Several Pateley Bridge Art Club members submitted paintings for the Turner on the Ure Award. Professional and non-professional artists were invited to submit works drawing inspiration from the same locations visited by JMW Turner when he sketched in West Tanfield, Masham and Grewelthorpe (Hackfall Woods) areas of Yorkshire in 1816.
Entries were judged by Philip Spellacy MA and Sir Stephen Furness. Barbara Ward came first in the competition with her watercolour of Hackfall Woods and John Exley’s painting of the Marmion Tower in West Tanfield was highly commended. The paintings are currently on display in the Bruce Arms, West Tanfield.
On the 6th August, Audrey, Penny and Barbara attended the Turner on the Ure painting day at Jervaulx Abbey to commemorate JMW Turner’s sketching tour of Yorkshire in 1816, which had included a visit to Jervaulx. The event was sponsored by Pip Seymour Paints who kindly supplied free watercolour paint based on the pigments that were available to Turner in the 18th Century. Tuition was given by Nigel Overton. We thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of using such a limited palette in such a beautiful location.
Nine members of the Art Club and friends from Kent attended a challenging watercolour workshop led by Paul Talbot-Greaves, who attempted to free up our painting styles. Paul has written extensively about watercolour painting and runs courses and workshops throughout the UK. We were fortunate to have such a talented and patient tutor, who gave an excellent demonstration of a very loose style of landscape painting, which inspired us to have a go ourselves. Paul’s excellent advice and encouragement helped us all to become ‘loose women!’
Colin Swinton gave a demonstration of how to create granulating colours in watercolour washes. He showed where to use them, how to graduate colour washes and add dry brush strokes.
Colin recommended using cold pressed watercolour paper (“not” paper). Rough watercolour paper could also be used. Hot pressed paper and stretched “not” paper did not work well.
Of the many colours that granulate, Colin chose some popular ones in combination to demonstrate the effect of granulation and colour separation.
• Burnt sienna and french ultramarine blue.
• Lemon yellow and french ultramarine blue.
• Raw sienna and cerulean blue.
• Cobalt violet and raw sienna.
As a demonstration painting, Colin chose a cottage scene. It was roughly drawn to create interesting shapes. He started with some brown on the cottage.
He then made a wet wash sky using two mixes of blue and encouraged separation by tilting the paper to move the wet washes across the paper, adding dark colours to create more interest.
He painted the foreground in yellow and added darker dry brushwork for a textured look.
The cottage was brought forward with the dark green trees and a graduated red across the roof.
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The finished demonstration painting illustrating the techniques of granulation, graduated colours and dragged dry brush
Further examples of Colin Swinton’s watercolour paintings
There is a chinese brush painting workshop at Broadbelt Hall, Glasshouses, Pateley Bridge HG3 5QY on Tuesday 21st June 2016 from 10am to 4pm. Cost £15.
Charles will be demonstrating how to use the brushes, load with ink or colour and make the strokes to paint traditional subjects.
Subjects will be calligraphy, bamboo, orchid and birds. Other subjects can be covered if time allows.
Chinese paper, ink, colours and brushes will be provided as well as sample images.
Please bring a soft absorbent support or newspaper, 2 water pots and mixing pallets, saucers or plates.
Successful local artist Neil Simone gave an illustrated talk on his “45 years as a painter” using the new overhead camera, microphone and projection system.
Neil talked about about his career from graphic design and as a self taught painter in Wembley, moving to Harrogate, then setting up in Whixley and today in Glasshouses.
Even though his early paintings in a variety of styles sold they were not distinct enough to enable him to have a one man show. He learnt from this difficulty, listened to curators advice to paint what interested and inspired him. He developed a unique style of altered reality, merging landscapes and domestic features with an element of fantasy.
One of his many ideas was his easel illusion. This is a painting apparently on an easel with further levels of the illusion of paintings stacked in front, as illustrated. This is all painted on a thin flat board. This opened up further opportunities to display in galleries.
He repeated this format to make further large “easel” paintings and some in smaller sizes.
His many ideas in his unique style of multiple images in ambiguous combinations have lead to national and international interest. His paintings have sold world wide.
He increased his sales with quality prints at affordable prices.
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Neil paints in traditional oils on gesso surfaces and on smooth clay board. He uses low odour thinners and Liquin to enable him to paint smoothly with watercolour brushes to give better control than traditional stiff hog hair brushes. Liquin also reduces the long drying time of traditional oil paintings.
He uses a mahl stick to rest his painting hand above the painting surface to keep control of the fine brushstrokes.
Neil gave a short demonstration of trees in a grassy landscape. He showed how diluted oil colours could be easily mixed together, moved around and blended on the surface to make varied colours and textures.
His paintings can be seen in Sutcliffe Galleries in Harrogate, Artful Arts in Pateley Bridge High Street and on his website https://neilsimone.com
Paul Talbot-Greaves painted a Pennine landscape in watercolour on 300lb paper from a photograph. He used a camera and projector together with a sound system.
Paul applied an initial light washes, warm and cool to each area.
He painted the treeline in loose style and houses more defined
Darker colours for grass, road and wall. Water spray on wall and roadside.
Wall better defined. Browns and greens added for vegetation.
Painted lamps, fence, smoke and dark lines in wall.
Painting at end of demonstration.
