Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Artists & Illustrators

LONDON David Hockney 9 February to 29 May 2017 A celebration of the artist’s paintings, drawings, prints, photography and video across six decades. Tate Britain.www.tate.org.uk Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932 11 February to 17 April 2017 100 years on, discover the art that thrived during the Russian Revolution, including work from Kandinsky, Malevich, Chagall and the Socialist Realism movement. Royal Academy of Arts.www.royalacademy.org.uk Painters’ Painters Until 28 February 2017 A selection of contemporary artists with an individualistic and nonconformist approach to painting. Saatchi Gallery.www.saatchigallery.com War in Sunshine 13 January to 19 March 2017 A selection of 75 rarely shown drawings and photographs revealing the little-known role of British forces in Italy during the First World War. Estorick Collection.www.estorickcollection.com Sussex Modernism: Retreat and Rebellion 28 January to 23 April A look at…

Throughout her long career of over 60 years, Winifred Nicholson was primarily interested in colour. Generally she chose to paint flowers because, as she explained, “Flowers create colour out of the light of the sun, refracted by the rainbow prism. So I paint flowers, but they are not botanical or photographic flowers. My paintings talk in colour and any of the shapes are there to express colour, but not outline. The flowers are sparks of light, built of and thrown out into the air as rainbows are thrown, in an arc.” What is striking is how much she tested and developed her theories about colour, leading to a late flourishing in the last four years of her life. After her marriage to the painter Ben Nicholson, they bought a house…

AS A GROUP, THE ARBOREALISTS EXPLORE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TREE IN ALL ITS VARIETY AS A RICH AND VITAL SUBJECT FOR ART In the autumn of 2013 in the heart of the New Forest, St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, Lymington, staged a major two-part exhibition entitled Under the Greenwood: Picturing the British Tree. As Curator of Art at Southampton City Art Gallery and an artist who paints trees, I devised the idea. For the second instalment, Part 2: Present I wanted to include as many artists as possible, of diverse philosophy, medium, support, scale, style and technique, in order to emphasise the unifying qualities of the rich and versatile subject of the tree. The exhibition showcased 33 artists, including some locals and others of international reputation, two Royal…

SKETCH A DAY CAPTURE THE HORIZON IN YOUR SKETCHBOOK AS IT CHANGES FROM DAWN UNTIL DUSK WITH ARTIST WENDY JELBERT This shows what I believe a sketchbook is all about – documenting nature in all its moods. On one of my first trips to Paxos, in Greece, I arose very early one morning and, clutching my tiny paintbox and small sketchbook, I went to sit cross-legged on the edge of a cliff, to paint the scene in front of me. I then returned at various times during the day and painted the same scene. These five sketches, painted between 7am and 8pm, illustrate how changes in the natural light affect the colours and mood of the scene. You do not have to travel abroad to experience these differences, just look…

What are some clever ways for approaching light reflections on the water’s surface in watercolour paint? The first thing is, I don’t paint light, I paint dark. In fact I’m all about dark. I’ve had two eureka moments – one at a roadside brook and the other in a purpose built basement studio – that enabled me to make the leap from painting water to letting it paint itself. The first time, I noticed the paint had settled evenly in a wet wash below a dark-clad bank, and I just left it. The trick is to put it on once and leave it alone. That didn’t work every time, but the second eureka moment solved it. This was during a painting of the Kennet and Avon canal, away from the…

DIGITAL PAINTING I find myself relying more and more on the iPad, and I appreciate your articles and letters on the subject as they show its current relevance as an artistic tool in its own right. I am certain there is a potential for artistic development as yet undiscovered and I look forward to seeing how it evolves further. It has logical limitations but it fills an intriguing gap in artistic expression. I only use it for quick sketching so far, but I’m hoping to gain confidence and move forward. Maria Santos, via email EVERYDAY DRAWING I am a very keen amateur artist and have been all my life, I suffer from very severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and holding my graphite and pastel pencils is becoming more difficult each day. I…

DAMIAN ELWES There are many moments in the life of Santa Monica-based painter Damian Elwes that would sit comfortably in a film script, but if the plot were to focus on his path into art, it would open with his introduction to artist Keith Haring. The two met not long after Damian graduated from Harvard, where he studied playwriting and poetry, before landing a job working on a film set in New York City. “One day during the filming, I found myself in charge of crowd control at a subway station on 34th Street. As I let the crowd out of the station, there stood Keith Haring painting on posters. I said to him, ‘your job looks a lot more fun than mine’. He invited me to pick up some…

“THE REALITY OF SELLING ARTWORK IS THAT IT IS THE BUYER’S CONNECTION WITH THE PIECE THAT MATTERS” Putting a price on your work can be a difficult process, especially if you are just starting out or only sell occasionally. I find the best approach to pricing is to be as pragmatic as possible and I begin by separating costing from any emotional ties I have with the artwork in question. It’s important to remember that your emotional involvement with the work has no place in pricing it, unless you are so attached to a particular piece that only an astronomical sum would make it possible for you to let it go. That sounds harsh, but the reality of selling artwork is that it is the buyer’s connection with the piece…

PHILIPPA BEALE In 2009, this well-known British conceptual artist began to change course in her work to focus on painting trees “I exhibited in the contemporary section of the Under the Greenwood exhibition at the St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in the New Forest, and became one of the founding members of The Arborealist movement soon after. Being part of The Arborealists allows me to meet other artists with the same interest and different view points. Exhibiting together creates a magical show, it’s not achievable by one artist. It’s far more interesting for the visitor. As a conceptual artist, my work often involved trees. In 1978, I exhibited Collected from Here, a series of sculptures and photographs about my mother’s orchard, at the Angela Flowers Gallery in London. In…

A zoo in my sketchbook, Jersey, 7 – 13 August 2017 Spend happy days on Jersey painting the endangered animals at Durrell Wildlife & the beautiful coastline of the Channel Islands with its castles, beaches and light houses. Tutored by artist Mark Boyd. Prices from £680. Large Grey & Unmistakable – two safaris in Zambia 5-12 April 2017 (green season) with Mary-Anne Bartlett 2-9 October 2017 (hot & dry) with Karen Pearson Sketch wildlife in the wild, staying at our own lodge in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, home to elephant, leopard, lion, impala, kudu and giraffe. Incredible wildlife. Prices from £1887 per person. 2017 brings new opportunities to sketch around the world and in the UK, to paint, have fun, meet new people on Art…

HOW TO STRETCH WATERCOLOUR PAPER MATERIALS • WOODEN BOARD This should be at least 50mm wider and longer than your paper. Plywood, at least 12mm thick, is needed to prevent warping. There is great pressure exerted on the surface as the paper dries. • 35MM GUMMED TAPE Masking tape will not be suitable as it will not stick to wet paper Dry watercolour paper is such a perfect surface. That whiteness just cries out for a splash of paint but unfortunately, that is where the problems can begin. The paper is made from cellulose fibres from various sources and these relax and lengthen quite a bit when they get wet, leading to paper cockling. Lightweight papers under 300gsm combined with a very wet technique will render the surface extremely difficult…

1 LOCATION Be sure to spend a short time walking around the location, absorbing the scene until you have found something that appeals to you enough to get started. The use of a viewfinder at this point can be vital in narrowing the field of vision to help find the right subject. 2 EQUIPMENT You need to be organised when working on location, so keep materials simple and equipment as portable as possible. Be prepared for changeable weather; make sure your easel is stable and have an umbrella to hand. 3 SKETCHING I cannot stress the importance of drawing enough, particularly in monochrome. It will not only help develop your powers of observation, but also sharpen your awareness. 4 FORMAT AND SCALE Decide which format is best suited for the…

1 RWS SECRET POSTCARD SALE Challenge your artistic eye at the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) anonymous art sale at Bankside Gallery, London (9 February). The event offers a chance to buy postcard-sized paintings by RWS members for £60, a fraction of their normal worth. But there’s a catch – none of the works will be labelled, so you’ll have to take your chances. There will also be a raffle and silent auction of RWS paintings. All proceeds of the postcard sales will go towards the RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition prizes. www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk 2 LEARN The Watts Portrait Painting Course Discover the versatile nature of oil paint with artist Jane Allison’s six-week portrait painting course at the Clore Learning Studio in Watts Gallery, Surrey (23 February to 30 March). Jane previously trained…

Your current studio is a converted loft space in a house in London, have you always worked here? We used to live in a big Victorian house in the same area, and our four children were brought up there. This house is our ‘downsizing’. We moved here 37 years ago. It was newly built at the time and I used a bedroom as my studio. I soon realised that I simply could not work in that small space. I was about 70 when we had the loft converted to a studio and I thought then, I’ll be happy if I get 10 years out of it, that will be worth the expense. I am still working here – 20 years on. Many of your paintings show scenes outdoors, how much…

Escape the darkness of winter for the light-filled landscapes of the Australian Impressionists in the first UK exhibition of its kind. The National Gallery’s latest exhibition explores Impressionism in an Australian context – closely related to yet entirely distinct from its European counterparts. Featuring ‘snapshots’ of life in teeming cities and dazzling landscapes of coast and bushland, the exhibition invites you to reconsider how Impressionism was understood at the time, as an international phenomenon that transformed itself as it travelled the globe. The exhibition, organised by the National Gallery in collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, runs until 26 March 2017. Following a visit to the National Gallery, the winner of this month's competition will enjoy an overnight stay at One Aldwych hotel, a luxury retreat in…

Hahnemühle FineArt is the oldest German papermaker, founded in 1584 outside the charming, timber-clad town of Dassel, Lower Saxony; where the paper mill remains to this day. Beginning as a maker of mould-made writing papers, the company now produces paper for photography, industry and fine art. Through the centuries, with sensitivity to artistic demands and creative needs, Hahnemühle has developed a comprehensive range of papers for professional artists and hobby painters that are recognised for their outstanding quality. THE MARK OF EXCELLENCE The picturesque rolling hills and river valley of Lower Saxony is the ideal location for making paper, thanks to the pure spring water of the local river. Inspired by its rural location the companies name directly translates as ‘Hahn’ for rooster and ‘Muhle’ for mill – the logo…

MATERIALS • BRUSHES Pro Arte Polar 32 White Nylon Square Edged 1/8%,⅜ ", ¼", ›%, 1% • COLOURS Winsor & Newton Artist’s Oil Colours: Titanium White, Lemon Yellow Hue, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Naples Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine, Turquoise, Raw Umber, Payne’s Gray, Davy’s Gray, Sap Green, Indigo • WINSOR & NEWTON ARTIST’S QUALITY COTTON CANVAS 100X100CM Every year clouds of pink and white Japanese anemones spring up with delicate flower heads floating on tall slender stems. I wanted to paint a mass of them in a garden, capturing their simplicity, hinting at the way they sway in the breeze. I found the perfect clump in a small front garden round the corner from my house in North London, and managed to snatch a photograph…

It is said that a painter’s work is a reflection of his or her personality and their outlook on life. This is certainly true of Alan Cotton; his paintings are as monumental as the landscapes he inhabits. It is perhaps the luscious physicality of his work that first engages the viewer, his deep love of using oil paint and his ability to transform this into emotive landscapes. Painting with oils offers such a wide variety of application, but it is with the painting knife that Alan has quite literally made his mark. His enjoyment of the medium is evident in his heavily impasto work, as he explains, “Oil paint, for me, is the king of the media. The physical act of applying oil paint with a knife is a sensuous…

Romanticism was an artistic movement involving architecture, poetry, literature and music, in addition to painting. The term didn’t refer to a particular school, such as the ‘Glasgow Boys’ or the ‘Ashcan School’, which were groups of artists who met together with ties to a specific area. Rather the Romantic movement was a spirit of the age, a mode of inquiry, and a way of seeing the world that manifest itself through different artistic forms. Spanning from the tail end of the 18th century to the mid-19th century, Romanticism was a European movement. The intense social and religious upheaval of the age broke entrenched systems: the belief in monarchs and nobility who ruled by divine right was shaken along with faith in a benevolent god and infallible church. Interest now turned…