YY www, painters-online.co.uk January 2015 £3.99 yeartist SINCE 1931 2015 OPEN COMPETITIONS AVA PLANNER 4 How Johnny Morant uses photography oat CEN compositions PLUS ALVARO CASTAGNET’S MAGICAL HAVANA WATERCOLOURS @ NEW OIL SERIES BY MARTIN KINNEAR @ GEOFF HUNT'S NEW. 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ISSUE 1010 Sai agar Horas ‘eben ose ‘Schengen dre sane ‘Sescaigtnsomarnengen cok onsen Senco Marat Mane itera Satergtone Tavera sescrpemenpcont Setectr me Ate heen est Conen Howse 6/5 High Sweet, {sneer c 90 fig ames cea cde ‘Seninaenngat ts fom cen Feat Crs Rae ‘Steere 0 Fomncon Wem expe errata fo eco ese Sepa “thatist pred ese Bob lid theinet Pes Goes od ‘hore pated eyo Sonicare sorb 8 AN theartist casien Hows, 6375 High vworw:paintersonline.coske THIS MONTH'S COVER ARTIST Seve Hol tg, watercolour s3sz0n 351 em Seepages WELCOME from the editor Want to comment on something you've read, or seen? fname athearstterstapccou, rst wr bit at wc pets aire oxum success in your creative activities throughout the forthcoming year. We kick off in this first issue of the New Year with a broad range of articles to inspire you during the darkest days of our UK winter, starting with Ken Howard OBE, RA, our energetic and prolific consultant editor and one of the most revered figurative artists of our generation, talking about his first-time experience of painting en plein air in New York. Then, as different in approach as its possible to be, young up-and-coming artist Johnny ‘Morant reveals his use of a kite to lift a camera to gain aerial perspective to help him to create dynamic figurative compositions. Whilst Ken relies solely on his eye and hand skills to express his obsession with light, Johnny regards his computer, Photoshop and Lightroom as essential for editing and layering images. And whilst Ken is the archetypal traditional oil painter, working lean to fat, or in one wet for his in situ studies, Johnny puts down his first layers in acrylic before developing the final layers with ol. Two figurative artists, two different approaches, but as Ken points out, the means of arriving at what you want to say in your work really doesn't matter as long as the end result is successful tim also delighted that Geoff Hunt, past president of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, thas agreed to a continuation of his highly popular diary series, documenting the trials and tribulations and genuine difficulties of moving from oils to watercolour. Not only did he set himself the task of mastering an unfamiliar medium, but he also wanted to paint in this S= greetings to all our readers and as we look forward to 2015 we wish you every challenging medium en plein air throughout the different seasons. Geoff's series has proved popular for its honesty, his acknowledgement of the difficulties of painting in watercolour, and his readiness to share not only his successes but also his failures and his doubts along the way; aspects of being an artist that have clearly resonated with readers. Geoff and | met recently to discuss his new series to document his continuing progress, as well as problems, and he was, as he says, ‘definitely up for another year! Bearing in mind the inherent difficulties of painting in watercolour, we considered a‘back to basics’ series on the medium a timely complement to Geoff's diary articles, and are pleased that New English Art Club artist Charles Williams has also agreed to contribute six articles outlining the main principles, to work either as an introduction for newcomers to the medium, or as a tefresher course for watercolourists wishing to review their practise, Charles offers an authoritative viewpoint on all aspects of watercolour painting from the perspective of an experienced practitioner. Like Geoff Hunt's series, Charles’ articles are written in an anecdotal and entertaining style, and are clearly and richly illustrated. You will also find our annual Open Competitions & Exhibitions pullout planner in the centre of this issue, to help you plan your year. Make 2 note of the all-important sending-in dates, starting with The Artist & Leisure Painter Open Competition, organised in partnershij with Patchings, for which you will find full details on pages 30 to 31. We have an incredible £17,000 plus worth of prizes to award this year, including The Artist Purchase Prize of £5,000! We are looking forward to seeing your entries and to another wonderful exhibition (of 70 selected paintings in the summer! Best wishes Sally Bulgin Editor theartist Janvary 2015, aCONTENTS FEATURES 12 Ken Howard in New York MASTERCLASS A visit to New York provided Ken Howard ‘ith plenty of inspiration, much to his surprise 17 Between clarity and suggestion IN CONVERSATION Johnny Morant ls Castine Saunders how he uses photographs to ceate dynamic compositions that avert alvays wa they st seem 61 Submitting to open competitions and exhibitions lan Sidaway provides some useful tips for those al- ‘important competition enteos 69 Late Turner ~ Painting Set Free Jalan Haley reviews the crreneextibdon of Taher work arate Bain 4 theartist January 2015 PRACTICALS 21 City of seduction ‘Alvaro Castagnet works his magic in Havana ashe pants loose, ‘atmospheric watercolours 24 Student vs artist oils ‘Martin Kinnear demystfies the differences between student {and artist grade oil paints in the first of his new series on the practicalities of oll painting 28 January ine your ne dan uot Hank oii CaS prodice a perfec plein waterclour 32 All the right moves Paul Wadeworth describes his energetic hands-on approach to expressive landscapes in acryicand ol 41 Shopping for subjects Shop fronts provide colour interest and action and are perfect for an on-the-spot pastel painting, enthuses Felicity House 44 Winning watercolours & Steve Hall's advice will have you producing watercolours impressive enough to stand out and hopefully win in open exhibitions 47 Creative collage Colour and colage are often the first things that come to mind wien you think of Soraya French's paintings. There are no boundaries, she says and collage will add an extra dimension to your painting 50 Tone and temperature in watercolour ‘Tim Rose explains how to master tone and temperature in your watercolour landscape paintings 53 Painting loose “Ty sorethng rw: Louies aleian aves paling fx, lose and direct fom the subject fora fesh look a pmacionare paper — not just run of the mi Robert Dutton tests the qualities of Strathmore artists’ papers wpainters-online.co.uk58 With a life of its own Adebanji Alade's portraits come alive with character as he paints, using sketches and photographs as reference 62 Materials for watercolour Charles Williams beginsa series for newcomers to watercolour This month he explains how to choose the tater that wil get you started 72 Payne's grey Robert Dutton begins anew setes in which, each month he focuses ona single colour PLUS 6 Letters 9The Art World 35 The Artist guide to open competitions and exhibitions 64 Exhibitions 66 Art courses and holidays showcase 57 Art books & DVDs EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS Kenowrd 8B an Bowyer HEX, semareDuan vas, suedatbgy MAS ‘ade tps NA Scndeinodte —sudebtanbendll Sud tet tay ae Daplcligeat vee SaelfAtafte Sesh taht eer ari ieee RoptadeySdnck ReGnbradan uae NOCKCGRIS AIM Hester SonSéwoscit ht ard 2nd Kents MACOS} gt. Hees amas ehsht feiss af iS mot si dg See a ped iano vd Tinalohaiasthe sada tucks Wcetwhbte ns ORs esis mish evhocee, NEXT MONTH in Giartist MASTERCLASS > Ken Howard OBE RA talks about painting en plein air in Paris for his forthcoming exhibition <_ INCONVERSATION David Farren discusses his impressionistic style and approach to painting city scenes PLUS Young artist Joseph Ryan demonstrates a figure painting in oils and the influence on his work of Matisse » PRACTICALS © The Artist Award winner Tony Allain discusses his approach to working in pastel © Beat the watercolour blues with Jean Haines and take up her latest challenge © Keep things simple in watercolour with David Howell © Paul Talbot Greaves demonstrates a snow scene in acrylics and how to overcome some typical problems @ Try something new and paint urban graffiti with James Cowan @ How Nicola Ulldemolins paints portraits in gouache PLUS @ Colour choices: Rob Dutton takes a closer look at Prussian blue © Martin Kinnear advises on how to make the right choice of brush for painting in oils And much more! Don’t miss out: Our February issue is on sale from January 2 theartist January 2015 5LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We like to hear your news, views and comments. By email to: [email protected] or by post to The Editor, The Artist, 63/65 High Street, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6BD STAR LETTER The challenge of forms ‘Ym not sure that the naked figure s the ‘ultimate challenge of an artist's ability'as you claim in your December 2014 editorial welcome. Aren't all subjects challenging in terms of light, tone, form, line ete? | don't think Chinese or Japanese great masters would agree with you. Sublime art may involve all subjects and all are dificult. Caspar David Freidrich would have taken you to task. Turner's great work preferences were weather-centred ~ how about the difficulties of clouds? His technical ‘masterpieces were certainly not bound by the human form (although it seems clear that he did some naughty studies!) Just because we in the western world have become used, since Greco- Roman times, to eulogising the human form, | don't think we should fal to recognise that art in allits forms, good and bad, from the cave painters to the present, is an attempt to distil an essence of the thing seen, not to slavishly render its appearance. Picasso helped to break us free from the Conservatoire's expectations by studying the art of other cultures. Botanical artists out there must be gnashing their teeth. Life is our subject, not just human! ‘Annette Burktby email This months star letter writer will receive selection from our lucky dip bag, which ould include art materials, Books and DVDs worth oround £50. Clothes on, please (One of my art clubs frequently has alife ‘model, but | have become disenchanted \with Ife model painting, I much prefer a clothed model. There iste challenge of imagining the form beneath the dlothes, as wellas the colourful clothes, with their textures and folds rica Johns, by email Original or derivative? Inthe October 2014 issue HaldeeJo ‘Summers states in her article Painting from PhotographsAlthough you have permission from the photographer to use the image as agreed, you cannot claim the painting you ‘make to be wholly your oven exginal work’ Whilst agree with this in principle much better to take your own photo when possible I would be interested to hear Ms ‘Summers’ explanation of how using 2 Google Street View image (Google being the photographer) differs from the arts taking a similar photograph from the same location. We know Google are quite happy for their StreetView images to be used for paintings, s0.copyright isnot an issue. Having chosen a painting subject from Street View, the image fon the screen can be assessed, moved to the right o eft, up or down, zoomed into oF back from, et. In fact, these adjustments are exactly the same asthe photographer makes when selecting the same view and performing the same actions with a camera, ‘Are we to understand that itis acceptable for the artist ta use a camera to capture a view but not use a computer? ‘And where does the ‘wholly our own criginal work’ boundary line apply? What the photograph, Google image or pein-air subject happens to be the result of vast amount of time, money and energy being spent by someone else? The restoration ofa traditional wooden boat with a red sai?) comes to mind? s the resulting subject matter an original work ofthe artist ora derivative ofthe boat owner's efforts? Should permission be asked before starting ‘to sketch ors the boat owner merely expected to be flattered their boat has been sed in a painting? Should a painting of The Royal Albert (Tamar) Bridge mention Brunel ints credits? Almost any figurative painting will contain ‘derivatives the artist cannot be expected to avoid alin the quest fora totally orginal work. Invould actually query an exhibition entry rule that states‘your own original ork -copies are inadmissible: Does this imply a photograph taken by a third party ‘may not be used as subject matter? I think ot, mare that it means copies of existing paintings are not acceptable, e they don't want a dozen versions of Starry Night, nora photocopy of a painting carried out by the artist last summer. Derek Snowdon (The ‘Arts eters, Novernber 2014) asked and received permission, even paid in some cases and credited the photographer, to use another's image. What he did next with that photograph, in a totally diferent medium, s surely his own work and thus an ‘erginal Interpretation of the subject matter. Alan Taylor, by email Nothing bugs me ‘The answer to Sue Eaton's problem (The Artist eters, November 2014, s the Vapona Fly Pen. It's Ike a felt tip-pen, and you just \wipe it all around the glass, close tothe frame (t's invisible) and do the same on the back ust before you put the framing tape (on the picture, When you take them tothe exhibition, just clean the glass eworks every time ~ Ihave used one for years. ‘Annie Porter, by email, Great workshop My sister and | went to the Art Materials Live exhibition at Birmingham NEC in November 2014 and enjoyed a wonderful The Arist workshop with Soraya French, We did loose acrylic flowers and, although | was out of ry comfort zone | loved it. twas $0 different tothe detailed buildings that | usually do in pen and wash. also found so ‘exciting to paint using a different medium ~ "have been painting with oils. ove your magazine and am inspired each ‘month. Gian Dx, by emit eae weno 6 theartist Jonsary 2015Traditional mould made Ren cicero Cola eC St Cuthberts Mill. Pure confidence in quality! 4 Jackie Cuts Sans, monoprit with leather, veneers, grasses and other dried plants: 13: [2<34em) from the team at ticartist and Painter magazines We are pleased to make a donation of £200 to Macmillan Cancer Support as the charity nominated by our winner, Jackie Curtis, above, in this year’s Charity Christmas Greetings competition (Os Ueto enw Uae BARE ade in England www.painters-online.co.uk thartist January 2015 7F I LM S ‘anv townhouselims cok RRIL HOUSE 1603259441 oo Reet ere ce ny kay Ee errr binders Keep your copies of t/cartist in ‘order and store neatly on your bookshelves in our special binder “theartist binders house an annual volume of sues justslie each ‘copy nto the binder onthe individual sprung cords The binders are robust and coveredin agree leather rsh vtth {ald lettered spines UK £7.95 or two for £15 Europe £14 Rest of world £16 Painters Online National Portrait Gallery Competition PaintersOnline, ‘/cartist and Leisure Painter have teamed up with the National Portrait Gallery to offer you the chance to win one of ten pairs of tickets to the forthcoming Sargent ~ Portraits of Artists and Friends exhibition, worth £29 per pair (standard ticket price rrp John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was the greatest portrait painter of his generation. Acclaimed on bath sides af the Atlantic, he was closely connected to many ofthe other leading artists, writers, actorsand musicians ofthe time His portraits ofthese friends and contemporaries, including Auguste Rodi, Claude Monet and Robert Louis Stevenson, were rarely commissioned and allowed him to ceate mote intimate and experimental works than was possible in his formal portraiture This major exhibition runs from February 12 to May 25, 2015. Visit www.npg.org.uk National |» ox. poz: Home Portrait teitmnatnmrcoton. i of the Armand Hammer Foundation, Gallery iisvertiseum tos agi 8 iheartist. January 2015 ENTER NOW To win one of ten pairs of tickets to Sargent ~ Portraits of Artists ‘and Friends, please visit www. painters-online.co.uk the home of ‘/cartist and Leisure Painter magazines, and click on the finks to competitions. {losing date for entries is February 10, 2015. Winners will be selected at random from all online entries. When completing your details please make sure you opt into receive our great regular email newsletters so that we can ‘ep you up to date with what's new at PaintersOnline, including the latest, features, images inthe galleries, new competitions and other great ofers. ainters-onlineTHE ART WORLD NEWS, VIEWS, INFORMATION AND SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD compiled by Deborah Wanstall A. Kurt Jackson Childhood Memories, elon canvas, 72%72In (183% 183¢m) Into the trees Arboretum —The Art of Trees; Arborealists and other Artists is at the Royal West of England Academy from December 19 to March 8. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to Spm. and Sunday, 11am to Spm. Admission is £5, concessions £3.50. Telephone 0117 973 5129; www.rwa.org.uk. sxhibitions. The frst ofthe trees in art through the work of a growing group of art selected academicians that includes Kurt Jackson (abov theartist SanusThe fine art of illustration Drawings by the illustrator Charles Stewart (1915-2001) that were made for the Victorian novel Uncle Silas are to go ‘on show at the Royal Academy of Arts. Stewart was inspited to make 30 pen and ink illustrations in the style of 19th century artists Phiz and Cruikshank. Meticulously researched and executed, these drawings were originally intended for a Bodley Head edition of Uncle Silasin 1948, but it was never published. They were eventually published in a Folio Society illustrated edition in 1988, Charles Stewart: Black and White Gothic is in the Tennant Gallery at the Royal ‘Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1, from December 20 to February 15. Entry is £3, ‘A. Janet Darley Towards North, gouache on paper, 154> 19Xin (40% 50m Telephone 020 7300 8000; WATERCOLOURS ON TOUR | The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition exhibition 2014 is on display at Guildford House Gallery until January 3. Around 80 of the selected ‘works, including those of the finalists, can be seen. The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition is the UK's largest and most prestigious prize for watercolour painting, it's alm being to celebrate and reward excellence and originality in the medium of watercolour. Guildford House Gallery is open from 10am to 4.45pm, Monday to Saturday and is situated at 155 High Street, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3A), Entry is free. Telephone: 44 01483 44475; www.guildford.gov.uk/guildfordhousegallery For details of how to enter the 2015 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, see our pullout guide to open competitions and exhibitions in the centre of the magazine. Francis Bacon 4 Charles Stewart Uncle ios 1987, pen Figureinatanéscap, —andink drawing on Whatman bose, 70m 1945, cllon canvas, (18.5% 12.5em),frontgplce for Uncle Ses, Sree published by the Folio Society London, 1988 (045% 128.5) War’s long shadow ‘The end of the Second World War Is belng marked with two exhibitions at Nottingham’ Djanogly Gallery. In the Shadow of War features the work of artists who rose to prominence in the post-war years and who captured Britains recovery and reconstruction during the 1940s and 1950s. Lee Miller's War features photographs taken by Lee Miller during her time as a photojournalist, including mages from the Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps. Both exhibitions are atthe Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham Lakeside ‘Arts, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD until February 22. Entry Js free. Telephone 0115 846 7777; wwurlakesidearts.org.uk 10 theartist lansary 2015 at)Life in Norwich [Norwich is currently celebrating two former tutors of Norwich Art School in two complementary exhibitions. The tutors, John Wonnacott and John Lessore, were responsible for developing the Life Rooms at Norwich School of Art between 1978 and 1985, where all students were trained in basic drawing from observation. itis here, also, that these two artists made their own work. ON THE WEB EDITOR'S GALLERY CHOICE ‘This month’ editor's choice from our website gallery is. by Sarah Bal, who comments: “The majority of my work comes from direct observation whichis usually created in the sketchbook. wos drawn to ‘paint this mage by the soft, subtle, warm sunlight playing ‘on the mirror andl walls and decided to make a small watercolour study dectly onto watercolour paper. | prefer topaint in front of the subject rather than from a photograph os fee reality makes the artist use different thought-processing skills in order to make judgements ‘about what to paint and how to paint it. its exacty this process that | absolutly relish in my journey of making a Painting, The problem solving! | enjoy the accidental ‘happenings and momentary loss of control. though | am ‘not usually drawn to yellow in paintings the sunlight in the room convinced me to pursue tis as my dominant colour ‘choice. Some ofthe poper was left nnpainted as I feel this ‘ives the image an energy: www.painters-online.co.ul ers-online.couk John Wonnacott and John Lessore: The Life Room and the City explores ideas about how artis taught and places the work ofthese artists within the context of 20th-century British painting. It’s at Norwich Castle Museum & Att Gallery, Castle Meadows, Norwich NRT 3JU until January 4. Admission is £7.95, concessions ££6:50-Telephone 01603 493649, \www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk. ‘4. John Wonnacott The Life Room, 1977-80, ol on canvas, 72><106xin (183.5%<270em). Norfolk Museums Service® the arts on show at Norwich Castle John Wonnacott and John of the life works made by the artists School of Art and is at NUA Gallery, Norwich University of the Arts, ‘St Georges Street, Norwich NR3 188 Until January 10. Admission is fre. Telephone 01603 886385; wm w.nua.acukivisit/thegallery ry Fab So erecta Cocrentimenr eee aetna theartist January 2015 Lessore: About Life reunites many during their time as tutors at NorwichOur consultant editor and one of the most renowned figurative artists of his generation, Ken Howard OBE, RA, talks about his visit to New York to paint new subjects for his forthcoming exhibition. He wondered what would inspire him most 12 theartist January 20:5 in New York Photographs by kind permission of Dora Bertouti Revealing When we arrived ! quickly realised that there were enough subjects in Brooklyn alone to keep me happy for the three weeks I was to be in New York. In fact | could have painted just one subject as the variations of light and atmosphere make one subject constantly new. But of course, from the point of view of an ethibition, one subject alone would probably prove monotonous to the non-painter. I believe we spend too fong looking for subjects when really a subject is<_ Evening Light Efect, Brookiyn 2014, ol on board, 10% 12in (25.5><30.5em), Inthe evening it was necessary to pitch the tone ofthe ach darker than Iwas actually seeing it,as had to compensate fer not having a tube of ight apparent as we look out of our window or open our door. It is what we reveal about a subject that makes a painting, not the subject itself. Within a minute's walk from our residence there were a hundred subjects, for instance Conner of Berkeley Place and 6th Avenue, Brooklyn, Spring 2014 (below). There was also a park nearby here I started with several studies, Including Evening Light Efect, Brooklyn 2014 (left). In the morning the main ‘motif, triumphal arch, different from t Working with the light sink ‘When working infront ofthe subje {With this painting | was particularly influenced by the weather ait started tran on the keep to a small scale, appros second session. | was tempted to repaint but decided to return when the ight was as was 10in (205 when conceived the ides good ‘A. Comer of Berkeley Place and 6th Avenue, Brooklyn, Spring 2014, oil on board, 18X<24in(45.5>6tem) ‘friend once said the darkest tone in any urban landscape isthe shadow under the cars. It was certainly true in this case theartist anvacy 20)MASTERCLASS A. Menhattan & Brooklyn Bridge 2014 ol on canvas, 8% 24in (20561em). ‘Te choice of format should always be dictated by the subject. In this case it was ‘obviously long and thin, In order to paint light you must paint dak; it isthe contrast that gives the sensation of ight (25.5x30,5em), and limit my working time on any one study to just over an hour, by which time the motif has totally changed. Strangely enough it took me a lifetime to learn this. When | wwas younger I didn't understand and wondered why as the day went on the painting got worse and worse, It was always better at the beginning. What in fact I was doing was painting different paintings on top of each other. | had often thought of buying an instamatic camera, taking a photo at the start and then looking at tan hour later and seeing how much the subject had changed. | personally would not work from a photograph as my main excitement, my inspiration, comes from communing with the actual subject. But that is peculiar to me and my obsession with light. In the end itis whet you finish up with ~ if that is good, the means of arriving atthe final result are not important. You can work from a A. Brooklyn Bridge, Aftemoon Light, ol on board, 10%Bin (25.5%<20:5em) photograph and the work can still be {switched the yellow on my palette from cadmium to lemon yellow which, being extremely revealing, or you can work from the lightin tone, gave me the opportunity to express the contrast inthe evening ight subject and it can still be boring. To my 14 theartist January 20:5 yw painters-online.co.ukA. Squarein Manhattan, oi on canvas, 24x Bin (6120 Sem) ‘Architecturally New York isa vertical city and therefore had taken several 24xin (61>20.5cm) canvases, which suited the ‘urban landscape ‘mind it does not matter what the ‘means is, as long as the end is good. If concerned with light you must constantly practise in order to get the sensation down quickly and keep the whofe composition true to the first impression, throughout the study. For ‘me the small, early Italian studies of Corot sum this up completely. Iconic views After working in Prospect Park I went to downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Bridge, an iconic subject. lam never concerned about painting iconic subjects, when people say they have been done before. | do not believe anything has been ‘done before’ and the reason why a subject is iconic is. because itis inspirational. Venice, particularly San Marco, has been painted by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Boudin, Corot, Sickert and Guardi, to name a few. Ther interpretations are all individual and original, even though the subject is the same. Brooklyn Bridge is different throughout the day, as shown by Manhattan & Brooflyn Bridge 2014 (far lft) and Brooflyn Bridge, Meron Light (below, far left.) and, of course, itis seen against the iconic background of Manhattan. Light transforms everything and although the actual structures of the skyscrapers of Manhattan do not Ingpire me as, say, a Gothic cathedral, once light plays on them they are truly inspirational. AAs well as Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge seen from downtown Brooklyn, sa compelling image. When working fon the street | usually look a bit of a mess, face and clothes covered in paint. I suppose people must feel sorry for me for when I had finished painting Manhattan Bridge from Washington Place (below), | turned to find a pile of nickels and dimes on the pavernent behind ‘me. Likewise in Venice an onlooker gave me €2 for a cup of coffee. |am always polite and accept such gifts, A Manhattan Bridge from Washington Place, oll on board, 24% 18in (61><45 Sem). One normaly tries to get far enough away from the subject for ito ft into ones natural cone of, vision (60 degrees). In this case I was nervous about being too close to the subject as this began toinvolve vertical perspective and the impossibility of even rudimentary measuring -theartist January 2015, 15Colours and perspective Astivas in New York and it was stil relatively ealy spring | went to work in Central Park where the greens were still light and allowed the light to play on them, see The Pond, Central Par, New Yor, Spring 2014 fabovel. Whilst working on the street in New York thad a limited palette of the three primaries: crimson alizari,ultremarine blue and cadmium yellow (sometimes cadmium lemony; raw umber green shade ( always need an earth colou), ttanfum and zine white. Working with a relatively limited palette helped to keep the studies unified as | am not really acolourst, and also made the freens fit, which often find difficult I always think of New York asa vertical city, 30 I took some 24X8in (6120.5em) and 24X12in (61 *30.5cm) boards and canvases, see Square in Manhattan (page 15), use boards and canvases of uniform size with matchsticks on the back when travelling so that I can transport stil-wet oll paintings. Working on the street can have 16 theartist |: problems. You must work where nothing ‘ean park infront of you ~ ice cream van or tax. There is nothing more frustrating than deciding on a composition and then agctting it completely blocked out People and buses are no problem as they come and go. In New York there was never a problem with horizontal perspective but being so close to very tall buildings brought the element of vertical perspective into play and ‘measuring became difficult. Thad to rely ‘on my eye. No bad thing. Measuring is often an approximation and if not careful you can stop looking, New York is also very noisy, but | have an answer to that. I just remove my hearing aids! Problem solved. Americans are alsa very gregarious so you have to be careful not to be drawn into conversation, New York, contrary to my expectations, was a truly inspirational city: after three weeks I felt had just begun to see it | shall certainly go back to work there as 1 feel ithhas much to reveal. Believing as | do that painting is about revelation and celebration, New York is an Ideal subject. I A. ThePond, Cento! Park, New York, Spring 2014, oll on board, 17321 Vsin (20%30em), In this painting | was particularly touched bby the reflection in the water, where the darks become lighter and the lights darker, ‘thus a reflection is always loser in tone than the real thing *Ken Howard's New York paintings ca be seen with thers at The Richard Green Gallery, 147 New Bond Sire, London WIS 27S, from January 14 to 31, Monday (0 Friday 1Oam-6pm and Saturdays 0am to Ipm. Kon will bo a the galery al day on Favwary 14 to tlle to vistors. 1 you'd the to receive firsthand advice and inspiration rom Ken, why not fin fir on ‘The Artist magazine holiday to India from February 28. See page 73 fr detailsIN CONVERSATION Between clarity and suggestion Caroline Saunders talks to Johnny Morant about his deconstructive approach to traditional subject matter. ‘Some subjects are painted as suggestive representations while others might play on ambiguity, with subtle confusions of detail’, he told her with an intuitive application of paint Focusing on patterns and structures defined by shadows, reflections and contrast, he sets out to capture the viscosity of light and atmosphere. ‘A balance of defined and undefined space within a composition works particularly well and encourages ‘experimentation with a range of brushmarks,’ he says, Jem Morant works primarily in oils Inspiration Johnny hes huge admiration for the raughtsmanship and colour handling of Sargent, the brushwork and subject matter of Sickert and the sincerity of Freud, The impressionistic motion, light and colour work of Alex Kanevsky has been a strong influence, a has the large expressive brushwork of Taishan Schierenberg and jenny Saville, as wel as the dedication and commitment of Ken Howard, When things are not going well I refer to books and blogs until! am fired up again and reinvigorated. ‘A keen photographer, Johany’s photographs often influence his platings. Tsometimes use a kite to lift 2 camera to gain an aerial perspective. {use at (2.75m) Delta kite as its very stable and can cary the weight of ‘my Canon $95 and rotating eg in fairly light winds. The camera has been reprogrammed to shoot continuously as the rg rotates in 15 degree increments at heights of up to 650 (200m). However, Johnny often finds the accidental photo renders the most 44. Downstream from Battersea, ol on canvas, 24°24 (61 X6tem. exciting results “The arial perspective was achleved with kite and a motorised rig holding a compact camera , 2 height of almost 200m. The tong vertical line inthe composition are amplified by the Working process vertical brushstrokes, which give a fluid quality tothe light and soften te impact ofthe Depending on the subject matter, extreme distances inthe view. To balance the sparse entre ofthe painting eeated bold marks Johnay either starts from lile or from a of aturated blues, suggesting sldty in keeping with the areas of dryland ers-Or hk theantist Janvary 2015 7composed image on a screen. ‘A computer armed with Photoshop and, Lightroom is essentiak: | edit and layer images, and a large screen is handy for preparing a grid to scale up images and teach the initial layout. Recently Johnny has been painting larger works on canvas and thick stretcher bars which stand well without a frame. He primes his canvases with five or six coats of acrylic gesso laid on thickly enough for the brushstrokes to remain visible through the subsequent layers of oll paint. He finishes with a gentle sanding to give a smooth surface for spreading the paint. To start, he ills the canvas with a rough idea of where everything should be placed. Using fast-drying acrylic paint he blocks in large shapes that Chromatic Drift ell on board 24>36in (61 <92cm. ‘My intention was to unsettle the viewer with overlapping lines and limbs while keeping the ‘overal feel ofthe painting warm and inviting, The context of the composition is broken down tallow colour and shapes to exist without being questioned. This gave me the freedom to play the line between abstraction and figuration, fee from the constraints of a representational painting. lat brushes gave an italic quality as redefined shapes and blocked in spaces. Vertical strokes of titanium white draw attention to the paint surface and distract the viewer from teading into the naratve of the setting! 18 teartist ianuary 2015 <_ Shaded Boats, lon board, 12%12in (305%30.5em). “This was painted en plein air as an Information gathering exercise. Akey concern was suggesting the detailin the shadows and highlights without resorting to the extceme contrast | was actually seeing. ‘The light was bright and harsh and | consciously had to hold back from reaching for the titanium white. My palette was very simp my usual earth colours plus cadmium lemon yellow, utramarine, cerulean blue and crimson alizarin allow him to begin straight away with oils. He works quickly and relishes the early stage of the painting where mistakes can be just as rewarding as well-placed intentional brushstrokes, make further adjustments as | go, rather than producing any preliminary sketches. This gives the finished piece a greater depth and texture. Many revisions at the start ensure the hard work in the later stages is focused in the right place, thereby avoiding the finishing touches becoming overworked.” |s the work progresses he slows down and adopts a more considered approach. ‘On a larger canvas it becomes very clear if something Is not right. | often walk around a painting, check its reflection or take @ photograph to see it with fresh eyes. Materials There are three main reasons why Johnny uses oils: a level of saturation that no other medium can achieve; the drying time can be extended; and the finished paint surface is tough and durable. His earth colours and basic pigments are mostly Winsor & Newton. These include: raw umber, burnt umber, raw sienna, burt sienna, Naples yellow, ultramarine, blue black, cadmium lemon, cadmium red and alizarin, He also uses Michael Harding titanium white and a small collection of accent colours such as Winsor & Newton Winsor blue (green shade). Johnny suggests trying different brands of paint because each colour can vary hugely. Rectified linseed oil mixed with distilled turpentine provides him with a good painting medium. He avoids drying agents as they darken the colours but sometimes adds Roberson laze medium to very dark areas. “Trelish applying Winsor & Newton Artists’ Gloss Varnish, which brings back the saturation and lustre that oil paint can lose as it dries. The painting must be thoroughly dry Ive got in a terrible mess before with varnish applied too soon. The painting goes sticky, gathers, dust and cannot be reetilied