Blockley - Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour

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Seascape 11.5 x 11.5 cm (4 4 in.)

Woodland Reflections 39 28 cm (15 11 in.)

Dedication

For my family: James and Tom, Pam and Andrew. And to Kevin, for being my rock.

Acknowledgements

To all you lovely readers I would like to reach out with a massive thank you. Without you, this book would not be possible.

Landscape in Blue 10 46 cm (4 18 in.)

In this book I want to lead you through some of the rich store of possibilities that experimenting with watercolour and other mediums offers. By sharing some of my favourite methods and newest, most exciting ideas, I hope to encourage you to explore further on your own artistic journey. I would love to think that by sharing my secrets and passion for painting I will help you discover your own special way of creating personal interpretations of landscapes and nature.

The subjects in this book are more about evoking the atmosphere and mood of a place or moment in time than about painting a traditional scene. The aim is to feed our souls and explore the romance and beauty of the world around us through the magic of paint.

Summer Hogweed

50 33 cm (19 13 in.)

Painting a picture is like being a magician. We can transform the world through our paintbrushes, changing the weather and colours, getting flowers to grow and making things vanish or appear. Through our pictures we can play the most wonderful game of pretend, which is only limited by our imagination. To nurture this and to grow as artists, we need to give ourselves permission to have fun and experiment in painting. I explored this theme in my previous book, Experimental Flowers in Watercolour the aim was to encourage artists to challenge themselves and try new ideas.

It became clear to me, on this earlier journey, that the abstract textures seen in flowers and their backgrounds echo those within other landscape subjects. I felt encouraged to start exploring further, using the landscape as inspiration. The organic, natural shapes and textures that I was familiar with were easily adapted to paintings of trees, foregrounds, skies and land. My explorations had led me to develop a way of looking at subjects in a more abstract and imaginative style. I had also proved to myself, through teaching others, that the combination of playing with paint and undertaking a series of open-minded paint experiments really can help to shift old ideas or affirm current ones.

This book offers a wide range of methods for you to experiment with and combine in different ways to develop an original way of working. My finished interpretations of landscape and nature are included to give ideas for where you might use the techniques and to inspire you to explore further.

The first chapters focus on practical advice about how to experiment with a range of really exciting methods. Researching and choosing the techniques that suit you is part of the journey towards finding your own voice. Basic traditional watercolour and brushwork techniques have not been described in depth, as there are many other books that cover these topics. The emphasis is on painting in loose, expressive and experimental ways using watercolour as well as other water-based mediums and plenty of added ingredients.

The middle section of the book looks behind the scenes, covering the background steps of gathering reference material and making original and creative decisions. It is important to play in order to learn how to paint, but we also need to be thoughtful and consider why we might paint something in a particular way in order to create a sincere and personal response to a subject.

In the final chapters I have included my own interpretations of landscapes and nature, using techniques described in the earlier sections. I describe the most significant methods, colours or thoughts behind each picture to give you ideas for how you might develop your own interpretations.

Bluebell Walk

76 55 cm (30 21 in.)

The area you live in can influence your choice of subject. I am based in the gentle rural landscape of the English Cotswolds. It is an area of hills, fields, hedges and woodlands. I am especially attracted to the close-up details of the landscape with their infinite variety of texture: wild flowers in the meadow, a bird in the brambles, a crumbling wall or a windswept tree. My interpretation of the word landscape includes intimate views of these features as well as the wider picture. I think of all this as nature on the doorstep. When I go on holiday, subjects such as twisted olive trees or rainforest ferns attract me; my eye is tuned to finding foreign versions of what I see at home. Every artist needs to stamp their own identity on their work, and painting subjects close to home and therefore closer to your heart can help you begin to identify and develop your style and interests.

Autumn Magic

28 34 cm (11 13 in.)

In my research for this book, I explored a multitude of ideas and a wealth of amazing methods. At times I was sizzling with excitement at the vast potential that watercolour and paper have to offer. I soon realized that there would not be space for all my findings and so have carefully selected my favourite techniques. I hope you will enjoy experimenting with these and add your own personality to them. It is easy to feel that there is nothing fresh to say, but I believe there is always something new to be discovered. I hope that by sharing my passion for painting, you will look at the medium with fresh eyes and feel encouraged to create your own original landscape interpretations.