The poppy continues to delight Kenneth and is a recurrent theme in his recent paintings. Whether the poppies are in a wildflower meadow, nestled amongst rocks fr
om Kenneth’s Ballinaboy Garden or silhouetted against a vivid Irish sky, he is constantly drawn to the enduring challenge of capturing their simplicity of form in his bold, textured brushstrokes and palette knife swathes of colour. The tint and colour of the poppy varies so greatly, with season and light and movement.
Sometimes the light shines entirely through the petal as though transparent, at other times the colour is opaque, creating what Kenneth describes as ‘an exhilarating impact’. Kenneth’s paintings of poppies enchant, and when he depicts them grouped in a great display, the impact can be tremendous.