Observe and exaggerate

AT THE HEART OF MY OWN PRACTICE lies observation and my wish to capture atmosphere of the place, wherever that may be. To achieve this, I like to work en plein air observing the new scenes and alla pr

Most paintings are based on an idea which is reduced to a pattern of lines, filled in with colours. Each element is dependent on the others, but because we see the real world in colour, the pigments w

GEOFF ALLEN IS A WATERCOLOUR ARTIST and tutor from San Diego who specialises in painting en plein air. He started his artistic career as a scenic painter in Hollywood, but then began teaching drawing

There is that brief moment, each time we approach a blank canvas or a fresh page in our sketchbook, when things go quiet and we feel a pause. The bustle of thought softens, the hand hovering over the

ROB POINTON IS NOT AN ARTIST who waits for inspiration to arrive. He goes out to meet it – on station platforms, street corners, rain-lashed pavements and ceremonial parade grounds – easel planted fir

Unlike the shelter of a studio -where the light is steady, the wind absent, and the kettle within reach - there is no such control outdoors. Instead, it offers participation: you don’t simply observe