Covered in ‘Light is Sweet’  –  January 2023

The 2023 Lourens River Calendars are still selling and I am printing as required.

And I have an arrangement to start teaching a watercolour class in the local art centre – which is in the process of being set up.
My intention is to hold my first class before the end of February.

I started doing a watercolour a day again.
I have spent so much time working on my website and calendars that I have not painted nearly as much as I want.  So this is one way to get back on that horse.

Paintings of feet and hands usually means ‘watercolour of the day in hotels’.

But as we begin, as usual:

This is your opportunity to pause…
Stop what you are doing.
Put aside the work.

Sit back.

Close your eyes and take a deep, breath.

Now open the mail.
Download the pictures.
Enjoy the read.

Tools, Tomatoes and – mmm – Taps:   Watercolour of the Days from January.

Last year calendars, website and consulting took up most of my creative energy.  Therefore it feels good to have started the discipline again.  On full days it feels good to stop everything and find a subject.  I have also been looking through the second-hand stores, like Animal Welfare for interesting subject matter.  Last week I found a great, old piece of equipment.  Something to present in the February edition of Light is Sweet.  Who knows I may start posting my work on Instagram again.

And here is a newsflash!

The good people at Bizweni Campus have steered their strategy strongly towards art.  I am talking with Leigh-Anne about holding an exhibition of the Lourens River paintings there.

AAAAND…

I am starting a Watercolour class

I am in final contracting with Tiana at Helderberg Fine Art studios to host a watercolour class on a Wednesday or Thursday evening.  My intention is to start this month.

If you are interested in joining us please leave me a note in the comments below.  Let me know which of those days would work for you.  I am leaning towards Thursday – 18:00 to 21:00.

My plan is to host a Three Month course with a pause for review, redesign and refocus if necessary.  I plan to cover some of those timeless topics for the watercolourist, including:

• Applying colour to paper:  I find flat washes difficult.  One of my favourite watercolourists, John Blockley, said the same.  Therefore I take heart.  At the same time I always find a well executed flat washed sky so attractive.
• Colour Strategy:  A palette based on a few carefully selected colours is more manageable, affordable and enduring.  Knowing how to mix for mute greys and vibrant colour is a key to success.
• Greens, Browns and Darks: As humans we perceive a far broader range of green than any other colour.  As a result we can more easily spot false (usually from the tube) greens.  In the same way, Umbers, Siennas and Ochres are great, but you can create more lively browns by mixing.  And there are far more lustrous darks than Ivory Black.
• Colour in design:  How you knit your colours together in your watercolour design can make or break your painting.
• Composition:  Charles Reid wrote that ‘composition was created by people who had too much time on their hands’.  He had a very simple formula.  But I must say my work improved when I gave more consideration to planning shapes and patterns in the picture space.

I don’t want this to be a long drawn out lesson in theory but a fun and practical learning experience.  So there it is. – I am very excited about this venture.

If you are interested in hearing more, please hit the button below to leave a message on my website.

Watercolour a day  – a sampling

At the beginning of the year I wanted to start my work as watercolourist again.  Therefore I started doing a watercolour a day.  Here is a sampling of the work:

Well there it is:  The first newsletter of 2023.

Please pass this around liberally and with abandon.

And have a great start to February.