandpa’s homeland Ireland and the meaning of the Irish Claddagh ring.

I created the artwork and wrote the book back in 2014 but for some reason I stalled. That was 10 years ago! If I had to guess, I probably lost confidence in myself. After that, anytime I have had extended time off I’ve added The Claddagh Fairy to my to list. But for 10 years I kept pushing it to the back burner. It was at the top of my list – yet again – but I told my friend Connie I wasn’t going to work on it. For not the first time, Connie said, “You really should publish it. It’s all done!” We all need a friend like that!

That afternoon I went home, pulled The Claddagh Fairy out, made a few slight edits and ordered a draft on Amazon’s KDP site. When I got my draft, I made some tweaks to the artwork and after, 10 years, finally clicked publish!

The Claddagh Fairy is special to me because it is inspired by my grandpa, Michael Dennehy. We called him Grampa. Grampa was the sweetest grandpa, with the cutest brogue. He was from County Cork, Ireland. I spent a lot of afternoons with him as he told me silly stories of characters with names like Nan Pike and Patsy Galoop. He passed away when I was in high school and I still miss him.

Order the claddagh Fairy

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I just finished this painting. I did the entire painting in one sitting with three colors and one big brush. It felt so good to have an idea, follow through and finish. Recently my creative practice has been sporadic. A lot of the creative things I do are tied to work or school. Did I tell you I’m back in school?! I just finished my first year in a Masters in Art Education program. But still, excuses, excuses.

I’ve been ecstatic about this painting since I finished it – which got me thinking. Things are slowing down a bit for summer. This small canvas is so doable. Maybe I could commit to doing one a week? I always do well with a goal and a plan, especially if I do some art supply shopping to motivate me.

Summer is about 10 weeks, so I’ll aim for 10 canvases but the real goal is to paint every week. I need to take stock of my supplies and make a list. Then it’s a trip to the art store – fun!

I need to remember to be open to inspiration. The painting above was inspired by a recent walk on the beach. That’s my favorite way to work – capturing inspiration when it strikes and painting it.

Any summer creative goals? I’d love to hear!