Transforming a blank page is the essence of art.
All of my creations begin with white paper, and Battersea Reflections painting is no different. We join the process after the image is on the paper and the masking is well underway. You can just make out the masking as the dirty yellow marks.
Mostly I work in the studio, but from time to time I will demonstrate at exhibitions and events. The creation of Battersea Reflections painting coincided with Bucks Art Weeks and I was demonstrating at Claydon Courtyard outside the Gallery. So naturally Battesea went with me. This picture was taken shortly after set up when I was about to start painting.
Beginning the painting with a watercolour wash, the cling film helps me create background texture and covers the white page as quickly as possible.
Watercolourist work from light to dark, and so do I, here you can see a close up of the inks spreading. A process which can be very fast of slow depending on water and salt balance.
One aspect I was keen to emphasise, was the underwater lighting and the colours it caught as the water cascades over the pool edge. You can see the form emerging in the full image below.
At this point it would appear I got carried away and didn’t take many more photos. Might have been due to visitors or I was just enjoying the process. Ignore the top right photo in this image, thats for another piece which I’ll be sharing at a later date.
Here the last of the painting is done, and I think I’ve employed every colour there is and my skylight is casting strange shadows. It looks like the picture is floating in mid air.
Onto the final, and quite possibly the best bit. Removing the masking fluid. Peeling it off to reveal the white paper underneath is the point when the whole image seems to come into focus. You might have spotted I was back at Claydon.
And here’s the finished Battersea Reflections painting
