The Artist - Summer 2012 Volume 127 No.8

I already have a June (Vol.127 No.6) and July (Vol. 127 No.7) issue of this magazine and lo and behold another arrived this week described as `Summer 2012'. When will the next arrive?

8" x 111/2" approx. 66 pages £3.70 (cheaper if you subscribe)

This latest edition  has quite a lot to interest the watercolour artist. There are articles by Jeremy Houghton (Putting watercolour through its paces), Ian Sidaway (Rock of Ages), Geoffrey Gwynne 's on the spot watercolours, Jake Winkle's latest 7/8 Wildlife in Watercolour, Greys, brown and neutrals by Soraya French and Barry Hernimans `Views from the River Wye'. Something to interest most even if the artists in question aren't all necessarily amongst your favourites.

In addition there are reviews of the new Sennelier Acquarelle range and Da Vinci Maestro brushes with several other items, making 18 separate topics in all. The artist Trevor Waugh reviews the Sennelier range. Trevor has been promoting Sennelier for a while and indeed features in the launch literature. When I took some workshops with him several years ago he was using  and recommending Daler Rowney  paints which another particpant, who knew him well, said were supplied at very favourable terms. This same person also said he was very professional in his approach and wouldn't give his approval unless he thought it  merited. This undoubtedly applies to his endorsement of Sennelier. The American Bruce McEvoy of the amazing Handprint site has never been very complimentary about the European makes of watercolour despite the long pedigree most have. This includes Sennelier, although he was writing about the old range now discontinued. Sadly Bruce no longer updates the information so frequently so a view from a well-regarded professional like Trevor carries weight. Personally I think all the main artists quality makes are good to excellent and apart from personal preferences, which do often apply, are unlikely to disappoint. Where a problem arises are those small number of makes that are promoted and sold as `artists quality' at much lower prices. 

The Da Vinci Maestro brushes are amongst those I use and indeed I have several that are still brand new. Paul Talbot Greaves, an SAA  artist, gives them a thorough trial and  very good review as one would expect from this German company, who have been selling them since 1952 and have acquired a world-wide reputation. Made from Tobolsky kolinsky they are expensive but much less so than the Winsor and Newton series 7.

All in all a good issue for the watercolour artist from this excellent magazine apart from one complaint I have. Why so little on good foreign artists like Viktoria and Slawa Prischedko, Piet Lap, Fealing Lin, Bev Jozwiak plus many others including the myriad of great artists, unknown to most of us, in Asia and Eastern Europe?