The Art of Watercolour – 4th issue

The Art of Watercolour No. 4

Watercolour 4th 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

TECHNICAL GUIDE How to use gum arabic and masking fluid

A very intimate path to creativity

ALSO INSIDE DAVID TAYLOR Painting on-site and alla prima

XIDAN CHEN China’s foremost watercolourist

Lillias August Dean Mitchell Carla O’Connor Jane Freeman Éric Laurent

EXPERT ADVICE: SHAPE, VALUES, COLOUR: HOW TO CHOOSE THE MOST APPROPRIATE ONES FOR YOUR SUBJECT

L 15673 - 4 - F: 7,50 € - RD

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

JANINE GALLIZIA

QUARTERLY - SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2011 - 7,50 €

SAMPLE

Discover a true master of grace

Contents IN THE NEWS 6 FOCUS Cheng-Khee Chee exhibits 40 watercolours at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.

7 INTERNATIONAL NEWS Watercolour events from all over the world.

12 READER’S LETTERS Our answers to your questions.

14 REVELATIONS Discover our selection of noteworthy artists.

36 84 PRACTICAL GUIDE Gum arabic and masking fluid explained.

86 TECHNICAL ADVICE

DEAN MITCHELL PAINTING THE SIMPLE LIFE

Dean Mitchell injects humanity into his paintings. Regardless of the subject, the ‘simple life’ shines through.

The good use of shapes and volumes, powerful tools for the watercolourist.

90 WATERCOLOUR LESSON Tips on how to improve your paintings.

98 WATERCOLOUR CELEBRITIES Major exhibitions, shows, fairs…

See who was there.

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: M. Bodemer, 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. 4 – September-November 2011

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18 David Taylor

The landscapes of the internationallyrenowned artist are painted with free and bold strokes.

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Lillias August

The strength of her evocative watercolours comes from her astute choice of mundane subjects.

No. 4

September-November 2011

FEATURED ARTISTS

18 DAVID TAYLOR Landscapes Australia’s famed artist handles alla prima watercolour with utmost dexterity.

24 LILLIAS AUGUST Still lifes and Architecture The proof that beauty can be found in the most mundane of subjects.

32 JOHN CONSTABLE Art History

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How did the paintings of this British artist influence an entire generation of Romantic artists?

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 watercolour.

36 DEAN MITCHELL Landscapes and Portraits Dean Mitchell’s personal quest for intimacy.

44 PORTFOLIO: LIU YI Capturing life in portraits The grace and beauty of ballet dancers captured in watercolour.

54 CARLA O’CONNOR Figures Silhouetted against an abstract backdrop, her striking figures are painted in bold and colourful strokes.

60 XIDAN CHEN Landscapes Asia’s most fervent watercolour promoter.

66 JANINE GALLIZIA Flowers and Architecture Her personal approach to age-old subjects are a tribute to the limitless possibilities of watercolour.

76 JANE FREEMAN Still Lives Paintings infused with light and poetry.

92 ÉRIC LAURENT Abstract landscapes One of France’s up and coming young artists.

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REVELATIONS IN EACH ISSUE, MEET OUR FAVOURITE ARTISTS OF THE MOMENT AND IF YOU WANT TO SHARE YOUR DISCOVERIES, SEND US AN E-MAIL: editorial@artofwatercolour.com

Xue Shoutian / China Portrait.

KEY DATES Born in 1961.

1979 Accepted into Heilongjiang Province Arts School, majored in set design.

1982 Worked as a set designer and artist for the Heilongjiang Province Chinese Opera.

1985-90 Studied for a bachelor’s degree in Luxun Arts College.

Majored in etching.

1990-93 Master’s degree in the same college.

1993-present day Member of the China Artists’ Association and an associate professor at Luxun Arts College. Works shown in numerous exhibitions both in China and overseas. Has won many awards in China.

I

“I started drawing when I was a very young boy.

I have always loved watercolour, maybe because of its convenience and affordability. I used to go with my teacher to paint still life and outdoor scenes. Over time, I have grown to prefer portraits and figurative subjects for my paintings. When I started working, I did set design. To get inspiration for painting the scenery, I would often go to the countryside to do sketches. Then, I was accepted in art college; the path to becoming a professional painter seemed inevitable.

My cultural heritage and colours are deeply ingrained and entwined. Wisdom, kindness, peace and understanding are the qualities we cultivate while we are growing up and to me, they are like colours inside me. My current works are based on black tones – black, white, grey; I have absorbed the concepts of traditional Chinese painting and I use watercolour techniques and my own interpretation to put my vision onto paper.

Of course, composition and technique are important as they can help me better express my vision and choices of colour.

I think that Chinese watercolour has evolved, developing rapidly over the past decade.

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Still Life.

Individuality has become a focus point and it was obvious in last year’s watercolour biennial. Artists are treated with fairness and respect. I feel that the world of watercolour has become much smaller: Chinese artists are becoming closer to their fellow artists overseas. The biggest advantage for Chinese watercolour is that there is a large group of professional artists. We need to continue encouraging individuality, to think freely, to innovate and to reinvent ourselves.

After obtaining technique and skill, we need to focus more on artistic expression. Feeling, concept and spontaneity are the essentials, although of course you need technique to organise your composition and correctly apply paint.

Many Chinese artists have gone to other extremes. They focus too much on the single aspect of technique. Technique should not just be about how to use brushes or paint, but also how to capture ideas, concepts and feelings.

Every artist should have a vision in their mind. It doesn’t matter if it is realistic, impressionistic or abstract, as long as the artist can reproduce this vision on paper with adequate technique, it is enough.”

W ATERCOLOUR N O .4 / S EPTEMBER -N OVEMBER 2011

PHOTOS: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Anne Bagby / USA

Modern Woman. 2008.

Mixed media, 20.3 x 53.3 cm. © Anne Bagby.

D. R.

I KEY DATES 1970s Bachelor of Arts, Queens College, North Carolina, and teaching diploma, North Carolina University.

1987 One painting selected by ‘Art In Embassies’, U.S. Department of State.

1996 First exhibitions.

1997 First place, Experimental painting, Artist Magazine competition.

Since 2004 Gives numerous courses and workshops in mixed media.

2009 Published her DVD Paper, Patterns and Glazing.

2010 Exhibited her new series, ‘Remembrance and Reality’ in Dallas, Hollywood, Chattanooga, etc.

“I employ a combination of printmaking and painting with layers of colour, glaze, texture and pattern. The paintings play with the boundaries between design and texture. My work is deliberately formal and beautiful.

The quilt tradition, oriental rugs, and kaleidoscopes inspire the fabric-like look, the lack of volume and deep space and the use of multiple images. In these paintings, the edges are firm and significant, but the surface is my primary concern. Layers of glaze over layers of pattern, over collage and stitching: colour, shape, texture and the human face. My paintings are concerned with the relationships we have with the world and with ourselves and with whom we want the world to think we are. I paint these surfaces. My interest in pattern, shape, design and the tradition of practical art that women have traditionally created led me to quilt squares. Some are designs, some have images. I like how these pieces worked in their groupings, the square format and the amount of pattern I could use on each piece. They were the transition pieces between my still lifes and the work I am doing now.”

CONTACT http://web.me.com/annebagby/Anne_Bagby/home.html E-mail: annebagby@bellsouth.net October Girl. 2008.

Mixed media, 30.5 x 30.5 cm. © Anne Bagby.

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Janine Gallizia

PAINTING AS

A RITE OF PASSAGE 66

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AN IMPORTANT FIGURE IN THE WORLD OF EUROPEAN WATERCOLOUR, JANINE GALLIZIA, ALTHOUGH STILL A YOUNG ARTIST, HAS ALREADY LIVED MANY ARTISTIC LIVES. EACH ONE IS A NEW CYCLE AS SHE IS DRIVEN EVER ON BY HER RELENTLESS SEARCHING. THE NEWEST CYCLE MARKS A TRANSITION TO WHAT SHE CALLS ‘FLUID POINTILLISM’

Raphaël’s roses I. 2010. 56 x 76 cm.

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SWAN HARMONY No. 3 78 X 108 CM.

Liu Yi LIGHT AND GRACE HIS GREAT MASTERY OF WET WATERCOLOUR TECHNIQUES AND HIS ETERNAL QUEST FOR BEAUTY HAVE MADE THIS ARTIST THE NEW IDOL OF CHINESE WATERCOLOUR. MOVING WITH EASE FROM LANDSCAPE PAINTING TO THE SECRETIVE WORLD OF CLASSICAL DANCERS, HIS LAST SERIES TO DATE, HIS PAINTINGS CONVEY THE IMPRESSION OF A DREAMLIKE GENTLENESS THAT BORDERS ON PERFECTION.

THE ARTIST

Dean

MEET

Simplelife

Small Town Mechanic. 2010. 38 x 25.5 cm.

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Mitchell

painting

DEAN MITCHELL INJECTS HUMANITY INTO HIS PAINTINGS. REGARDLESS OF HIS SUBJECT, THE ‘SIMPLE LIFE’ SHINES THROUGH. HIS PAINTINGS ARE MADE UP OF ORDINARY PEOPLE IN ORDINARY POSES AND EVERYDAY ARCHITECTURE, WITH SOCIAL COMMENTARY UNDERNEATH.

Pieces of Yesterday. 25.5 x 38 cm.

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