Book review: Five Go Painting
Four regular Mall Galleries exhibitors and RI members - Ray Evans, Moira Huntley, Neil Meacher, and Raymond Spurrier - together with well-known cartoonist and lesser-known traditional watercolourist Norman Thelwell, have collaborated to produce a new book published by Batsford. It was launched with a three-week exhibition at the Alresford Gallery, New Alresford, Hampshire in November 1994.
These five very different artists demonstrate in Mastering Watercolour - a title dreamt up by the publishers - that there is more than one way of painting a landscape, even within the limits of the watercolour medium.
In describing the process that precedes putting brush to paper they take the reader beyond the run-of-the-mill how-to-do-it manual to explore individual approaches to landscape painting, revealing personal attitudes, preoccupations, and the professional working methods that give rise to a variety of styles and techniques.
But since there is more to painting than technique or manual dexterity, the book stresses the need to cultivate a personal vision and express that vision in a personal way. This is a book for the beginner, the more experienced artist, and those who just enjoy looking at pictures.
The five authors were also friends of long standing who periodically spent a week together painting and sketching. Over the years they found their exchange of ideas an invaluable and stimulating source of inspiration and learning. Roy Perry, also a member of the RI, sadly died when he was far too young: he was to have been one of the authors. It was hoped that the book would be something of a memorial to him.
An article entitled ‘Aspects of landscape’ by Raymond Spurrier previewing the book’s forthcoming publication appeared in The Artist magazine in November 1994.