Hi everyone and welcome to the beginning of a new month. I would like to introduce to you our feature Artist for this month, Jackie Grisley SWA, and to say thank you to Tony who made the initial contact with Jackie. Welcome to the Waterfront Jackie!
STAIRWAY TO STRUMBLE HEAD
Strumble Head
Lighthouse in beautiful Pembrokeshire with its jagged, rocky
coastline is so appealing to me and I’ve painted it a few times
now. The first time I ever saw it a black storm was developing and as
it strengthened the whiteness of the lighthouse against that dark sky
was an impressive sight and the vision stays with me. In this
painting I have introduced some colour in the sky but my aim was to
replicate the image I still have of that first sighting.
I’d like to say thank you so much
for inviting me to be your featured ‘artist of the month’, it
made my day when I got Tony Cook’s email. I confess I have never
done a blog before so I hope I do it justice. I will certainly do my
best and am looking forward to conversing and sharing my way of
watercolour painting. To kick off with it seems like a good idea to
offer an insight into what my goals and inspirations are.
The British coast is what really
inspires me to paint. The dramatic skies are my ‘wow’ factor, the
stormier and wilder the better. We have such varying weather here
which creates ever-changing conditions, especially around the coast
or in the mountainous regions such as The Lake District and The
Highlands of Scotland. I’ve found watercolour is the perfect medium
for achieving the effects I want in my paintings. I love its freedom
but also its discipline. Knowing when to stop painting and put down
the brush to allow the drying process is crucial and knowing when
comes with experience, fight the temptation to keep ‘fiddling’,
I’ve spoiled quite a few paintings in my time doing this and have
learned to tell myself (out loud occasionally!) to ‘STOP!’.
Watercolour has such a unique and magical quality when you do stop
painting it keeps on doing its own thing until completely dry. That
really excites me-to leave a sky to dry and to come back a few hours
later to see how it has developed whilst drying gives me a little
thrill.
I aim to achieve mood, drama and
atmosphere in each painting and that all comes from the sky for me
and how that affects the rest of the painting, deciding on the light
direction etc. You may have guessed by now blue skies with fluffy
cotton-wool clouds do nothing for me! I try to keep things simple and
spontaneous with not too much detail, I seem to achieve more impact
this way, and I hope to leave a degree of interpretation for the
viewer. Less is more so they say. The use of light against dark is a
technique I use frequently to create contrast and bold impact. I
like to work wet-in-wet completing the sky in one session, leaving it
to completely dry before proceeding. By profession I started out as a
graphic designer and I’ve found it’s been very consolidating and
useful in regard to composition, expression and balance in my
paintings, bringing a sense of right and wrong instinctively.
LAST LIGHT ON THE CROFTERS’
COTTAGES
I was pretty excited with how this sky
wash had dried and I think it demonstrates that controlling the
wet-in-wet technique cannot be totally mastered. The way the paint
continued to dribble into the underlying colour is as we say a ‘happy
accident’. It also makes my point of knowing when to put the brush
down and let things happen.
I like to use a restricted palette
in order to introduce harmony into my paintings, I always want drama
but harmony is equally important to me. I use Winsor & Newton,
blocks and tubes. My brushes range from Isabey Petit Gris to W &
N sables, round and chisel in varying sizes. My paper is always
Saunders Waterford and Arches not and rough surfaces 200lb and 300lb.
They don’t cockle and are quite forgiving if you need to lift out.
Most important to have confidence in your paper, I’ve used others
and have been disappointed with the finish.
When I’m travelling for my
reference, my latest trip was September to the Lizard Point in
Cornwall, I do simple pencil sketches and take my camera everywhere.
I have no qualms about using photographic reference, even though it
can be frowned upon, it’s a great way to gather plenty of material
to work up in my studio. I don’t like working outdoors, there are
too many distractions and it doesn’t suit my painting technique.
Plus the viewfinder immediately helps with composition. I’m not
afraid to move elements around or even leave some out until I feel
the scene is balanced.
I am self-taught and as I mentioned
my graphic design background has been very useful to my painting
development. After this I helped set up a craft based business making
model trees for architectural modelmakers. This has also been
advantageous, working in scales and perspective in a 3-dimensional
way has helped me understand how to achieve these elements within a
painting.
In 2006 I was invited to become a
Member of The Society of Women Artists and I felt extremely honoured
to become a part of such a special and historical Society. To have my
work recognised by such a wonderful Society was and is very special
to me.
I really only began watercolour
painting about 15 years ago and was hooked immediately and my style
has evolved and developed the more I’ve painted. Turner’s
watercolour skies and seascapes have been a tremendous source of
inspiration to me. His imaginative use of paint and reaction to
dramatic weather made him so ahead of his time. I look in wonderment
at how he achieved those storms out at sea-incredible-oh to paint
like that! But that’s what I love about painting there’s always
more to strive for, more to improve on and so much to keep learning.
Well that’s a bit about me, I
look forward to the month ahead and hope to be able to chat with
fellow watercolourists.
www.jackiegrisley.co.uk
NIGHT GUARD
Lismore Lighthouse in Scottish
Highlands has a backdrop of impressive mountains and I would imagine
for passing ships in the night the lighthouse must do a crucial
lifesaving job. So I wanted to paint a night time view of it showing
its power and importance for those vulnerable seamen.
