Henry Buckley born and reared in Pearse Street, known to family and friends as Harry and now living in Ringsend for many years, says of himself “I’m a part-time artist as I have a full-time job.”

However, his “compulsion” to paint has kept him at it for the past 30 years and during April of this year 26 of his works were exhibited in the Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre.

I met Henry in his house near the East Link Bridge. He and his wife were just back from a holiday in Prague. When I asked him if he had done any painting there he shook his head and explained that he is aware that painting is not a social type of hobby and being a family man with three children he has always tried to keep this in mind.

This said, his daughters do seem to appreciate art, liking to draw and paint and his eldest daughter has a degree in Fine Art and is forging a career in this area.

In his early 20s he started with watercolours but now prefers the greater intensity that he feels he can express through the medium of oils.

I asked if he took classes to develop skills. He said he is self-taught and gleaned his knowledge from books and experiment. His exhibition in the Park was solely of landscapes, many done in the locality.

Three of them were snatched up by his employer, one being a painting of the old ESB station. He also paints still-life and does life drawings. Henry has no studio and says his work hangs around the availability of space and time.

He likes to show his work but finds that monetary reward is not as important to him as knowing that a work of his has touched someone so much that they want it. Selling his paintings frees up space and encourages him to move on.

On the walls of the living room where we talked hung three still-life oils with marvellous depths of colour and vigour. Henry then unwrapped some landscapes on which the local area sprang into life: Sandymount Strand from the Merrion Gates, a view across the bay from Bull Island encompassing the old ESB station, and the sea at Sandycove, so real I felt I could dive right in for a swim.

Anyone interested in purchasing these or other works of Henry’s can contact him at 01 6682067.