New Charles Reid Portrait DVD

APV Films of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, UK are scheduling the release of a new Portrait DVD from Charles Reid this month. The last Portrait video from him was as long ago as 1988 so this is a much anticipated event.

When on painting courses with Charles, during the last four years, I have asked him to write a new book on Portraits because, similar to the video, the original book was written more than twenty years ago.  Other students asked the same thing and initially, although reluctant, I thought he might be persuaded to do so.  Unfortunately Charles, who will be 75 this Summer, has decided against due partly I think to his experience with his last excellent book, `Watercolour Solutions', where during the course of writing it he had three different editors. From my own experience I know how frustrating and annoying this is.


In the DVD, which was filmed at the home and gallery, now owned by his daughter, of the late James Fletcher-Watson, Charles does three paintings, two of the same young lady and another full length of a man. I was at Crantock Bay with Charles last October and the following week he was at Burford in Oxfordshire, The Fletcher-Watson gallery is in a nearby village. Immediately after the course he made the DVD. One interesting point is that he brought over some Moldau Czech hand-made paper for this purpose.


I asked APV if I could pre-order and the reply was they would inform me as soon as it was available. APV Produce a range of DVD's featuring some of the finest watercolour artists in the World. They also sell some painting accessories, specifically brushes,and you can buy the Alvaro Castagnet and Robert Wade signature brushes. I don't know of any other UK source for these. They normally charge £28.95p for DVDs. APV Films www.apvfilms.co.uk/ .