David Bellamy – Adding a little mystery to your Watercolours

I’m only just dragging myself out of that Christmas sloth, not encouraged by day after day of pouring rain. Where is all that lovely snow? Anyway, thanks to all of you who send us Christmas greetings. It was much appreciated by Jenny and myself.

My art year has started with an article in Leisure Painter Magazine and 2014 rings up another milestone: I’ve been writing articles for Leisure Painter for the last 30 years, and it has been a marvellous relationship with some great folk. So the painting I am featuring here is part of that article, although I shall now be discussing a different aspect.

The picture shows a small corner of a watercolour of Tenby Harbour at dusk. This is a magical time to capture images, as the atmosphere tends to be more accentuated, and you are less likely to overdo the detail as so much of it is lost in the atmosphere! Although in this instance I could actually see  more detail in the buildings, I deliberately avoided putting in too much, and in fact simply laid a weak wash over the lower parts so that the suggestions of masts and boats would stand out more. At such times shapes run into each other, often creating a sense of mystery, so going out in search of subjects when you can hardly see them might at first sound rather perverse, but it does teach you a very powerful lesson in creating mystery and atmosphere.

So I shall end by wishing you all many magical and mysterious moments of happy painting in 2014

3 thoughts on “David Bellamy – Adding a little mystery to your Watercolours

    • I admire you with ease of draw. You are the greatest artist in water colors that I know. I want to learn to draw like you. Will you help me

  1. Hi David,
    I have found your work very interesting for a while now, but I recently obtained a book from the library, well that set the cat among the pigeons since then I have bought 2 more.I must admit I copied one for practise then I did one of my own and I am so happy with your influence and teaching that this painting is the best I have done.
    I have done W/colour for about 6 years,as I found it quite hard to adapt after years of Oils and Pastels,so now I am thrilled that I have come this far with your help,
    I will no doubt buy some videos as I can afford to.
    I am an aged pensioner from Geraldton on the coast of Western Australia,and I have my own Champion Bay Watercolour Society, and I am still teaching the basics in my club of 16.I have just turned 87 and am still pretty young.
    Thankyou for your help.
    Shirley.

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