Wylye valley meadows
Riverside meadow in the Wylye Valley.
Wiltshire is a very beautiful county.
I’m getting around it this year thanks to being invited into a painting group, early last year.
The group is based in this area, around a core of friends, and exists for reasons of friendship and sharing the pleasure and adventure of painting outdoors. Yet it does include some excellent painters, which means there is always some inspiration to be drawn on if one’s own happens to be lacking. Also, these are my kind of people. People with a love of the outdoors, countryside and nature, and people who know that watercolour is the boss and we are its humble servants. The majority of watercolourists I’ve met, even brilliant ones, are the opposite of arrogant. Watercolour keeps your feet on the ground. I chose the right medium for so many reasons. Although rather, I think it chose me.
I’m used to buses and the odd train to get out to different places, but a (much appreciated!) lift in a car is certainly easier and opens up opportunities. There’s a railway line in the background and off to the right in this view, but the nearest station nowadays is Warminster which is a very long walk! The Wylye is a meandering chalk river, surrounded by meadows just south of Salisbury Plain, and northwest of Salisbury. It was a favourite location of Edward Wesson, and presumably many other painters, has several peaceful and attractive villages, some lakes/ponds (now a very attractive wildlife reserve), and a lot of beautiful mature trees. So, I was lucky to get there for a day.
The trees in my painting are lining the river, to the left. A large group of cows were in fact filling the immediate foreground of this field, just beyond a slim wire fence, and I could have painted some in except I expected them to leave after checking us out. In the end they stayed throughout the whole hour of the painting just staring at myself and comrade-at-easel to my left.
I love this kind of scene. It inspires me to paint. However, it is a type which you know may not come off well, and you’ll usually know it pretty quickly one way or the other. It relies on getting a good sky, since that determines a lot of the atmosphere, and fills a lot of the paper!
I was being watched while I did this, although my observers were talking about Salisbury football club and contemporary issues related to refereeing…. (I’m not talking about the cows). I tried to pay attention to my brush and palette, and in the end was reasonably satisfied with the result, particularly as a strong wind was not making things easier (perhaps one occasion when the expensive heavy, metal palettes might be an advantage).
I usually mix up a few pale ‘base’ washes before I start the fast business of painting a sky, which I can draw on easily and add a touch of darker fresh paint into as needed.
Since the sky came out okay I decided it was worth carrying on with the painting (rather than starting again) and it was really a matter of making the most out of not a great deal, in some ways at least. In that situation I try to enhance whatever character each feature possesses, and ignore anything that won’t help. This was a very open view, with the main trees being at quite a distance. The composition relies on having at least some lead-in in order to avoid being very horizontal and flat. To help I tried to pick out bits of the ground foliage in the right places (what’s that russet coloured plant common at this time of year – mainly seed heads I think? – Be grateful if you could tell me please!).
I also put in a couple of tiny distant figures walking the edge of the field. I brought in that small tree on the right from further off, and made the distant hill a bit more varied in shape than it was.
A difficulty was the that light at the beginning was appealingly back lit, but that only lasted as long as I was using my pencil! Then the sun disappeared and the light was consistently flat. The sky I painted was almost invented, half remembered from 2 minutes before, but with a bit less sun, since it looked like it wasn’t coming back. I then tried also to make the rest of the painting just a little back lit, with the distant trees being, in theory, in this type of sunlight, while the rest of the scene more the other, and just very windy!
Over lunch I had the opportunity to look at a proof version of a new book that should be available in a couple of months. A book on technique, and featuring a huge number of inspiring and stunning paintings of our landscape, by Steve Hall. (www.stevehallartist.co.uk).
This was a privilege, and I’m pleased to say that this book will cement in history Steve’s place as one of the greats of contemporary English watercolour landscape painting (as well as one of the most loved teachers), and I will be the first to buy it.
Jem I do read your Blog regularly and his one reminded me of painting outdoors with Steve and Mel and others (in the Whopping Group). Really miss these now. Also found your painting of Lacock. Love it because it is Wonky. Your trademark! Will miss your contact now but will keep up with the Blog.
Thanks Alan,
I do like a bit of wonkiness myself… Wiltshire villages are pretty good for that. Almost up there with Shropshire!
Experiencing some problems with the website at the moment, due a poor hosting company. Very frustrating. Therefore I can only hope you receive this!
All the best,
Jem
Lovely painting Jem and thanks for the heads up about Steve’s forthcoming book – I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for it. I enjoyed a great week on one of his courses near Arundel in July. Learned a great deal (sadly one of the main learnings was that I still have so much to learn) and it was great to spend a week painting on location.
Congratulations and hats off to you too on giving up the day job to pursue the career of full-time artist – I wish you every success!
Hi John.
Thank you, and I hope your painting is going well.
I remember you were going on Steve’s course – you mentioned it to me. It was almost a certainty you’d enjoy it and get a lot out of it.
Yes, that main learning point you mention is I think with us forever… Never mind, it’s all fun (well most of it!)
Cheers re. the going full-time. Though I haven’t had much painting time at all just lately, excluding my plein air days. Maybe soon!
All the best, Jem