From Ludmila's journal · October 2026
A few days away can change the way you look at familiar things. Around Kenmare this autumn, I found myself noticing the softest colours: silver water, yellowing grass, dark stone and the deep green of moss.
Even beneath a grey sky, there was so much to see. Paul and I had come for a short break, with a stay at the Park Hotel and time to explore Beara, Garnish Island and Gougane Barra. There was no shortage of beautiful views, but it was often a small detail that made me stop.
Art, and time to be still
At the Park Hotel, the art was a pleasure in itself. I enjoyed encountering paintings as part of the rooms we were spending time in. A work can feel quite different when you meet it unexpectedly, then return to look again.
The spa gave us another kind of pause. Warm water, fresh air and time to be quiet felt like a gift. I spend so much of my working day looking closely and making decisions about colour and composition. It was lovely simply to be there, with nothing to finish.
You can also see my prints and a few original paintings at the Purcell Gallery on Main Street in Kenmare.
The colours of Beara
Out on the Beara peninsula, the landscape seemed to change with every bend. Clouds softened the hills, water found bright paths through dark rock, and sheep stood among the rough grasses as though the weather was of no concern at all.
I loved the way the autumn browns and golds sat beside all that green. The colours were subtle, but never dull. Looking across the water or up towards the mountains, I kept seeing combinations I wanted to remember.
The stone circles at Cashelkeelty and Uragh brought a different feeling of scale and time. A few shapes against a hillside can hold your attention for a surprisingly long time.
Among the tree ferns
Derreen Garden gave us a gentler landscape to wander through. There were layers of green everywhere, with fern fronds opening above us and textures that invited a closer look. After the open hills, it felt like stepping into a sheltered world.
Some of my favourite photographs from the trip are small encounters: Paul beside an enormous tree, and a blue boat suspended beneath the branches. These are the details that give a journey its own character.
A garden across the water
Garnish Island gave us another garden to wander through, reached by ferry from Glengarriff. The pool and pavilion in the Italian Garden made a quiet arrangement, with the mountains beyond. There were small details everywhere, from pale lichen on the branches to dahlias holding their autumn colour.
A seal resting on a rock on the ferry ride over was another of those little encounters that made us stop and look.
Quiet water and woodland
At Gougane Barra, the little chapel and the autumn hills were reflected in the still lake. In the woodland, moss softened the ground and fallen branches, with ferns between the tall trunks. We also photographed a fox beside the path, a small, unexpected encounter to bring home with us.
What comes home with me
I do not always know what will find its way into a painting. It may be a colour, the curve of a branch, or simply the feeling of being somewhere. For now, I am happy to let these impressions settle.
This corner of Ireland is beautiful in autumn. I came home with photographs, a quieter mind, and a renewed wish to look a little longer.
Ludmila Korol · October 2026