The Art of Watercolour No. 9
Watercolour 9 th I S S U E
THE ART OF
T H E A R T M A G A Z I N E F O R W AT E R C O L O U R I S T S
PORTFOLIO
JOSEPH ZBUKVIC
ONE OF THE SHANGHAI BIENNIAL’S WINNER
TECHNICAL GUIDE
GEOFFREY WYNNE
ZHOU TIANYA
The elegance of watercolour
A tribute to Tibetan traditions
COVER STORIES JERALD SILVA FACETO FACE The color of snow
The master of transparency
T. Van Den Broeck Pedro Cano James McFarlane Ong Kim Seng…
EXPERT ADVICE: How to be the composer of your own paintings (chapter one)
L 15673 - 9 - F: 7,50 € - RD
PAINTING A LANDSCAPE IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE IN 5 STEPS
QUARTERLY - DECEMBER 2012/JANUARY 2013
FR: 7.50 € - BE: 8.80 € - CH: 15 FS - LU: 8.80 €- ES: 9.50 € - IT: 9 €- GR: 8.90 €- PT CONT.: 8.80 €- UK: £ 6,50 - NL: 9 € - DE.: 9.50 € - AT: 9 € - MA: 97 MAD
SAMPLE
Contents IN THE NEWS 6 WE WERE THERE The 1st Watercolour Biennial in Narbonne, France and the 3rd watercolour show in Nanjing, China.
10 INTERNATIONAL NEWS Watercolour events from all over the world.
14 FOCUS ON… The NWS (US) and the AIA (Italy).
18 READERS’ LETTERS Our answers to your questions.
20 REVELATIONS Discover our selection of noteworthy artists.
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Jerald Silva
Nudes and steamed-up windows: the rich and ambitious world of a Californian artist.
80 EXPERT ADVICE How to be the composer of your own paintings. Chapter 1: technique (part 1).
84 WATERCOLOUR LESSON Why your paintings may be rejected by shows and competitions.
86 PRACTICAL GUIDE Australian artist Amanda Hyatt depicts a typical village in the South of France.
96 AGENDA 99 IN THE NEXT ISSUE… Printed in France -17, avenue du Cerisier Noir 86530 Naintré – France Tel.: Editorial Office: +33 5 49 90 37 64 - Fax Editorial Office: +33 5 49 90 09 25 E-mail: editorial@artofwatercolour.com - EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-In-Chief: Jean-Philippe Moine Deputy Editor-In-Chief: Laurent Benoist - Editorial assistant: Manuella Pineau - Chief subeditor: Élodie Blain - Sub-editor: Marie-Pierre Lévêque - Art Director: Janine Gallizia - Graphic designer: Audrey Salé - Graphic design team: Nadine Tillet, Hervé Magnin - Translation and adaptation: Simon Thurston - Scanner Operator: Franck Sellier - Manager: Jean-Paul Cyr ADVERTISING Tel.: (00 33) 5 49 90 09 19 - Fax: (00 33) 5 49 90 08 29 E-mail: advertising@artofwatercolour.com - SALES, MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION Frédérik Favier Tel.: (00 33) 5 49 90 09 19 - Distribution France: MLP - MANAGEMENT Financial Director: Fabien Richard - Export: Export Press contact@kdpresse.com +33 142 46 02 20 THE ART OF WATERCOLOUR Published by DIVERTI Éditions S.A.R.L. with a capital of 15,000 € 490 317 369 RCS Poitiers 17, avenue du Cerisier Noir 86530 Naintré, France - Main Shareholders: CAPELITIS Group and CAP DEVELOPPEMENT - Photo-engraving: DIVERTI ÉDITIONS - Printers: MEGATOP, 86530 Naintré, France - Sending text or photos implies the author’s agreement for publication free of copyright and supposes that the author has in his/her possession any authorisation necessary to publication. - All rights reserved for documents and texts published in The Art of Watercolour. Any reproduction of articles published in The Art of Watercolour, either in part or whole, is strictly forbidden without the express written agreement of Diverti Éditions, in compliance with the French law on literary and artistic property of March 11th 1957. Articles and photos, which are not retained for publication, shall not be returned. The editorial staff shall not be liable or responsible for the content of texts, nor for illustrations and photos that they receive. - Publication registration: 0316 K 90760 - ISSN: 2114-3498 - Legal deposit on date of release - Quarterly – No. 9 – December 2012-February 2013.
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W ATERCOLOUR N O .9 / D EC . 2012-F EB . 2013
40 Annie Chemin Fernand Lamy These two French painters both specialise in snowy landscapes. Let’s compare how they go about it.
74 Pedro Cano
His art is a balancing act between the quaint charm of past beauty and a new form of representation.
No.9
Dec. 2012-Feb. 2013
FEATURED ARTISTS
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Portfolio Joseph Zbukvic His watercolours perfectly render the atmosphere of his subjects, thanks to drawing skills and an intense study of lighting.
24 JERALD SILVA Figure paintings, genre scenes “I am not as desirous of making my paintings beautiful as I am of making them interesting.”
34 ONG KIM SENG Plein air painting “Painting nature, experiencing the changing light of the day and the glowing colours is my idea of painting.”
40 FACE TO FACE Annie Chemin & Fernand Lamy “Snow reveals hidden qualities and hides defects.” “White happens to be a one of watercolour’s major assets.”
48 PORTFOLIO: JOSEPH ZBUKVIC Atmospheric urban scenes “You need to understand light in order to be able to create the atmosphere you are after.”
60 ZHOU TIANYA Portraits “I like to paint people of all ages and both sexes to express my ideas.”
60 Zhou Tianya Through his choice of subject, the simple and harsh life of Tibetans, he deals with such issues as man’s place in our world today.
68 JAMES MCFARLANE Landscapes “I am affected by travel in so many ways. Just ‘being’ in foreign countries definitely leaves its mark.”
74 PEDRO CANO Still lifes “With watercolour, I can underline the passage from one state to another, from past to present.”
86 AMANDA HYATT Landscapes “I only ever do a subject once, I’ll never paint it again. It helps me to remain spontaneous.”
90 THEO VAN DEN BROEK Monumental self-portraits “It remains a difficult task, from both a physical and mental point of view.” W ATERCOLOUR N O .9 / D EC . 2012-F EB . 2013
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TO FA C E
FA C E Annie Chemin, Pas même un ru. 16 x 16 cm.
Fernand Lamy, Neige fraîche en forêt. 115 x 160 cm.
ANNIE CHEMIN AND KEY DATES
TEXT: LAURENT BENOIST. PHOTOS: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Co-founder and former president of the Société Française d'Aquarelle (French Watercolour Association), Annie Chemin has written several books. Her latest, ‘Les yeux à la neige’ was published in 2010. Since 1994, she has exhibited regularly near her home in the Alps and she is also a regular participant in exhibitions organised by the SFA and the ECWS (European Confederation of Watercolour Societies). She has shown her paintings both in France (at the Brioude Biennale and watercolour shows in Aiguillon, Rochemaure and Wassy) and abroad. She lives and works in Mens, in the Alps. Her works will be shown from December 22nd 2012 to February 2013 at the Muséobar in Modane, France. Contact : anniechemin.com anniechemin@gmail.com
W ATERCOLOUR N O .9 / D EC . 2012-F EB . 2013
Annie Chemin, la Chapelle. 50 x 70 cm.
IN THEIR SNOWY LANDSCAPES, WHERE THE EVER-CHANGING
FERNAND LAMY
LIGHT AWAKES MULTITUDE OF DIFFERENT COLOURS, ANNIE CHEMIN AND FERNAND LAMY REVEAL THEIR INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. LET’S DISCOVER THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEIR APPROACHES.
KEY DATES Fernand Lamy was born in 1923 in Saint-Dizier-l’Évêque, in the Territoire de Belfort. He has been painting for more than forty years. He was first introduced to oils by his master, Pierre Bluche, but he later realised that his ideal means of expression was watercolour. His marked attraction for sports’ subjects is understandable when you know he worked as a regional consultant in open-air activities for the ministry of youth affairs and sport. He has been on around forty expeditions to the Canadian Great North and this subject inspires his watercolours, which are highly appreciated in Quebec. Fernand Lamy is a member of the SFA and the European Art Group. He exhibits regularly at various fairs in France (Salon des Artistes Français, Salon des Indépendants, Salon Violet, Salon de l’Aquarelle en Limousin, as well as at Rochemaure, Versailles, Honfleur, Clairac, Uckange and Seloncourt). He exhibited in Mexico in 2008. Contact : http://fernand.lamy.free.fr/ fernand.lamy@free.fr
W ATERCOLOUR N O .9 / D EC . 2012-F EB . 2013
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MEET
THE ARTIST
Pedro Cano
Pears 2003. 45 x 114 cm. “No more than three colours were used in this paining: Green Earth, Cadmium Yellow Light and Ivory Black, not forgetting the white of the paper itself. I worked on the background and the subject at the same time, alternating between successive washes in the shadow areas and precisely defining the shapes in the middle with a fine brush. My whole work process follows a guiding line that helps me reveal the correct light in my composition. In order to capture the full force of the moment, I begin by isolating the lightest value and guide water and pigments around this source of light. I superpose washes or lighten them with a sponge until I arrive at the range of values I desire.”
IN RECENT YEARS, THIS SPANISH ARTIST AND ADOPTED SON OF ITALY HAS CHOSEN TO EXPRESS HIS CREATIVITY IN BOTH WATERCOLOUR AND OIL. HE IS FASCINATED BY THE PAST AND THE PRESTIGE OF ANTIQUITY, BUT ALSO RESPECTS NATURE’S OWN WORKS OF ART. THE MEDIUM OF WATERCOLOUR IS IDEALLY SUITED TO THIS PAINTER’S ART, WHICH IS A BALANCING ACT BETWEEN THE QUAINT CHARM OF PAST BEAUTY AND A NEW FORM OF REPRESENTATION. 74
W ATERCOLOUR N O .9 / D EC . 2012-F EB . 2013
The Art of Watercolour: Your artistic output is comprised of oil and watercolour. The latter is a relatively recent arrival in your career since you only really started painting in watercolour in the 90s. How did you decide to integrate this medium into your art? Pedro Cano: When I was staying in New York (I was 39 at the time) I felt the need to return to a more primordial form of pictural expression. Rather like a journey of initiation, but in
reverse: I wanted to return to the most basic and rudimentary of tools such as charcoal and for colour, pencil and watercolour. At first, I considered this an experiment, but this new way of working soon became a completely new form of expression for me and ever since then, I divide my time between watercolour and oil. I really must insist that watercolour is now an integral part of my work, far from any notions of a medium purely used for sketches and studies. W ATERCOLOUR N O .9 / D EC . 2012-F EB . 2013
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