| We produce a wide range of products at Muldoon, here we offer you a bit more information about the products, looking after them and the terminology. |
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| Originals |
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| Most of my original work is painted in oil. Occasionally, I do use acrylic paint, but my preference is oil as it allows more movement of the paint when working and offers a higher degree of lightfastness, keeping the colours true for many more years. |
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| At present, I use both Old Holland and Mussini oil paints - they are wonderful to use, made to the highest standard and have excellent pigment content - they also thin very well with medium, for more detailed work. The type of canvas I use entirely depends on the subject matter. |
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| Generally., I work on stretched linen canvas - with this type of canvas, the woven linen is primed and stretched over a 21mm deep, wood stretcher (made from renewable wood, usually red fir). I also like to use ’box frame’ canvas - here, the stretcher is much deeper and the canvas is stretched to the reverse, allowing the image to continue around the sides for a three dimensional effect and affords a clean edge suitable for displaying without a frame. |
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| With portraits, I like to use extra fine linen canvas as it provides a smooth surface to work on and allows for higher levels of detail than with a more textured canvas. Depending on the size of the canvas and the subject matter, paintings can take from two months to a year to complete. |
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| Framing, Varnishing & Siting |
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| Unless otherwise stated, I supply paintings unframed. This leaves the purchaser free to choose a frame that compliments the intended location of the painting as well as the painting itself. I would always recommend the painting be professionally framed - picture framing is an art form in itself and a professional framer will have the widest range of mouldings along with the knowledge and experience to help you select the most suitable one. |
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| If possible, I would recommend paintings are hung in areas unexposed to direct sunlight as the UV rays can fade pigments over time. If this is not possible, ask your framer about UV protective glass - although oil paintings do not normally require framing behind glass, this conservation clear glass will filter out over 95% of the harmful rays. This is also a good option if the painting is to be hung in a room with an open fire, to protect it from soot and smoke particles. Alternatively, the painting may be professionally varnished. Varnishing offers protection from atmospheric pollutants and allows the painting to be professionally ’cleaned’ at intervals. Cleaning involves the removal of the old varnish, along with any dirt, leaving the paint intact before new varnish is applied . This process should only be attempted by a qualified conservator. Varnishing may only be considered after a period of six months has elapsed since completion of the painting, to allow the paint to dry completely and not be affected by the varnish chemicals - it is therefore advisable to hang the painting in a ‘clean’ atmosphere until then. Please take care not to hang paintings in damp areas or close to sources of heat - for example, over a radiator. |
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| Aftercare |
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| Paintings may be gently dusted with a clean feather duster. A clean, dry shaving brush is also ideal for this purpose. Please ensure not to use any water, detergents, cleansers or other chemicals. If visible dirt remains after dusting, please refer to a professional restorer or framer. |
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| Prints |
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| All our prints, whether limited or open edition, are produced using the Giclee method. This inkjet method of printing uses a wider range of ink colours than the usual four-colour litho printing, resulting in a much closer match to the original. These inks also have a higher degree of lightfastness, ensuring the colours remain true for longer. |
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| Our images are printed on high quality paper or canvas and all are hand signed (and numbered, in the case of limited edition prints) by the artist. Our prints on paper are all supplied mounted, ready to frame, in a protective acetate sleeve, whilst our canvas prints may be supplied rolled and ready to frame or with a deep, box frame, ready to hang. With the box frame, the canvas (and therefore, the image) is stretched over and around the outside of a deep, wood frame to give a three-dimensional effect. This method can also offer greater flexibility on where to hang the print as there is no visible frame to dictate the location with its colour or style. |
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| Framing and Siting |
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| As with original works, we always recommend our prints are professionally framed. A professional framer will have the widest choice of mouldings and will be able to advise on which glass should be used, depending on the desired location. We would recommend the use of UV protective glass as this will filter out most of the harmful rays that will eventually lead to the image starting to fade. |
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| Ideally, prints should be hung in areas unexposed to direct sunlight - unless UV protective glass is used - and away from sources of heat (radiators, for example) and damp. |
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| Commissions |
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| I do accept private portrait commissions. If possible, I prefer to visit the subject of the portrait at their home (or stable) and take reference photographs. This enables me to meet them in the environment where they feel most relaxed and discover more about their personality than would be possible from just a photograph - this helps enormously when painting the portrait. If you are considering commissioning a portrait as a gift for a special occasion, please bear in mind the painting may take many months to complete. Price guides are available on request |
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| For more details on any of our Gallery items, please do not hesitate to contact us. |
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Planters - Tissue Boxes - Letter Racks - Waste Bins - Mirror/Picture Frames - Notepad Blocks
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| All of the bases for these items are made exclusively by a local, independent woodworker. By choosing a local craftsman, we are not only supporting our rural economy and saving on air/road miles, but it also allows us to work closely together on the designs we create. As each item is made by hand, rather than mass produced, we can also be sure of the quality of workmanship. |
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| The next stage is to prime each item, ready for painting. After the first coat of primer has dried, each item is thoroughly sanded down and another coat of primer applied, thus providing the best possible surface for the decorative paint and ensuring a smooth finish. The base colour is then applied. A minimum of three coats is applied, and lightly sanded in between, to ensure the depth of colour and uniformity of coverage. Other than when we use specially mixed paint, we tend to use Farrow and Ball Estate Emulsions, due to their high pigment content and excellent colour range. |
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| Once the final coat of base colour is completely dry, each design is then drawn by hand and painted with a high quality, artist’s acrylic paint. Once the design has been completed, it is signed and allowed to dry for the minimum of 24 hours. |
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| Finally, we apply a protective, neutral (satin) varnish. We tend to use a neutral varnish as, we have found, the reflection from a gloss finish can obscure the design. A minimum of three coats of varnish is applied, allowing these items to be placed in kitchens or bathrooms. |
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| Aftercare |
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| Surface dust and fingerprints may be polished off with a soft cloth. For further cleaning, a slightly damp cloth may be used. Please take care not to use any form of abrasive material or to immerse the item in water as this may affect the design. Should you have any further queries about this, or any other aspect of these items, please do not hesitate to contact us. |
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| Wall Hangers |
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| All our wall hangers are individually hand drawn onto high quality board, in the studio. The design is then cut out by hand and the first coat of primer is applied. Once dry, the hanger is thoroughly sanded to a smooth finish and another coat of primer applied. This process ensures the best possible surface for the decorative paint. The next stage is to paint the design and bring the character to life. For this we use a high quality artists acrylic paint (with the exception of the Limited Edition range - see below). |
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| Each character may take days, or months in the case of limited editions, to create. When finished, the character is signed at the base and allowed to dry completely before a protective matt varnish is applied. A minimum of three coats of varnish is applied, allowing the hangers to be placed in kitchens or bathrooms. When the varnish is dry, we add the picture hanger and protective felt to the back. Each character is also given a ’Muldoon Originals’ label, which gives details of their name and where, when and by whom they were created. |
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| Aftercare |
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| Surface dust and fingerprints may be polished of with a soft cloth. For further cleaning, a slightly damp cloth may be used. Please take care not to use any form of abrasive material or to immerse the character in water, as this may affect the design. Should you have any further queries about this, or any other aspect of these characters, please do not hesitate to contact us. |
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| Limited Edition Wall Hangers |
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| Each character in our Limited Edition range is a ‘one off’ piece and will never be duplicated. Created with the same high quality oil paint we use on our canvas - a process that can take up to 12 weeks - they are then signed allowed to dry for a minimum of six months before a protective matt varnish is applied. Highly collectable, the character is supplied with a signed ’Birth Certificate’ which may be personalised on request. |
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| Justin Peters |
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| “Throughout childhood, my passion for expressing the way I viewed and wanted to observe nature manifested itself through drawings and models of beautiful environments, almost always with a water theme. My world focused on purity and the wonder of the environment. I moved away from art at secondary school, where I felt the “fun” had gone and control had begun. |
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| Creativity came back into my life with an evening course on life drawing, run by Meriel Hoare, who reintroduced me to drawing and creating what I feel and love about my subject, not what standards dictate or expect. The experience created a safe space for the innocence of play to manifest itself. |
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| The freedom I found with inks and tactile media led me to appreciate the things I love and led me into photography. I began to experiment with metal and what you see here, my attempt to bring metal back to its earthiness and play back into life.” |
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| Metal is a very strange medium, from the raw steel it will change its state and appearance through working and heating. This makes it very unpredictable when the shapes and colours are being formed. The colours on these pieces are stunning. From blues and purples through to pinks and browns, all combined with the shine of the steel. Depending on the sheen, reflections of colour and light will change when viewed from different angles. This makes direct copies of each item difficult to produce, although it means each item is individual. |
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| Aftercare |
| Pieces that are lacquered should be kept away from damp areas and may be cleaned and polished with the same wax that is used to wax a car. Items that are intended for outdoor display can be left to change throughout the seasons. The appearance may be arrested for a while by applying oil based sprays or waxes. All steel will corrode eventually and, for outdoor displays, this is part of their charm and individuality. For indoor items, rusting will be prevented if waxed. |
