My attention was captured by a DVD advert for the film “pushing the boundaries of watercolour” on the Jackson Art Materials Blog. I found the trailer to this DVD very inspirational. Chris Forsey is a contemporary British artist. He mixes watercolour with many other types of media, for example acrylic paint and acrylic ink. The DVD trailer showed extracts from the artistic process, beginning with sketches and pen and ink drawings, and how the paintings are actually made. It was very interesting to see how Chris Forsey built up the visual effects in layers. I also found his mark making very interesting and unconventional.

Watching the trailer I realized that my own attempts in watercolour are really quite conventional and that there is much room for exploration. The DVD is the second to present Chris Forsey’s artwork. Unfortunately, they are quite expensive – around 28 GBP. Otherwise I’d have ordered right away…

My first impression from the trailer was that I could learn enormously by simply watching these videos and try some of the techniques, and generally be more experimental in approach. At the same time, I’m not absolutely sure about the “quality” of the paintings. There is a slight feeling of repeatable mass production – very pleasant to the eye, but lacking artistic substance. Quickly made, nice to look at, and easily forgotten because it’s so superficial. The paintings I saw in the trailer were interesting and I’m curious about the techniques employed. But I wouldn’t want to imitate the approach. I’d rather struggle to find my own way into watercolours…

I also found the artist’s website. As a first step, I thought it would be good to study some of the finished works and see whether I can analyse the techniques. Reviewing tutor feedback on assignment 2, I realize that I’m taking up my tutor’s recommendation to be more experimental. She was right and I’ve found something to help me get going with it!

Looking at the works of Chris Forsey

I first looked at the illustration section and did not like what I saw. It may be a matter of taste and of the briefing the artist received. Of course I wouldn’t be able to do this, technically speaking they may be on a very high level. Chris Forsey is a trained illustrator and self-taught watercolour painter.

The section with house portraits was more to my taste, but I found the paintings very conventional.

Those in the acrylics section were more interesting. There were some with fascinating light effects.

Then the watercolours with acrylics. I’m not really sure about these. The image quality isn’t very good, so details of how the paint was applied to the paper can not be seen. I think my suspicions of pleasant, but superficial work were partly correct. Nevertheless I realize that I can learn a lot about techniques from this artist. So even if I’m not convinced by the substance of every final work, I think I’ll order the DVD and see whether it contains techniques that I would like to employ myself. The City and St Pauls, Windmill and Staithes painting seem to be made dominantly with watercolour.

I selected City and St Pauls because I found it interesting how the dark pier with some people on it contrasted to the colourful bridge and buildings in the background. This is something I like a lot – marks that do not mimick details but provide just a cue to what they represent, and yet they can be interpreted to make sense.

In the windmill painting, I very much liked how the colours are flowing together. I think a masking technique was employed and the white of the mill wings corresponds nicely to the very light colour of the water surface in the foreground. The colours and coloured shaded area of the wooden pier in the front are very nice. I can keep looking and think this painting is a little masterpiece.

The watercolour of the Staithes cottages fascinated me with the red-brown roofs and the dark blue background. Again I find the flowing of colours really lovely. The white house fronts provide much contrast.

But then, the Riverside willow herbs and its sister painting Stour and thistles look very similar and overall less convincing. The technique is interesting, but for me these paintings do not get beyond a superficial appeal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Chris Forsey’s website http://www.chrisforsey.com/

DVDs from Town House Films, with trailers http://www.townhousefilms.co.uk/our-dvds/artists/chris-forsey-r-i

DVD Recommendation on Jackson Art Materials Blog http://blog.jacksonsart.co.uk/2013/09/26/pushing-the-boundaries-of-watercolour-dvd/