I would never dream of living anywhere else – it is the ideal place for painting

I would never dream of living anywhere else – it is the ideal place for painting

28 February 2024

BORN less than four miles from Balllyhornan Beach, artist Brian Trainor has captured and painted one of the world’s most scenic coastlines.

His paintings of the beach and the coastguard cottages – taken from different angles – form part of his new exhibition.

It is entitled ‘A Beautiful World’ and will be launched at The Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick on April 6.

“Some people see my paintings of Ballyhornan and says it looks nothing like that, but I did the first painting from an old black and white postcard I had 50 years ago and I put colour into it,” he says.

Brian paints mainly from his own photographs and adds his own vibrant colour, with a particular love of red against the green fields.

“I love red. It is my favourite colour. It is a cheerful bright warm colour,” he enthuses.

Inspired by artists Paul Henry, William Turner and John Constable, he studied painting under TP Flanagan at St Mary’s Teacher Training College in Belfast.

Most of his paintings are of the Lecale area and St Patrick’s Country, including Loughmoney where he likes to fish.

The exhibition also includes still life and flowers from his garden or from places he visits on holiday such as Lake Garda in Italy.

Brian marvels at the beauty all around him and hopes that others will see it through new eyes when they see his work and his version of the local area.

“I love living here,” he said. “And I would never dream of living anywhere else. It is ideal for painting. I have painted two or three scenes of a country road, things that nobody would ever have noticed or given a second thought to.

“When I look at them I see the beauty in them and the purpose of my exhibition is to get people to notice that they live in one of the best places in the world.”

His interest in art began as a young boy in rural 1950s Downpatrick, with images of houses and wildflowers – and deepened when a doctor from Killough attended his sickbed at his family’s Ballycruttle cottage and noticed his love of art.

“When I was seven I had rheumatic fever. When Dr Murphy came out to see me I must have been drawing. He got to see that I was interested in art and before he left he gave my mother five shillings and said, ‘buy him some paints’. That really got me started – which was very considerate of him.”

Brian got his first commission from a farmer's wife on the Ardglass Road.

“I sat on the wall opposite and painted the farmhouse. The lady gave me half a crown for the painting,” he recalled.

Not long after finishing school, Brian had an opportunity to travel and work abroad. During this time he got the chance to return to education 

and acquire academic qualifications which enabled him to enter teacher training.

He eventually moved on from being an art teacher to youth work and education administration with the South Eastern Education and Library Board.

When he retired in 2000 he devoted his energy to his art, working with water colours, acrylics and oil. Now he only works with oil.

He set up a studio in the cellar of his home and his first exhibition was with local artist and friend Jim Manley. As well as this he kept up his teaching interest as a tutor with Down Arts Centre.

Brian said he was inspired by the beauty he finds in nature. “I had an exhibition a few years ago that was mostly animals, cows and sheep”. This theme has been carried on in his latest show with the paintings of The Three Donkeys and a typical mountain sheep.

A previous exhibition was entitled Into the Light because he was so surprised by how vibrant his images looked in natural light after painting them in the artificial light of his cellar. Along the way he has had six one-man shows.

Brian says he loves the feedback from people who ring him to say how much they enjoy his work.

His exhibition at The Saint Patrick Centre runs until April 29.