AMANDA BRETT WATERCOLOUR ARTIST
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​Paintbox Tips, secrets, thoughts, scribblings
and doodles on art, ​my life as an artist,
​travels and musings!! 

Secret #2 Paint what should be there

14/1/2019

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Amanda Brett WAtercolour Artist Riwakaa bit bland, needs a couple of people walking a dog or a couple of blokes looking at a map - where's the best fishing spot?
I've been listening to lots of podcasts from artists who love painting en plein air like I do - the interesting thing is, I come from the school of painting what should be there but most of the artists I've been listening to seem very focussed on determining the exact shade of colour (temp and hue) and the exact value of each shape and finding the right scene/subject.

When I discover a scene/subject to paint, I can guarantee you I will feel the need, rightly or wrongly, to shift some things around (lamp posts are never in the right place), and change colours and values to suit my idea. I have 2 thoughts about this, firstly, I am NEVER going to find the perfect scene so I might as well get down and dirty right now.  Secondly, I am an artist, it's my job to make whatever it is beautiful and meaningful and tell my story through paint.

Imagine how many hours I would lose just by simply wandering around looking for the right scene/subject? Most often I have 2-3 hours to paint on location, I better make it snappy. Don't get me wrong I deliberately go to places that I know will please me (crusty, rusty and horrible are the key words here) and I do like it when someone chooses for me and gives me a challenge - its all too easy to fall into the trap of painting the same things over and over.

Back to WHAT SHOULD BE THERE. So what should be there? well that's up to you to develop your skills of observation and your sense of good taste and design. While in Raglan NZ recently, I went to paint the orange dinghy - how disappointing ... i could barely tell it was orange ... back in the day it positively glowed and reflected into the bay, not only that, the fab building behind it doesn't exist!! My biggest problem is I believe my own press ... I really remember the house being an architectural wonder but I think i painted it that way many years ago and the painting is stuck in my memory!! So I decided to paint the old Dairy Factory behind the nasty building, it's obscured from every vantage point so I'm going to have to make it up, there will be ladders and brooms and mops and buckets, maybe a bloke walking by with a fishing rod. What i really need to consider is how important is the Dairy Factory and if i decide it's very important then i will have to decide what elements I will need to help me communicate "Dairy Factory" without getting naff or kitsch!! 

The secret message today is, use the scene/subject/photo as your inspiration, not something to be copied faithfully, just because it's there doesn't make it right for a work of art, if they brought back bell bottoms would you wear them? Give your artistic license a whirl!!

ciao i miei belli amici!!
​Amanda

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    Amanda Brett Watercolour Artist

    Paintbox Tips, secrets, thoughts, scribblings and doodles on art, my life as an artist, travels and musings!! www.amandabrett.net

    ​Copyright 2018 All images and text on Amanda's blog and website are the legal property of Amanda Brett and may not be reproduced without express permission, thanks for respecting my art and creativity.

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Amanda Brett - Watercolour Artist

Quality Guarantee: All my watercolours are painted with only modern professional grade watercolour paints on Museum exhibition grade watercolour papers, they are extremely lightfast and will become a family heirloom and passed down to subsequent generations. If​ properly cared for, watercolour paintings will last as long, if not longer, than oil paintings. I only paint on 100% cotton rag paper, mostly Arches and Fabriano, and frame to conservation standard with acid free materials.
Copyright © 2020 All images and text on Amanda's blog and website are the legal property of Amanda Brett and may not be reproduced without express permission from Amanda Brett or her authorised agent. Thank you for respecting her art and the livelihood of all artists.
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  • Home
    • About Me >
      • More About Me & Watercolour >
        • What I See
  • Gallery
    • New Original Paintings
    • Lucca watercolour paintings
    • Art For Sale - en Plein Air
    • Art For Sale - Glamping & Kombis
    • Art For Sale - ICONIC New Zealand
    • Art For Sale - STILL LIFE
    • Studio
  • Shop
    • Shop Limited Edition Prints
    • New Original Paintings
    • Gift Certificates
  • Tuition
    • Beginners One day Workshops
    • Watercolour Weekly Classes
    • Paintbox Tips
    • Feedback & Photos
    • FAQs
    • Workshops - Italy >
      • Book Watercolour Painting Workshop - Lucca Italy >
        • Workshop payment - Lucca Italy
    • En Plein Air Painting workshops >
      • En Plein Air Painting workshops NZ
      • En Plein Air Painting workshops Sydney Australia
    • online Tuition >
      • How to Zoom
    • Video Demos
  • Contact
    • News
  • Subscribe
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