A Time for Reflection — An Irish Seascape Painting

This weekend, while displaying my paintings at arts@marinaMarketcork, one piece in particular deeply resonated with visitors — my latest original oil painting, A Time for Reflection, a large Irish seascape measuring 122 cm × 97 cm. Many people paused for several minutes to take it in, quietly absorbing its atmosphere. One woman approached me with tears in her eyes and said, “You’ve really painted your soul in that painting.”

The Meaning Behind A Time for Reflection

The scene captures an Irish beach beneath a dark, moody sky where the sun struggles to break through. It seemed to stir childhood memories for many — moments spent near the sea, and later times in life when we sought solace in nature. The sunlight piercing the clouds reflects something universal: even in our darkest days, hope lies hidden behind the storms of life, waiting to shine through again.

Our troubles, like the weather, are always changing. Sometimes we simply need to pause, be still, and witness them — rather than be swept away. That quiet act of reflection is what this painting of the Irish coast hopes to capture.

Irish Language, Weather, and Emotional Expression

The Irish language expresses this beautifully — perhaps because our ever-changing weather has shaped how we see the world. In Irish, emotions are seen as passing states rather than fixed identities. For example, “Tá brón orm” literally means sadness is upon me. It describes sadness as something that visits — external and temporary — rather than something we are.

From a psychological point of view, this creates a healthy distance: we can observe the emotion without becoming it. In English, by contrast, “I am sad” fuses feeling with identity — as if we are sadness itself.

Art as a Doorway to Inner Weather

It’s important that we acknowledge this difference in our own lives. Art inspired by Ireland — like A Time for Reflection — can act as a doorway into a deeper awareness of our emotional landscape.

Just as the Irish sky shifts from shadow to light, our feelings move through and beyond us. No storm lasts forever. Paintings like this remind us that our inner world is as changeable and alive as the skies above Ireland — full of movement, light, and the quiet promise of renewal.