The Art of Watercolour No.5
Watercolour 5 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
MARY WHYTE
KEIKO YASUOKA
6 essential gestures to successfully paint radiant portraits
Still lifes in light and shadow
ALSO INSIDE B. HENDERSHOT LINDA BAKER Graphic games
Traditionalsubjects withunusualtechnique
EXPERT ADVICE: HOW TO DECIDE WHAT TREATMENT TO GIVE YOUR PAINTING?
Richard Hanson Robert O’Brien Jennifer Annesley Brian Stratton Julian Falat
L 15673 - 5 - F: 7,50 € - RD
SAMPLE QUARTERLY - DEC. 2011-FEB. 2012 - 7,50 €
FR: 7.50 € - BE: 8.80 € - CH: 15 FS - LU: 8.80 €- ES: 9.50 € - IT: 9 €- GR: 8.90 €- PT CONT.: 8.80 € - GB: £8,20 - NL: 9 € - DE.: 9.50 € - AT: 9 € - MA: 97 MAD
Painting with a social eye
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Contents
Portfolio
Mary Whyte portraits the poor workers from the South of the United States.
IN THE NEWS 6 FOCUS Exhibition at the Strathmore Foundation in Bethesda, Maryland.
8 INTERNATIONAL NEWS Watercolour events from all over the world.
12 READERS’ LETTERS Our answers to your questions.
14 REVELATIONS Discover our selection of noteworthy artists.
84 PRACTICAL GUIDE Maryse De May’s radiant portraits.
88 TECHNICAL ADVICE How to decide what treatment to give your painting.
92 WATERCOLOUR LESSON Tips on how to improve your paintings.
94 MUSÉE LANSYER Discover the former house in the Loire Valley of the 19th century painter Emmanuel Lansyer.
98 WATERCOLOUR CELEBRITIES Exhibitions, shows, fairs… See who was there.
24 JENNIFER ANNESLEY
Her magnificent architectural views show both virtuosity and emotion.
99 IN THE NEXT ISSUE… Printed in France -13, avenue du Cerisier Noir – BP 22 – 86530 Naintré – France Tel.: Editorial Office: +33 5 49 90 37 64 - Fax Editorial Office: +33 5 49 90 08 29 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 - CONTRIBUTORS: A. LagunaChevillotte, T. Pelletier, S. Portal. - 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 Sales Manager: Bernard Le Campion 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 13, avenue du Cerisier Noir – BP 22 - 86530 Naintré, France - Main Shareholders: MEGASTAR Group and CAP DEVELOPPEMENT - Photo-engraving: DIVERTI ÉDITIONS - Printers: ROTOMEGA, 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. 5 – December 2011 - February 2012.
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Robert O’Brien
The strength of her evocative watercolours comes from her astute choice of mundane subjects.
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Linda Baker
Graphic games are at the core of her clothes pins or buildings series, as well as her use of drawing gum. W ATERCOLOUR N O .5 / D ECEMBER 2011-F EBRUARY 2012
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Portfolio
Liu Yi’s mastery of wet watercolour techniques and his quest for true beauty and grace in his ballet dancers have made this artist the new idol of Chinese
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Brian Stratton Exploring the Australian coastline, he builds his paintings with a clever arrangement of shapes.
No.5 December 2011-February 2012 FEATURED ARTISTS
18 BRIAN STRATTON Landscapes Over the years he has learnt to free his painting from the usual precepts.
24 JENNIFER ANNESLEY Architecture Her very detailed and refined interior paintings are the results of a very precise process.
34 JULIAN FALAT Art History Poland’s greatest watercolourist is a key witness to the period of transition time between realism and impressionism.
38 BRADLEY HENDERSHOT Landscapes The painter depicts a rural community and an almost forgotten way of life.
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Robert O’Brien
Tractors, lorries, rusty trains… the American painter finds beauty in the textures of mundane objects.
44 LINDA BAKER Still lifes Textures and light are at the core of her graphic watercolours.
50 PORTFOLIO: MARY WHYTE Figures Her painting bears witness to the death throes of traditional professions in America’s deep south.
60 ROBERT O’BRIEN Objects Interesting close-ups of old engines found in the New England countryside.
66 KEIKO YASUOKA Flowers Precious still lifes where light, colour and values mingle in the most perfect way.
76 RICHARD HANSON Street scenes Film noir-like poignant scenes, a social commentary on US society.
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F E AT U R E D A R T I S T BIOGRAPHY After studying Fine Arts at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, Jennifer Annesley (BFA, CSPWC) started showing her work in different galleries in Alberta and Vancouver. In 1994, she was given the opportunity to hold a personal show – the first of many successful exhibitions. The artist lives and works in Edmonton in a house built in 1912 that she renovated with her husband. Her paintings are shown exclusively at the Canada House Gallery in Banff. jennifer@annesleystudio.com www.annesleystudio.com
Jennifer Annesley IN THE WATERCOLOURS OF THIS CANADIAN ARTIST, AN ABUNDANCE OF DETAIL IS NOT SYNONYMOUS WITH A LACK OF EMOTION. ON THE CONTRARY, HER ARCHITECTURAL VIEWS SHOW BOTH VIRTUOSITY AND EMOTION. IN THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, SHE EXPLAINS HOW SHE MANAGES TO REACH THIS DELICATE BALANCE. 24
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Clerestory. 2003. 68.5 x 109 cm.
Jennifer Annesley, Your own taste for romanticism and no doubt history play a major part in the choice of your series of interiors and castles. We sense a strong sentimentality in your work. Where does this comes from? My work is founded on my passion for the art, architecture and aesthetic of the Old World, a love of the natural world, and a fascination with the power of contrast. These interests, which I have had since childhood, are now reflected through my love of travel, renovating old houses, outdoor adventure, fabric and clothing design, music, and most strongly in my painting career. My taste for ancient architecture was
sharpened by growing up in Western Canada where there are very few buildings over 100 years old. One exception is the chain of great railroad hotels built across Canada at the turn of the last century. They are built of stone to resemble European castles and have fascinated me ever since I first set eyes on them. Later, while studying fine art at the University of Alberta, I chose to focus my art history studies on the art and architecture of the Renaissance, Baroque and 19th century, further refining my interest and aesthetic. It is the seductive balance of elegance and power in architecture that most inspires me. W ATERCOLOUR N O .5 / D ECEMBER 2011-F EBRUARY 2012
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THE ARTIST
Bradley
The Recurrent
MEET
Light in the Woodshed. 2003. 73.6 x 52 cm.
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Hendershot
Past
EACH OF BRADLEY HENDERSHOT’S PAINTINGS TELLS A STORY. DRIVEN BY A SENSE OF NOSTALGIA, HE DEPICTS A RURAL COMMUNITY AND AN ALMOST FORGOTTEN WAY OF LIFE. Morning Prayers. 2002. 78.7 x 118 cm.
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Mary Whyte PAINTING WITH A SOCIAL EYE WITH AN UNSURPASSED SENSIBILITY, MARY WHYTE PAINTS PORTRAITS OF FRIENDS AND WORKERS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES OF AMERICA. BE THEY SYMBOLIC, ALLEGORIC OR REALISTIC, HER WATERCOLOURS SHOW FIRST AND FOREMOST THE HUMANE ASPECT OF HER ART.
PIN WHEEL 54 x 72 CM.
KEIKO YASUOKA 74
Painting Analysis THE IDEA BEHIND THE PAINTING I walked into the dining room and noticed the morning sun shining through the window. I had also noticed the peonies and other flowers in the market place the day before. I could picture the sun flowing through the window and bathing the delicate flowers with soft light. I was overcome with a feeling of the sun welcoming me into the beautiful morning and I wanted to share my feelings with others. I purchased flowers and arranged them in a crystal vase. I then added my silver coffee pot and other items to convey the feeling that I was welcoming others for morning coffee. I gravitate toward motifs that are contemporary with the way that I feel and live. I want my work to soothe and caress the viewers, not shock them.
PHOTOGRAPHY I took several photographs in order to capture and save the image. I develop the composition for my paintings as I compose the motif. I tried, and photographed, many arrangements of the objects that I used and from different angles. When I was satisfied with the arrangements that I had photographed, I studied them and selected the ones that I felt best conveyed the story and feeling that I wanted to. I had prints made of these images and I then studied them more until I selected the one that I decided to use for the image of my painting, ‘Beautiful Morning’.
COMPOSITION
FOCAL POINT
I consider the motif to be the most important part of my painting process. I settled on this image because the sunlight coming through the window and the shadows seemed to draw the flower arrangement toward the viewer. The image is not totally backlit which would result in the centre of the flower arrangement being completely dark. I felt that complete back lighting would hold the arrangement back from the viewer. Also, the diagonal lines in the edges of the shadows help draw the image toward the viewer (as below).
The focal point of the painting is the strong pink flower in the middle of the bouquet. The lighter pink flower on the table in front of the vase is a counterpoint to the focal point. It keeps the viewer’s eye from staying on the focal point. The slight pink reflections and design in the table cloth, reflections in the coffee pot, and the placement of objects on the table helps the viewer move through the painting (as below).
COLOURS AND CHARACTERISTICS I studied the colours and values in my motif and I chose the 3 primaries for my palette that could make the dominant colour that I needed to express the mood that I wanted. - New Gamboge, (Winsor & Newton semitransparent and non-staining) - Cadmium Red Deep, (Holbein, semi-opaque and non-staining) - French Ultramarine Blue, (Winsor & Newton, semi-opaque and non-staining colour). I added 4 other colours that were compatible with the 3 primaries in order to obtain the hues that I desired, but that I would not be able to get with just the 3 colours that I picked as my primaries. They are: - Hookers Green (Holbein, non-staining & transparent ) - Permanent Rose, (Holbein, transparent & non- staining) - Ultramarine Blue Light, (Holbein, semitransparent & non-staining ) - Mauve, (Kusakabe, semi-transparent & non-staining). I used non-staining colours because I lift the colours when I blend, soften the edges and need to correct the hue. I wanted to paint this painting with washes and if I used a transparent staining colour over a colour from another category it often stains the underlying colour.
REFLECTION
THE WHITE OF THE PAPER
The reflections in the window pane on the right side of the flowers help to create balance in the composition. If they were not there, the viewer’s eye would have a tendency to stay more on the focal point. I enlarged the image to the size that I was going to make the painting in order to study it in more detail. I have learned that the camera will sometimes lie to me and the image must be cropped, expanded, or changed in other ways. Other changes would include adding or deleting different objects, colours or values. In this particular image there were many changes that I had to make, especially in the drawing.
My whites are the clean, unpainted surface of the watercolour paper. I knew that I would have whites in the painting. The whitest whites in my image were off white, not bright white. I also knew that I would be using a lot of masking fluid on this painting, not only on the surface of the paper but on dried, prior applied paint. For these two reasons I chose a full sheet, 22” X 30”, of Arches 300 lb natural white, cold pressed watercolour paper. It has a slight golden, off-white colour. I have also had very good results removing masking that has been applied over dried paint from this paper without it also removing the paint. I decided to use a lot of washes in this painting because I wanted a soft, delicate and transparent effect; especially in the flower petals. Prior to applying any paint, I mask all of the whitest whites with masking fluid applied with a drafting liner pen to have more control (the flow of the liquid can be adjusted). I have learned never to paint over wet masking fluid or apply masking fluid over paint that is not completely dry.
W ATERCOLOUR N O .5 / D ECEMBER 2011-F EBRUARY 2012
Beautiful Morning. 56 x 76,2 cm
DRAWING
PAINTING
BACKGROUND
I rate the drawing of my subject as being very important. I lean toward photorealism so I do not have the advantage of being relaxed about my draughtsmanship. I drew my image on a piece of tracing paper the exact size that I wanted my painting to be. Then I turned the tracing paper over onto a clean, white surface and carefully traced the lines that I had drawn with a sharp HB pencil. I then transferred the pencil drawing onto the watercolour paper. I do this to avoid making corrections in my drawing. I softened pencil marks that were too dark with a knead eraser.
I started painting by painting the flower that was to be the focal point. I painted each flower with one wash over another in order to create soft, delicate and transparent petals. After each flower was completely dry, I masked it. I only masked around the edges. After the flowers, I painted and masked the other objects, the design in the table cloth and the reflection in the window. I painted the shadows and then the dark background last. I painted the dark background in the window with several washes, one over the other, until I obtained the colour and value that I wanted.
On all of the background walls, I painted a few washes of the primary colours. I first painted the colours separately: yellow, red and blue. I changed, mixed the 3 colours and continued to apply washes until I obtained the dark value that I desired. After everything was completely dry, I mixed the colours to make the darkest colour. However, I applied it by stippling, not washes. I also stippled the dark part of the table cloth on the left side and softened my edges by stippling. After everything was completely dry, I removed the masking and softened all the edges.
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BALANCING YOUR PAINTING “IN ORDER TO JUDGE A PAINTING OBJECTIVELY, YOU MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT SEVEN DIFFERENT CRITERIA: COMPOSITION, TONAL VALUES, CHOICE AND TREATMENT OF SUBJECT MATTER, COLOUR, SHAPE AND TECHNIQUE. USING THIS METHOD, YOU CAN ANALYSE YOUR OWN PAINTINGS TO IDENTIFY THE STRONG AND WEAK POINTS IN YOUR WORK AND ALSO DEVELOP YOUR EYE, WHICH WILL IN TURN HELP TO IMPROVE YOUR ARTISTIC PRACTICE.” JANINE GALLIZIA
This new column is just for you. Would you like to participate? It couldn’t be easier: just send us your paintings and our specialist Janine Gallizia will comment on them. In this way, you’ll have an objective opinion of your work and benefit from her rich experience, which will be of great interest to you and to all our readers. Please read the following guidelines carefully: , PHOTOS: post us good quality photos of your paintings, minimum size 10 x 15 cm (4 x 6 in), or send them by E-mail with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. , CAPTIONS: don’t forget to include your watercolour’s title and dimensions. , LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS: to be eligible for publication, your painting must not be a copy of a known work that could entail the payment of royalties. The same is true if the photo has been used for an advertisement. , YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION: don’t forget to note your name and address on the back of the photos. Please note photos cannot be returned. So that we can get to know you better, please attach / include a short letter which sums up your artistic approach. Thank you for participating and ‘happy painting!’ The Art of Watercolour ‘The Watercolour Lesson’ BP 22 – 13, avenue du Cerisier Noir 86530 Naintré – France. E-mail: editorial@artofwatercolour.com
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“Hello to The Art of Watercolour team, I would firstly like to congratulate those responsible for the creation of this great magazine, what a treasure; I hope it continues for a very long time! I am an amateur painter in watercolour and am self-taught; I have attached three images of my paintings for your ‘Watercolour lesson’ article. Your comments on my work would certainly help me progress in the Daniel Hardyns future. Thank you. ”
H
Hi Daniel, thank you for your letter and the photos of your paintings. I hope that my comments can not only highlight the strengths and weaknesses in your painting but as most painters have recurring habits in most of their paintings, this critique will very likely help you analyze your work as a whole. The majority of artists paint with a certain degree of emotion, and for this reason a technical critique of one’s painting is often difficult to hear. The emotion that a painter injects into his/her work and the emotion felt by the spectator once the piece is finished are both very important, I do not deny this, however it is the technical understanding and practice of the artist that allows these emotions to come through in the finished painting. For this reason my critique is based on technique, looking at the composition, tonal values, colour, shape, concept, first impressions and finally the painter’s practical technique.
FIRST
IMPRESSIONS
My first impressions of your painting are positive. “Winter conversation” is a simple painting with a simple idea painted with a simple technique. The message is clear and consistent. The atmosphere of a frosty winter’s day is successfully portrayed, a strong cool light attracts our eye to a couple deep in conversation along the path. The composition is easily followed and guides us around the painting freely without any major distractions or contradictions.
THE
COMPOSITION
The composition is the arrangement of shape, values and colour. The spectator’s eye is attracted to the figure on the left (1, below right). His body language pushes the eye of the viewer towards the figure on the right (2), this successfully creates the illusion of a conversation between the two. The tree on the right of the painting acts as a barrier stopping the viewer’s eye from leaving the painting (3). The eye is led up the tree and with help from the foliage then directed to the bush on the left side of the painting (4). The line of the path and the cast shadow of the figures help guide the viewer back towards the focal point (5). A simple but effective composition.
THE
TONAL VALUES
The best way to see tonal values in a painting is to convert the image into black and white (see illustration A). Tonal values are one of the most important elements in painting for creating atmosphere as they create the illusion of light, space and volume. The value range in your painting works well to suggest a cool winter’s day. In winter the sunlight is not as strong as in summer and in a painting this would translate into light values as opposed to white to suggest sunlight and a dark value as opposed to black to suggest the darkest part of shadow areas. This is the case with your painting. The light, medium and dark values in the painting are almost all well balanced, a darker foreground would have helped to balance the dark values in the
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1 4 5
2
3
Illustration B 10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Here is a tonal value range, illustrating 11 values, from white (10) to black (0). If a strong light is desired white could be reserved to illustrate areas in strong sunlight. Strong sunlight creates strong shadows, therefore the darkest parts of shadow areas would appear almost black. If a softer light was desired light values would be used to create the light areas and medium to dark values for the shadow areas.
background and create more depth (see illustration B) The light values in the painting are linked together as are the dark values, helping create a better flow throughout the composition and avoid any shape being isolated. To attract the viewer’s eye to the focal point; the two figures, a “contre-jour” lighting was used turning the figures into silhouettes against the light background which creates greater contrast. The idea was good but the execution too harsh. A hard edge all around a subject, as seen here around the figures, often gives the illusion that the shapes are stuck onto the painting rather than being an integrated element. All shapes need to be linked to another to avoid this effect, including the focal point. After looking at all the images you sent us I can see that this is a habit in your painting that needs to be addressed to take your painting to another level.
COLOUR Colour is for me the greatest weakness in “Winter conversation”, by that I refer mainly to the balancing of colour. A cool palette was chosen and helped create a crisp and frosty winter’s day. However certain colours such as the green on the path and the red-orange on the horizon are for me unnecessary distractions that upset the harmony of the rest of the painting. Neither of these colours are balanced throughout the painting which only draws more attention to them. You have a tendency to employ a different colour for each shape, I suggest you look into avoiding this in the future if you continue to paint in a traditional manner.
PRACTICAL
Conversation hivernale. 30 x 41 cm.
Illustration A
Conclusion At this stage I would encourage you to concentrate on the harmony and balance of the colours in your painting and manipulate edges to your advantage. This will help you bring your painting to the next level. There are many good points in your painting Daniel so I shall finish here by saying well done and happy painting!
TECHNIQUE
Wet-in-wet and wet-on-dry are the predominant techniques in your painting, this is not a problem however it is the cause of a lack of depth and volume in the background tree area. Some dry-on-wet work could have been a happy solution to avoid this and bring some variation into your work. The dry brush work on the path in the foreground was no doubt to create texture, closer to the figures in the middle ground this works well but the technique in the foreground is poorly applied. The use of masking fluid in the bush is too apparent. Masking fluid creates very hard and regular edges, which in this case need to be worked a little after the fluid is removed. A wash reducing contrast in certain areas or scratching the surface to break the monotony of the edges could have been solutions. Your watercolour technique and drawing are otherwise good. Your figure drawing is good and the colour applied without hesitation, well done. My final comment here will be to remind you to always try to choose the watercolour technique that best captures the desired effect, keeping in mind the effect it will have on the painting as a whole rather than working by areas.
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