My watercolor Christmas card to my readers!
I wish you all the best in 2012!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
International Watercolor Biennale Art-Bridge, St.Petersburg, 2011
21.12.11. 17.00 @ The Artist Union exhibition hall in St.Petersburg, Russia. Some photos.
A part of the exhibition hall.
Me against my wall.
Konstantin Sterkhov. Mother. White Sari. 2009
Friday, December 16, 2011
Z. Wishes Merry Christmas To All!
Joseph Zbukvic wishes Merry Christmas to all who reads it! His latest photo and congrats from Facebook.
Joseph Zbukvic
Some New Works By Old Acquaintances
Atanas Matsoureff. Morning Coffee. 55x68.2011
Milind Malik. Bullock Cart.
Sergey Temerev. Pumpkin Seeds. 61x46. 2011
Some Art from Serbia
These works were posted on other Russian watercolor blog. A watercolor lover represented Watercolors from Serbia.
Djurdja Vilagostesic
Branislav Markovic
Cenderia Penova. Awakening
Dragoslav Husar
Endre Penovac
Andrey Sklyarenko
Couples of days ago I found this great artist from the list of Shanghai Biennale. I checked and found he is a teacher in the Repin Academy of Fine Arts which I graduated from. Enjoy! He is a master of composition.
Andrey Sklyarenko
Andrey Sklyarenko
Andrey Sklyarenko
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Nicholas Simmons. Interview. Dec, 2011
Here is the interview with Nicholas Simmons, innovative water media artist from US, the member of North American Watercolor Artists group, ambassador of Da Vinci Paint and Escoda Artist Brushes, judge representing the Americas at the Shanghai Zhujiajiao International Watercolour Biennial Exhibition in 2010, 2012. Enjoy, it is GREAT!
Hi, Nick.
I saw only a few short extracts from your videos, perhaps I would have all the answers to my questions if I saw the whole video, so please forgive me if some answers seem to be obvious. ..and sorry for my English)
I have looked through the available paintings of yours in internet. Of course I couldn`t get a live impression but they look like batik technique (I tried something like this long ago when I took a couple of lessons of painting on silk).My version of the "batik" technique isn't real batik, but rather a method that mimics the effect. I do it by washing away paint from the surface. I don't use it on many paintings, but it has been popular in workshops and is explained in my DVD. It is very good for obtaining organic-looking textures and patterns.
I was endorsing another brush that was a very good value for the money, and I had other brushes of various brands that were professional grade. I had been hearing raves about Escodas for years, but never actually tried one until last summer while giving a workshop in France. I was instantly hooked, and then I received a phone call from Ricard Escoda, and things developed from there. I've just returned from touring the factory outside of Barcelona and was very impressed by the materials and craftsmanship that goes into making the brushes. Decades of tradition coupled with technology and human skill. The point on the round brushes is beyond compare. I use rounds and flats, and my signature set comprises five synthetics: #8, 12, 16, 20 rounds, and a #18 mottler (1 1/2" flat). Of course I have the entire 1410 Barroco round line my series is based on, in addition to the full line of flats, and their line of Reserve kolinskys. For my series, I chose the medium stiffness of the Gold Toray fiber for its endurance and versatility with all forms of watermedia; I only use the kolinskys with straight watercolor. I'm convinced they are the best brush made.
I have no system regarding palettes, arrangement, number of colors, etc. I know very little about pigments or even color theory, everything I do is quite intuitive. I will say that after using most of the popular brands of paint, I settled on Da Vinci -- well before they sponsored me. And I was delighted when they started their fluid acrylic line (smartly based on the watercolor palette), so everything I do is with one brand. Top artist quality, and they blow away everyone on price.
Usually Fabriano 140 lb. hot or cold press -- in rolls so I'm not limited by size or shape.
You came to painting from music. Did you have someone as authorities in painting who would be like a guru, or a goal to reach, or a source of inspiration?
The aforementioned Valfred Thëlin was my first and most important mentor, a walking encyclopedia of watercolor techniques and styles. He got me painting on 30" x 40" watercolor board from the beginning, so size was never an intimidating factor. Probably 90% of the paintings I did back then were strictly from imagination without any drawing or planning, just reacting to the medium. I think this was important in developing creativity and adaptability. I miss him dearly! (see tribute on my blog) My next most important watercolor influence was Barbara Nechis, the purest watercolorist I've ever seen in terms of truly working in the moment. Her considerable influence on the watercolor world is not acknowledged nearly enough, and she is the best negative painter, ever. I was also influenced by other watercolorists too numerous to mention. After "watercolor overload" I started getting interested in other painters -- Sargent, Whistler, and Sorolla, for example, and the prints of Robert Motherwell and Mauricio Lasansky. I then got burned out on the art scene, abandoned it for music, and only returned many years later. I'm familiar with the work of most of the top watercolorists, but my favorite artists these days are oil painters Alex Kanevsky and Lita Cabellut.
It's difficult to be objective, and I've learned to take a fairly detached attitude towards it all. Some paintings burst out of the starting gate but lose my interest over time, others take a while for me to appreciate. I feel best about the ones that required faith in my own instincts while meandering through the labyrinth of uncertainty, poised on the precipice of disaster. When it works, the rewards are much greater than playing by the book.
Hi, Nick.
I saw only a few short extracts from your videos, perhaps I would have all the answers to my questions if I saw the whole video, so please forgive me if some answers seem to be obvious. ..and sorry for my English)
I have looked through the available paintings of yours in internet. Of course I couldn`t get a live impression but they look like batik technique (I tried something like this long ago when I took a couple of lessons of painting on silk).My version of the "batik" technique isn't real batik, but rather a method that mimics the effect. I do it by washing away paint from the surface. I don't use it on many paintings, but it has been popular in workshops and is explained in my DVD. It is very good for obtaining organic-looking textures and patterns.
Nicholas Simmons. Tokio Express. 41`x41` 2008
So is the idea of the technique to create some borders to experiment within reserved areas?
Yes. Results are dictated by how wet/dry the paint is, and how forcefully it is sprayed or washed off. The technique can be done with straight watercolor or acrylic watercolor.
It looks like a compromise between of control and spontaneity. Which of them is closer to you?
Controlled spontaneity might be the best characterization. With some notable exceptions, I'm not usually attracted to paintings that look overly controlled or calculated -- I like to see the medium working on its own, and evidence of the artist taking a chance. It's easy to be spontaneous in watercolor on a small scale, more difficult to be so on a large scale. In any case, I make an effort to at least create the illusion of spontaneity.
Lots of effects in your works are made by water but I saw in your video your confidence. Do you plan the process in details before you start and trying to follow the rout or you are pretty flexible in any stage of your work?
I have found that rigidly adhering to a plan or vision can make the work suffer. The paint is a much better artist than I am, and almost always does something more interesting than anything I could invent. So, while I typically have a general idea of how I want things to look, I'm quite OK when the painting takes an unexpected turn, and I enjoy going along for the ride. This is where intuition and imagination come into most critical play, and the medium and artist truly work in concert. I subscribe to Alvaro Castagnet's saying: "I'm not interested in your knowledge, I'm interested in your intuition -- that's where genius resides." My "comfort zone" is not really having a clear idea of where I'm going, just as a musician who improvises can't tell you what he'll play in the next chorus. Hopefully some of that danger and excitement comes through in the finished work.
Liquid acrylic paint is not on the Russian market. We actually don`t know it yet. Is it different from the traditional watercolor paint? Does it behave differently? Do you consider it a traditional watercolor technique or something completely new?
Many people credit me with the term "acrylic watercolor." I did not coin the expression, I first heard it from the late, great American watercolorist Valfred Thëlin. It is simply acrylic paint thinned with water and used in the watercolor technique. Fluid acrylic paint is my preference, but any acrylic paint can be used. There exists a lot of ignorance about this in the traditional watercolor world. Foremost is the notion that use of acrylic necessarily means opaque application. This is completely wrong. I do a demonstration in the first minutes of all my workshops that quickly dispels this myth (to the surprise of onlookers), showing that acrylic paint can be used with beautiful transparency -- just as straight watercolor can be used opaquely. It's amazing to me how few painters know this basic fact. There is the gross misconception that using acrylic is easier because "you can cover up mistakes," but this can be done with any medium when applied heavily. Most all of my work is transparent, whether in acrylic or straight watercolor. Properly done, an acrylic watercolor is indistinguishable from a straight watercolor. Why use it? Permanence; straight watercolor can move when rewet, acrylic watercolor does not, which is useful in a variety of situations. In that sense, acrylic watercolor is actually more difficult than straight watercolor because once it's dry, it's there forever and can't be lifted. No mistakes allowed! In the end, both versions of watercolor have their advantages and disadvantages, and that's why I use them, alone or in combination.
How do you work on your painting – do you finish it at once or in several approaches?
Some of them happen in one go, others get to a point that requires fresh eyes and decisions. They get put away in the "curing shed" while I think about them, or alternatively, forget about them. I like how Alex Kanevsky talks about this phase: "As far as I'm concerned, I'm working on them." I go back to them days, weeks, months later to find that the next step is obvious, or that I can't even remember what I didn't like before. As a result, I usually have several paintings in various stages of development at any given time.
How do you develop the idea? Do you make some sketches or prefer to use ready material?I rarely make sketches and never make value studies. I see it all in my head, and know things will change during the course of the painting, anyway. The ideas are either from imagination or manipulation of photographic references, often both.
Yes. Results are dictated by how wet/dry the paint is, and how forcefully it is sprayed or washed off. The technique can be done with straight watercolor or acrylic watercolor.
It looks like a compromise between of control and spontaneity. Which of them is closer to you?
Controlled spontaneity might be the best characterization. With some notable exceptions, I'm not usually attracted to paintings that look overly controlled or calculated -- I like to see the medium working on its own, and evidence of the artist taking a chance. It's easy to be spontaneous in watercolor on a small scale, more difficult to be so on a large scale. In any case, I make an effort to at least create the illusion of spontaneity.
Nicholas Simmons. Nassau #4. 38`x38` 2008
I have found that rigidly adhering to a plan or vision can make the work suffer. The paint is a much better artist than I am, and almost always does something more interesting than anything I could invent. So, while I typically have a general idea of how I want things to look, I'm quite OK when the painting takes an unexpected turn, and I enjoy going along for the ride. This is where intuition and imagination come into most critical play, and the medium and artist truly work in concert. I subscribe to Alvaro Castagnet's saying: "I'm not interested in your knowledge, I'm interested in your intuition -- that's where genius resides." My "comfort zone" is not really having a clear idea of where I'm going, just as a musician who improvises can't tell you what he'll play in the next chorus. Hopefully some of that danger and excitement comes through in the finished work.
Nicholas Simmons. Fresh Sushi. 41`x41` 2007
Many people credit me with the term "acrylic watercolor." I did not coin the expression, I first heard it from the late, great American watercolorist Valfred Thëlin. It is simply acrylic paint thinned with water and used in the watercolor technique. Fluid acrylic paint is my preference, but any acrylic paint can be used. There exists a lot of ignorance about this in the traditional watercolor world. Foremost is the notion that use of acrylic necessarily means opaque application. This is completely wrong. I do a demonstration in the first minutes of all my workshops that quickly dispels this myth (to the surprise of onlookers), showing that acrylic paint can be used with beautiful transparency -- just as straight watercolor can be used opaquely. It's amazing to me how few painters know this basic fact. There is the gross misconception that using acrylic is easier because "you can cover up mistakes," but this can be done with any medium when applied heavily. Most all of my work is transparent, whether in acrylic or straight watercolor. Properly done, an acrylic watercolor is indistinguishable from a straight watercolor. Why use it? Permanence; straight watercolor can move when rewet, acrylic watercolor does not, which is useful in a variety of situations. In that sense, acrylic watercolor is actually more difficult than straight watercolor because once it's dry, it's there forever and can't be lifted. No mistakes allowed! In the end, both versions of watercolor have their advantages and disadvantages, and that's why I use them, alone or in combination.
Nicholas Simmons. Olga Ivanova. 97`x97` 2011
Some of them happen in one go, others get to a point that requires fresh eyes and decisions. They get put away in the "curing shed" while I think about them, or alternatively, forget about them. I like how Alex Kanevsky talks about this phase: "As far as I'm concerned, I'm working on them." I go back to them days, weeks, months later to find that the next step is obvious, or that I can't even remember what I didn't like before. As a result, I usually have several paintings in various stages of development at any given time.
Nicholas Simmons. Russian Woman. 127x127 cm, 2010
Nicholas Simmons. Sevillana. 97x97.2011
Your artistic approach is so innovating that any coincidence could be taken as acceptable. Do you have something you consider mistakes and how you would determine them? Does your approach allow you to correct your mistakes or you have to start a new painting every time?
"Mistakes" are not always bad things per se, only things that were not part of my original vision. This brings up a very critical moment in the process: letting go of a preconceived idea in favor of something that might be just as good, or even better. I have noticed this is most difficult for developing artists to accept, but for me it's the threshold to new horizons and discoveries. It's like hitting an unintended note in musical improvisation, which can propel things in a new direction superior to the original intention. If the errors are serious enough to ruin the effort, I then go into super-experimental mode, an opportunity I relish. Aside from that, occasionally I employ safety mechanisms that allow for error, especially where experience has taught me to expect it! 
Night Lights. Lord & Taylor. 29`x37, 2006
About the material. How did you come to use Escoda brushes, the brand that you represent. Is there any big difference with other brushes? Do you prefer to work with flat or round ones?
I was endorsing another brush that was a very good value for the money, and I had other brushes of various brands that were professional grade. I had been hearing raves about Escodas for years, but never actually tried one until last summer while giving a workshop in France. I was instantly hooked, and then I received a phone call from Ricard Escoda, and things developed from there. I've just returned from touring the factory outside of Barcelona and was very impressed by the materials and craftsmanship that goes into making the brushes. Decades of tradition coupled with technology and human skill. The point on the round brushes is beyond compare. I use rounds and flats, and my signature set comprises five synthetics: #8, 12, 16, 20 rounds, and a #18 mottler (1 1/2" flat). Of course I have the entire 1410 Barroco round line my series is based on, in addition to the full line of flats, and their line of Reserve kolinskys. For my series, I chose the medium stiffness of the Gold Toray fiber for its endurance and versatility with all forms of watermedia; I only use the kolinskys with straight watercolor. I'm convinced they are the best brush made.
Do you limit your palette? How many colors do you use? Do you like to mix them on the palette or let them mix right on the painting?
I have no system regarding palettes, arrangement, number of colors, etc. I know very little about pigments or even color theory, everything I do is quite intuitive. I will say that after using most of the popular brands of paint, I settled on Da Vinci -- well before they sponsored me. And I was delighted when they started their fluid acrylic line (smartly based on the watercolor palette), so everything I do is with one brand. Top artist quality, and they blow away everyone on price.
Nicholas Simmons. Xin Jin #4. 84`x84` 2011
Your paper choice?
Usually Fabriano 140 lb. hot or cold press -- in rolls so I'm not limited by size or shape.
You came to painting from music. Did you have someone as authorities in painting who would be like a guru, or a goal to reach, or a source of inspiration?
The aforementioned Valfred Thëlin was my first and most important mentor, a walking encyclopedia of watercolor techniques and styles. He got me painting on 30" x 40" watercolor board from the beginning, so size was never an intimidating factor. Probably 90% of the paintings I did back then were strictly from imagination without any drawing or planning, just reacting to the medium. I think this was important in developing creativity and adaptability. I miss him dearly! (see tribute on my blog) My next most important watercolor influence was Barbara Nechis, the purest watercolorist I've ever seen in terms of truly working in the moment. Her considerable influence on the watercolor world is not acknowledged nearly enough, and she is the best negative painter, ever. I was also influenced by other watercolorists too numerous to mention. After "watercolor overload" I started getting interested in other painters -- Sargent, Whistler, and Sorolla, for example, and the prints of Robert Motherwell and Mauricio Lasansky. I then got burned out on the art scene, abandoned it for music, and only returned many years later. I'm familiar with the work of most of the top watercolorists, but my favorite artists these days are oil painters Alex Kanevsky and Lita Cabellut.
Nicholas Simmons. Xin Jin #5. 91`x50`, 2011
What is your attitude to your ready works? What do you feel about a finished work?
It's difficult to be objective, and I've learned to take a fairly detached attitude towards it all. Some paintings burst out of the starting gate but lose my interest over time, others take a while for me to appreciate. I feel best about the ones that required faith in my own instincts while meandering through the labyrinth of uncertainty, poised on the precipice of disaster. When it works, the rewards are much greater than playing by the book.
Amateur Artist`s Work
I truly like this portrait painted by amateur artist Lisbeth Johansson during my Portrait course last summer in Akverellcenter, Sweden. It is very simple by it pulls your attention and emotions. Bravo, Lisbeth!
Lisbeth Johansson. Sigge.
Thomas W. Schaller, painted in November
Very fresh works by Thomas Schaller. Also very different by their sizes!
Thomas Schaller. Pilgrim`s Progress. 40`x27` 29.11.2011
Thomas Schaller. Greeck`s Streets. 9`x9` 10.11.2011
Just Good Paintings...
Some paintings inspiring me lately...
Joseph Zbukvich. Overview.
Atanas Matsoureff. Rest. 50x72. 2011
Laurentino Marti. Fachado De Arco.
Friday, December 2, 2011
My New DVD - PORTRAIT
Dear Art Friend,
I have an honor to represent a new DVD that I will start selling from January 2012.
In my new product I am demonstrating the complete process of creating the human image from the scratch.
You will see all steps of Academist approach – how to make the composition, how to lead the drawing, how to start-continue-and-finish the painting. I am focusing on many technical aspects such as colors selection and mixtures, dry-and-wet approach, the order of the stages of work. My artistic tips will help you to master such complicated object as human image. The only thing - I have to apologize for my broken English in my comments:)
Only in December 2011 I am offering a great discount for a new DVD “PORTRAIT PAINTING. ACADEMIST APPROACH”. 100 minutes of painting only for 31 euro (norm.39 .-) incl. postage. There is also a bonus video on the DVD.
Let me know if you would like to purchase the DVD early enough - it might arrive before Christmas!
Notice, if you have Mac, it will play the DVD only with VLCplayer. Also might be difficulties with DVD players which do not play PAL system (in US for instance).
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Model from Sweden
Recently I received some photos from my course in Sweden. Here is a model sitting)
Sometimes it turned away from me but finally we managed.
Of course it was much easier to be a model myself. But after 25 years of a break in self-portraiting I had a shock facing the changes)
The new DVD with portraits is available. It includes 100 minutes of portrait painting with comments and many useful tips.
Sometimes it turned away from me but finally we managed.
Of course it was much easier to be a model myself. But after 25 years of a break in self-portraiting I had a shock facing the changes)
The new DVD with portraits is available. It includes 100 minutes of portrait painting with comments and many useful tips.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Piet Lap - Interview 16.11.2011
Here is the interview with a marvelous Dutch painter Piet Lap, given to me by e-mail couples of days ago. It`s a material of a great value to me!
When did you fall in love with watercolor?
It was in my first year as a student at the Art-academy in Tilburg-holland. I already loved outdoor/ after-nature drawing but it was my inspiring teacher Bob Buys, who was chairman of the Dutch Watercolour
Society,who initiated us in the fascinating world of watercolour. Just sitting along a channel or on a junkyard, nothing else to bother, great fun!
Do you consider watercolor a painting or graphic medium?
Watercolouring is, of course, painting; not just filling in colours in a drawing.
Do you wait for inspiration or you feel like painting every day?Inspiration is an often abused word, mostly as an excuse not to paint. Just start working, inspiration will eventually meet you in the process.
What is the most inspiring theme or object for you?
I did a lot of still-lives over the past years, mostly using glass-panels and mirrors to create a small world full of uncertain boundaries, vague ideas of space, foreground and background. Nowadays my main objects are landscapes. You see, I like travelling. I am not sure wether this urge comes from the desire to go and paint somewhere, or, the other way round, painting is just an alibi to travel.I guess the truth lies somewhere in between. I can be fascinated by the colours of a Moroccan soukh, as well as the tragic carcasses of shipwrecks in a bay in Brittany, or the theatrical changing light over a Scottish Loch. There is a painting waiting for you in almost every landscape, if you can catch it on the right moment, with a surprising light and point of view and, above all,with the right state of mind.
Do you finish your works on a spot sometimes or you prefer to paint them in studio?
I prefer working on the spot. I lose spontaneity in doing things over in my studio, though the technical circumstances are better there.
What is the importance of drawing when you paint with watercolors? Is it necessary to learn basic drawing first or one can become a watercolor master without it?
A difficult question. You can make great watercolours without any tracé of drawing-skills ( see: Emil Nolde), but if you don't have that skills in your luggage you will fail in a lot of subjects. For example: a ship lying in the water the way it does, is without a correct drawing seldom convincing. Another example: there are lots of watercolours ( see the internet) of streetscenes with people strolling around. Only few of them are convincing. Mostly people are reduced or degraded to a kind of 'aliens', just simple trunks with two pointed sticks under it. Horrible sight ! Seldom a credible interpretation but merely an illustration of unableness.
Do you have any special theory about colors and mixes? What are your color preferencies?
If so, a satisfying answer takes too long.
What is the part of imagination in your work?
My work is an interpretation of reality, more than imgination.I never felt figuration a burden to shake off. On the contrary: I look upon working after observation as a source of elementary painters'pleasure: you see better and you see more.
I didn`t see many figurative objects in your painting. Is a human nature of no interest to you?
Though I painted people and portraits, you are quite right: they are underrepresented in my website.
What is your approach to painting – do you spend some time to develop an idea or you start and finish in one breath? I mean do you paint spontaneously or work out the idea first?
I have no specific approach that I am aware of. It all depends on the subject you paint, on intuition, on your mood for an experimental approach and on the outdoor circumstances. Making a watercolour is like chess-playing: try to think about the two or three next steps you intend to make, eventually prepare a sufficient amount of some colours and in the meantime you will feel your adrenaline rising. That's a good sign. Don't rigidly stick to your plan, ideas can change on your way, so be receptive. If you act, do it with speed and determination, all the way.
What are your preference in colors (brands), brushes (size, shape, material), paper (quality, brand)?
About that gear: I use tubes( no blocks) of Winsor&Newton, Talens and Scheveningen( Dutch brands). I have 40 colours on my palette, far too much of course but half of them I seldom use( just in case...). Brushes: some expensive Kolinsky-marter brushes, some cheap flat brushes, but mostly Da Vinci Cosmotop-mix in all sizes, from 6 to 32. I tried all sorts of paper in my life but nowadays I stick to Arches-Torchon 300 ans 640grs for landscapes, Schoeller-Hammer Torchon for still-lives( you can torture this paper!)
Did you have some artists who would influence you when you started painting with watercolor?
I can't recall it ,but I do remember the moment I held in my very hands,in the London Victoria&Albert-museum, the watercolours of R.P.Bonington (19th century), the Mozart under de British watercolourists(he also died very young). And there is that painting-devil and genius John Singer Sargent who will always remain a standard in the world of watercolour.
Would you select some country where in your opinion tradition of watercolor medium is the most supported and appreciated? Do you teach your approach in watercolor?
Some remarks on these questions: Studying the internet, especially the websites of American watercolourists, it becomes clear that there is quite a difference between what I would call their marketing-strategy and my approach. Lots of them have won Awards for some mysterious reason, are members of several Societies, sell glicee-prints & DVD's and, even the less-talented, give masterclasses thus spreading around some painting-tricks and create lots of epigones who try to copy the way the 'master' Works. I have to admit that, unfortunally, I have little marketing-talent. In my younger days,being a teacher at an Art-Academy, I gave a lot of 'masterclasses'. I think I have pulled my weight. You see, I am 68 now, still working on new projects. Time has become precious for me, so I try to avoid things that distract me from working and concentrating.
Could you accent something most important to master the watercolor?
Could you accent something most important to master the watercolor?
What keeps me going is the hope that some lucky day I will make a satisfying watercolour: nothing more, but also nothing less! And to all fellow-watercolourists I would say: Remember, our best work has
still to come, maybe tomorrow... or the day after. Wait and see..
Piet Lap - watercolor artist
When did you fall in love with watercolor?
It was in my first year as a student at the Art-academy in Tilburg-holland. I already loved outdoor/ after-nature drawing but it was my inspiring teacher Bob Buys, who was chairman of the Dutch Watercolour
Society,who initiated us in the fascinating world of watercolour. Just sitting along a channel or on a junkyard, nothing else to bother, great fun!
Piet Lap. Dutch Landscape 1.
Do you consider watercolor a painting or graphic medium?
Watercolouring is, of course, painting; not just filling in colours in a drawing.
Piet Lap. South Harris Hedriges
I did a lot of still-lives over the past years, mostly using glass-panels and mirrors to create a small world full of uncertain boundaries, vague ideas of space, foreground and background. Nowadays my main objects are landscapes. You see, I like travelling. I am not sure wether this urge comes from the desire to go and paint somewhere, or, the other way round, painting is just an alibi to travel.I guess the truth lies somewhere in between. I can be fascinated by the colours of a Moroccan soukh, as well as the tragic carcasses of shipwrecks in a bay in Brittany, or the theatrical changing light over a Scottish Loch. There is a painting waiting for you in almost every landscape, if you can catch it on the right moment, with a surprising light and point of view and, above all,with the right state of mind.
Piet Lap. Benodet. Bretagne.
I prefer working on the spot. I lose spontaneity in doing things over in my studio, though the technical circumstances are better there.
Piet Lap. Port Rhu Douarnenez Bretagne.
A difficult question. You can make great watercolours without any tracé of drawing-skills ( see: Emil Nolde), but if you don't have that skills in your luggage you will fail in a lot of subjects. For example: a ship lying in the water the way it does, is without a correct drawing seldom convincing. Another example: there are lots of watercolours ( see the internet) of streetscenes with people strolling around. Only few of them are convincing. Mostly people are reduced or degraded to a kind of 'aliens', just simple trunks with two pointed sticks under it. Horrible sight ! Seldom a credible interpretation but merely an illustration of unableness.
Piet Lap. Petra Jordanie 1.
If so, a satisfying answer takes too long.
Piet Lap. River Degli Schiavoni
My work is an interpretation of reality, more than imgination.I never felt figuration a burden to shake off. On the contrary: I look upon working after observation as a source of elementary painters'pleasure: you see better and you see more.
Piet Lap. Stac Lee St. Kilda
Though I painted people and portraits, you are quite right: they are underrepresented in my website.
Piet Lap. Cimetiere Des Bateaux
I have no specific approach that I am aware of. It all depends on the subject you paint, on intuition, on your mood for an experimental approach and on the outdoor circumstances. Making a watercolour is like chess-playing: try to think about the two or three next steps you intend to make, eventually prepare a sufficient amount of some colours and in the meantime you will feel your adrenaline rising. That's a good sign. Don't rigidly stick to your plan, ideas can change on your way, so be receptive. If you act, do it with speed and determination, all the way.
Piet Lap. Still Life 9.
About that gear: I use tubes( no blocks) of Winsor&Newton, Talens and Scheveningen( Dutch brands). I have 40 colours on my palette, far too much of course but half of them I seldom use( just in case...). Brushes: some expensive Kolinsky-marter brushes, some cheap flat brushes, but mostly Da Vinci Cosmotop-mix in all sizes, from 6 to 32. I tried all sorts of paper in my life but nowadays I stick to Arches-Torchon 300 ans 640grs for landscapes, Schoeller-Hammer Torchon for still-lives( you can torture this paper!)
Piet Lap. Still Life 16.
I can't recall it ,but I do remember the moment I held in my very hands,in the London Victoria&Albert-museum, the watercolours of R.P.Bonington (19th century), the Mozart under de British watercolourists(he also died very young). And there is that painting-devil and genius John Singer Sargent who will always remain a standard in the world of watercolour.
Piet Lap. Yorkshire Cliffs.
Some remarks on these questions: Studying the internet, especially the websites of American watercolourists, it becomes clear that there is quite a difference between what I would call their marketing-strategy and my approach. Lots of them have won Awards for some mysterious reason, are members of several Societies, sell glicee-prints & DVD's and, even the less-talented, give masterclasses thus spreading around some painting-tricks and create lots of epigones who try to copy the way the 'master' Works. I have to admit that, unfortunally, I have little marketing-talent. In my younger days,being a teacher at an Art-Academy, I gave a lot of 'masterclasses'. I think I have pulled my weight. You see, I am 68 now, still working on new projects. Time has become precious for me, so I try to avoid things that distract me from working and concentrating.
Piet Lap. River.
You can't master it, watercolouring. You will always start 'tabula rasa',with a frightening empty sheet of paper.
What keeps me going is the hope that some lucky day I will make a satisfying watercolour: nothing more, but also nothing less! And to all fellow-watercolourists I would say: Remember, our best work has
still to come, maybe tomorrow... or the day after. Wait and see..