Many people are under the impression that once a mark has been made on watercolour paper it is there for all eternity and thus changes cannot be made, mistakes cannot be rectified. That’s not true. There are ways of softening and lifting to make changes or even move paint away altogether.

Whilst these methods can be used for damage limitation they can more effectively be thought of as techniques in their own right and therefore a valuable part of your tool-box. The first thing to understand is that some pigments stain the paper more than others. Study the key on the manufacturer’s colour chart; stainers are usually indicated with “St” and these are often the synthetic colours. Earth colours (yellow ochre, raw sienna etc.) tend to be fairly easy to lift away.

So how to go about making these lifts and changes?You can set about testing the colours you have at hand. Draw a series of squares, one for each colour and large enough to give you room to manoeuvre, say 5cms. ( 2”) square. Fill each shape with a fairly intense wash and name it according to colour for future reference. Leave everything to dry for say 15 minutes. Now take a clean, damp brush and work away at one edge of each square in turn, blotting as you go. Next, lay a band of clean water across each square, wait for a few seconds and then blot . See what happens? Some pigments will have shifted and others not. Using these methods you can soften the marks you have made and in some cases remove the paint almost entirely, so long as it is not one of the staining pigments. You can also work an area of paint with a soft sea sponge. Another technique is to take a craft knife or a piece of fine emery paper and gently abrade the surface of the paper. This can create highlights to form sparkle and if you are really neat you can actually lift out a sliver of paper to leave a clean white line. Then of course you can go through a similar set of experiments with wet paint. Try lifting with a damp sponge, tissue, a squeezed out brush or good quality blotting paper. Record what you have done for future reference because it follows that you may now wish to choose the colours you paint with according to how you would like them to perform.

These two paintings are from a series I made showing phases of the lunar eclipse.
For impact they rely upon the contrast between transparent and opaque washes and also the contrast between strong and delicate tones. Technically they were difficult to make: to build up this degree of gradated colour in watercolour demands that several washes should be superimposed upon one another. So to avoid disturbing the paint it is important to choose pigments which stain the paper most permanently. Careful study of the manufacturers colour chart will tell you which pigments stain and with plenty of drying time between washes and with the softest brush and the lightest touch you can flood wash upon wash without the first layers lifting.

Many ancient stones circles were built in alignment to the moon and I love the idea that when we look at a view such as this we are sharing with our ancestors in what is perhaps one of the few unchanged experiences.

This is one of Dorchester Abbey’s gems: C14th century tracery, sculpture and stained glass uniquely interwoven into a work of art and dedication. The placing of this window adds to its grandeur. Being set into the north wall it is obliquely illuminated from behind during the first part of the morning, then later the east window casts it with dapples of coloured and white light which shift along to illuminate differents aspects as they go.

One of the joys of painting is that different moments in time can be brought together into the one image and so here I am showing you the coloured glass as illuminated from one point whilst the east window plays its part at the same time.

Creating contrasts within a picture can add to its excitement; we can use light and shade, complimentary colours, alternating tones and so on. Here I have chosen to use soft marks next to harder ones. Look at the top right hand quarter of the painting; the tracery is described in sharp focus whilst the dappled light has been described with a wet-in-wet technique and then repeatedly sponged and lifted to further effect.
The sharp and soft go a long way towards describing transient light on solid form.

Rebecca was shown making the sketch for this painting on The Heaven and Earth Show, BBC 1

New Paintings in Watercolour by
Rebecca Hind

Artist’s quote

‘Scintilla: The Glittering Speck

An atom too tiny to comprehend or a spark of shimmering light, each is capable of changing everything when breathed upon. Thus the scintilla becomes a synecdoche for creation, vital but intangible, negligible yet enormous.

The thrilling invitation to explore Life, Death and Resurrection through paint has been an adventure in manipulating the supposedly gentle medium of watercolour, where subject, scale and process have combined to stimulate artistic practice on every level. These challenges have brought together my spiritual responses to Christian belief and passionate responses to elemental forces. And so I encourage water to flood minute particles of pigment towards essential representations  of The Passion.’

Christ Church Spitalfields is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings in
watercolour by Rebecca Hind. As the first artist invited to make work for the Christ Church Reredos, Hind responds to a traditional tryptich brief - the depiction of Life, Death and Resurrection - with three large-scale watercolour works that push the technical limits of the medium and the assumed boundaries of the site in unexpected ways, offering a unique visual and contemplative intensity.
Christ Church Spitalfields
Commercial Street, London E1 6LY
Exhibition open
Saturday 3rd July 11am - 6pm
Sunday 4th July 1pm - 6pm
The Triptych Reredos paintings
will remain on exhibition until
December2010
The Church is open to the public
Mon-Fri 11am-4pm and Sun 1-4pm
Please ring in advance to check for
unexpected closure
further information can be found on
www.ccspitalfields.org/arts
or by ringing 020 7426 5363
…….

Botany for the Artist

An Inspirational Guide to Drawing Plants
by Sarah Simblet, published by  Dorling Kindersley

Sarah Simblet’s masterclass provides you with an awareness and appreciation of plants and flowers and shows how to apply that knowledge to your art.

Covering every type of plant, from the tiniest mosses and lichens to sumptuous flowers and trees, Sarah shows how to evoke their beauty on your canvas or page.

Drawing on the rich history of botanic art and combined with Sarah’s practical drawing classes, over 350 beautiful illustrations and vivid photographs, provide an in-depth look at roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits and explain how to create life-like drawings.

ISBN: 9781405332279

…..
OneOak

OneOak is an education project of the Sylva Foundation. It aims to reconnect people with the concept of growing trees for wood, and of using wood, by following the life story of one oak tree.

Along with my colleague Sarah Simblet I am acting as artist in residence to the OneOak project.

Oak trees have long held a significant place in our culture, one that goes way beyond ornament or function. Once deemed sacred and always valued for their strength and durability they were also thought to attract lightning. On first encountering the OneOak I was struck by its grandeur, standing there bathed in the light that has led it from seed to maturity. As a landscape painter I follow light and relish the chance to engage with the elements as they reveal different aspects of the natural world. Shifting seasons, hours and weather offer a wealth of fascination for me, and so the chance to take part in the One Oak project is a privilege and a delight. My intention is to celebrate the tree as it holds its current form and place in the world, sheds its final foliage, then becomes transformed by human hand. I hope that the paintings I make will be as seeds continuing this tree’s life. You can find out more about the project and the Sylva Foundation on www.oneoak.info and www.sylva.org.uk

…

Most Recent  Publication: April 2009 Sacred Journeysby Rebecca HindSacred Journeys is a beautifully illustrated book that celebrates the rich spectrum of paths that cross our sacred world. It tells of inner spiritual journeys and of the physical pathways that have been inscribed by the spread and search for religion. Captivating images of sacred landscapes along with descriptions of rituals and ceremonies examine the relationship between pilgrim travel, arrival and our inherent desire for connectedness with the Divine. Featuring hundreds of beautiful photographs, “Sacred Journeys” is an uplifting and magnificent blend of art, history and travel that is both inspirational and spiritual.Author: Rebecca HindISBN: 1847322727ISBN-13: 9781847322722Publisher: Carlton Books LtdPublication Date: 06 Apr 2009Pages: 256pp (280 x 230mm)Illustrations: 250 colour illustrationsFormat: HardbackPublished Price: £25.00

This followsSACRED PLACES by Rebecca Hind which was published during 2007 ISBN: 1844426300ISBN-13: 9781844426300Publisher: Carlton Books Ltdhttp://www.carltonbooks.co.uk.

The moonscope exhibition including my paintings is now an online exhibit on the Museum of the History of Science web site and you can find it at  www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/exhibits/, along with plenty of other interesting exhibits and information.