Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i The Artist

When we first take up painting, it’s a bit like learning to drive. The attention to all the things we have to think about consumes our attention and there is no chance of enjoying the experience of driving. Repetition of the process on a regular basis will free our minds and enable us to be aware of the road ahead instead of the mechanics of driving. While the theory of painting is important, it can overtake our enjoyment and our artistry if we are consumed by it. Only by painting often can we get into the zone of enjoying the quest each painting takes us on. All said and done, no one is going to be a painter because they know all the theory. Skill grows from the continual process…

Email theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or write to The Editor, The Artist, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH Please note we may have to edit letters for reasons of space Young at heart Having received my copy of TA (April issue) in the post today and doing what I usually like to do (read your welcome letter first then have a skim through the rest of the magazine), I was pleasantly surprised to see that you published my submission as the Star Letter! Thank you. Having read the other views sent in I feel humbled that my view was the highlighted one last month. It was interesting to read in your welcome letter that it is now scientifically proven that being creative delays the ageing process. How wonderful!…

PENLEE HOUSE GALLERY Morrab Road, Penzance Cornwall TR18 4HE ☎ 01736 363625 www.penleehouse.org.uk until May 14 To celebrate 25 years since its major refurbishment, the Penlee House Gallery has taken a fresh look at its collection, which has expanded significantly over these years. Jewels in the Crown showcases some of the earliest works from the collection as well as more recent additions. Primarily known for its unsurpassed collection of Newlyn School paintings, works by Frank Bramley, Laura Knight and Elizabeth Forbes will feature but there will also be lesser-known items as well, such as The Gibson photographic collection, which was purchased in 2016.…

Coastal waters are one of the most difficult, but exciting subjects for any artist. Capturing the subtle movement and reflections in a tranquil harbour scene, or the violent nature of a rough sea, remains a challenge to even the most accomplished painter. However, when a successful result is achieved, it is extremely satisfying. Water is forever changing, with its colour, tone and apparent transparency altering repeatedly in a short period of time as it responds to changing light and weather. Still water Still water is a complex subject, so time spent studying and sketching it will be vital to understanding how to recreate its effects. It’s important to understand that your position in relation to the water’s surface determines what you see. Standing at the water’s edge on relatively flat…

I always appreciate commissions. I’m honoured that a client would ask me to create a painting that captures their memories or feelings about a particular place. Over the years I have been surprised by the number of requests I’ve received despite my non-representational style of watercolour painting. Occasionally I am asked to do a portrait of a beloved pet or family member, which I politely decline. There are portrait artists who do a far better job with those requests, rendering beautiful likenesses that my style of painting cannot capture. Nevertheless, I am regularly asked to create pieces that express the essence of a place or scene, in my loose watercolour style. These requests pose a creative and inspiring challenge. The ground rules The first thing I ask a prospective client…

1 Cauliflower blooms Cauliflower blooms can be useful as part of a watercolour painting but will spoil a flat wash. They are caused by runbacks of wetter paint into drier areas of paint. If it’s important to make a flat and even wash, then take care to work over the area with the same batch of a mix of paint and paint the same wetness all over. 2 Cracks in paint I have received questions about cracks appearing in watercolour paintings, where there seems no explanation. The only reason this occurs is because the watercolour paint has been mixed far too thickly, with far too much paint and not enough water. Your paint then resembles gouache rather than watercolour. Watercolour works best when it is the correct consistency. Thick watercolour…

Arnold Art Society Spring exhibition at The Podhills Community Centre, Pond Hills Lane, Coppice Road, Arnold, Nottingham NG5 8DR, on April 16 and 17, 10am to 5pm daily. Bedale Art Group Exhibition at Bedale Hall, Bedale, North Yorkshire on May 27 and 28, 9am to 5pm. Cononley Art Group Exhibition at Cononley Village Institute, Main Street, Cononley BD20 8NP, on May 29 and 30, 10am to 4pm daily. Demonstrations will be given by members throughout the event. East Sussex Art Club Annual open exhibition at The Stade Hall, Rock-a-Nore, Hastings Old Town, from May 28 to June 1. Open 10am to 5pm, Saturday to Tuesday, 10am to 1pm on Wednesday. Handing-in, May 27. Email secretary.esac@gmail.com Epsom and Ewell Art Group Early summer exhibition at Bourne Hall, Spring Street, Ewell KT17…

Ken Howard OBE, RA studied at Hornsey School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He is a member of the NEAC, ROI, RWS, RWA and RBA. He exhibits extensively and has won numerous awards. David Curtis ROI, VPRSMA has won many awards for his en plein air and figurative paintings in both oils and watercolours. He has had several books published on his work as well as DVD films, and exhibits his work extensively. Haidee-Jo Summers ROI, RSMA has won many awards for her plein-air and alla-prima oil paintings. She is an elected member of the ROI, the author of Plein Air Painting with Oils and Vibrant Oils and also has a DVD with the same title.…

I have always been drawn to sketching and painting faces. As a child, it was what ignited my love of art, drawing football players and music stars to sell to friends in the playground. As my career developed, I experimented with still life and landscape, but returning to portrait painting has enabled me to push my skills further than ever before and create a signature style focused on strong light and shadow. Capturing people’s personalities, and often something more intangible, is what really brings a portrait to life. Ensuring you do a portrait justice can be daunting, especially if you’re new to the genre, but the limitations are endless once you commit to edging out of your comfort zone. The model I always work from photographs, so the first stage…

Sending-in days DSWF’s Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022 Details: Founded by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation in 2008, DSWF’s Wildlife Artist of the Year is an internationally renowned wildlife art competition open to amateur and professional artists. The competition uses the power of the arts to celebrate wildlife and raise vital funds for endangered species. The prize for the overall winner is £10,000. Other prizes offered include The Artist Award for the opportunity of an interview feature to be published in The Artist. Shortlisted works will be available to purchase on the DSWF website in September 2022, with 50-per-cent of the proceeds of artwork sales supporting DSWF and their ground-based conservation partners. When: Closes on March 31. Contact: Apply online at https://davidshepherd.org or email way@davidshepherd.org Derbyshire Open Art Competition…

FEATURES IN CONVERSATION Royal Academician Bill Jacklin discusses his large-scale oil paintings and inspiration from the streets of New York PRACTICALS Paul Weaver demonstrates how to capture rivers, lakes and waterfalls in watercolour Follow Becky Thorley- Fox as she explains how to paint garden birds in oils and watercolour INSPIRATION To celebrate his forthcoming exhibition, David Curtis ROI, VPRSMA, shares his personal approach to watercolour painting PLUS Paint boats and harbour scenes in gouache with Robert Brindley • Try black ink and urban sketching techniques with tips and advice from Barry Herniman • Catherine Ingleby shows how to paint dog portraits to commission in oils • How to paint skies in oils and master the light in your landscapes, by Alan Bickley PLUS • Advice from Steve Griggs on life as…

RP Royal Society of Portrait Painters Mall Galleries The Mall, London SW1Y 5BD ☎ 020 7930 6844 www.mallgalleries.org.uk Over 200 portraits will go on show at the annual exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters at the Mall Galleries, London. From the personal and everyday to portraits of celebrities and commissioned work from institutions and individuals, the exhibition provides a window on life. Two special features this year include a section of self-portraits and a collection of portraits to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. As always, the exhibition shows work by members as well as portraits selected from open submission. The Royal Society of Portrait Painters: Annual Exhibition can be seen at the Mall Galleries, London, from May 5 to 14. DERWENT ART PRIZE The Derwent Art…

People often ask what blue I use for painting bluebells. The answer is always that it depends on the lighting. If you want your paintings to be all about the light, don’t assign colours before you’ve observed your subject. I usually use ultramarine and dioxazine purple, with white and a tiny bit of crimson in there for the highlights. Sometimes I include a touch of sap green in the blue for the flowers in the shadows. Sometimes the brightest lights are just cadmium red and white. It really depends on the quality of the light and what it is bouncing off around the blooms. Composition Any woodland picture benefits from a way through for the eye, whether an actual path or just the painterly angles and shapes guiding you around…

Texture in watercolour painting is a complex subject as it depends on many things. The properties of certain pigments, the surface of the paper, specific watercolour techniques, and the use of other materials, for example, can all affect texture. Yet texture adds interest to watercolours and can also be used to bring the viewer’s attention to the focal point by making it more textural and therefore also more detailed. Here I will show you how to create different textures as well as how to avoid unwanted textures in your watercolours. Granulation Granulation is one of my favourite textures in watercolour. It is caused by granulating pigments and also by particular paper surfaces. Some of the good granulating pigments include French ultramarine, cobalt blue, cerulean blue, Prussian blue, cobalt green, viridian,…

Sarah Edmonds is the Marketing Manager for Pegasus Art and a freelancer supporting creatives and fine artists. Sarah studied a short course at the Slade School of Fine Art and has a degree from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. www.sarahedmonds-marketing.com Artists are good at acquiring new skills. More than most other professionals, artists are supremely proficient (even nerdy) in their craft. They are natural collaborators, teachers and masters of reinvention. In any job there is an element of upskilling and training, but artists are particularly adept at development and discovery. Their work has to remain fresh, after all, with a distinctive yet evolving style. It is this desire to learn and create that leads to such inventiveness, resourcefulness, imagination and ultimately, originality. This month, I talk to Imogen Harvey-Lewis, a…