Product Review - Cornwall Watercolour Paper

I recently tried out Cornwall watercolour paper from the well-known German manufacturer Hahnehmuhle. They have quite a range and Gerard Hendriks uses their Andalucia 500gsm paper - so does Viktoria Prischedko.. The interesting thing about Cornwall is that is  a slightly heavier paper at 210lb rather than the more common 140lb.Yvonne Harry the leader of my AVA group and a very fine artist, quite the equal of many professionals, had purchased some and used it at our AVA sessions. I was quite impressed with the results so decided I would give it a try. It isn't a cotton-based paper, presumably cellulose or similar and being slightly heavier than the norm doesn't buckle quite so easily. Because the weight is heavier the cost is roughly equivalent to a 140lb cotton paper so you don't save in that respect. 

Cornwall comes in both rough and matt surfaces, the rough being quite pronounced with a distinct pattern. Both come in blocks of ten in various sizes and you can also buy sheets. I bought blocks of both surfaces in the 30 x 40cm size, my favoured size. Current Jacksons price for the 10 sheet 30 x 40cm block is £12.20p.

I recently tried the rough surface at an AVA session. The subject was landscapes, which I don't do very often these days so I was very rusty. getting my excuses in first. The surface of the paper is quite rough with  pronounced vertical lines. Brushing across them produces a broken effect. I initially tried a portrait subject and it was a disaster. It just didn't suit the subject at all. Whether the matt surface would be okay I've yet to find out.

Winter Scene - Cornwall 30 x 40cm rough 210lb/450gsm

A few years back I tried another Hahnemuhle paper Britannnia available in rough and matt surfaces. For a while I quite liked it. It has a hard surface so the paint doesn't sink into the paper and remains bright. Being 140lb it is cheaper than Cornwall and the 12 sheet 30 x 40cm is only £9.40p. A good budget option. My favourite papers these days are Fabriano Artistico Extra White and Waterford High White. I'm inclining more to the Waterford and  prefer the 16" x 12" size rather than the 18" x 12" of Fabriano. The Waterford High White took a little time to get used to as it is different from the normal off white,but is a lovely paper used by many top artists. Unfortunately being cotton it is more expensive but there are occasional special offers. I should mention I also use the Great Art Centenaire paper, another of 100% cotton and it is good but not quite as good as the Waterford (my feeling), although a little cheaper. 

More Incredible Deals from Great Art

Just received the Great Art magazine - actually a large pull out leaflet - with some incredible paper deals for watercolour artists. The Winsor and Newton artist quality paint offers, previously highlighted, are included and  prices for Fabriano, Waterford and Arches are the best I have seen for a long time. There are great deals for other media artists.

To give some examples the Fabriano Artistico 18" x 12" 20 sheet block (all surfaces including Extra White) is only £14.75p which is half price! Waterford 16" x 12" 20 sheet blocks are £17.95p and Arches of the same size £27.50p. These are just examples. www.greatart.co.uk/

Bev Jozwiak

Amongst the many fine artists I have discovered over the last year or two is Bev Jozwiak. I can't recall exactly how I found out about her, but discovery soon led to an admiration of her colourful and impressionistic work, together with interesting subject matter. As well as being a wonderful artist she is also a very nice person as I discovered when asking assistance in producing this feature.

Born in Vancouver, Washington, Bev is a Signature member of the American Watercolor Society and many others too numerous to list. She is an International award winning artist and her website - well worth a visit  www.bevjozwiak.com/  gives much detail of her career along with a large gallery of her paintings.

The following are examples of her `crow' paintings, highly original to say the least.

This statement from her website epitomizes her philosophy:

"Painting very directly, I place my watercolors on the paper with very little mixing on the palette. I use lots of varied colour in my blacks to keep them from going flat, in my whites to keep them glowing, and even in my skin tones to keep them interesting.

Emotion plays an important part in every successful painting, so I choose only subjects that call to me and that gives my work energy and excitement."

Bev is represented by several galleries and one of them had this to say at a recent exhibition of her paintings:.

"the Cole Gallery in Edmonton represents forty artists and hosts a rotating feature exhibition of each artist. The current artist featured is Bev Jozwiak. Jozwiak is a signature member of the Norwest Watercolor Society. Curator, Dennis Cole, claims that of the workshops offered to artists, Jozwiak's are the most popular.

Jozwiak's featured watercolor paintings depict figurative and avian subjects. her figurative work in this exhibition is split between young women and children. One of her avian subjects is a rooster; the rest are crows. Whether she is painting birds, a bride's maid or women waiting for the No.9 bus, Jozwiak's approach is both energetic and memorable.

Her colors are intense and her contrasts lively, but the source of her `Wow' factor, and she does have the `Wow' factor, is her expressive and deliberate brush strokes. Jozwiak's painting style is intensely personal. Her work appears to be driven by a kinetic relationship with her world. 

The edge of a shape is a critical transition in artwork. Edges are said to come in three flavors: hard, soft and rough. Jozwiak's edges move beyond the standard. Her edges can be jagged, gestural, bleeding, spattered and at times the pigment simply fades out into a solitary pencil contour line defining the shape.

Jozwiak paints with bold brushstrokes. Paint is often thick and opaque. She characteristically mixes pigment on the paper rather than the palette, which results in surprising color juxtapositions.

Her compositions are engaging. Most of her children are active. In Budding Artist a child is painting. In Life's little Treasures children are curiously searching the ground for that perfect little object to take home and put in a jar on the shelf. The young women in Jozwiak's show are waiting.  In  Bus Stop Conversation and Waiting on No.9, they are waiting for the bus. In `All Dressed Up...' the subject appears to be waiting for a date to show up. All of Jozwiak's figures appear to be embedded in their own reality. The gaze of the figures is always behind the frame, rather than out of the frame toward the viewer. Directing the gaze of the figures is always behind the frame rather than the out of the frame toward the viewer. Directing the gaze of the subject behind the frame, the artist contains the energy in the image she has created. We are allowed to peer in, but the subjects do not notice us. The effect enlarges the virtual world of the subject.

Jozwiak is playful as well as expressive. When she paints crows, she represents a bird that is familiar with the human world. In Traffic Cop II a crow is shown perched on a traffic signal light. In Crow Bar II a crow has found its way into a traditional still life of grapes, wine glasses and bottles. The crow has a grape in its beak. These scenes may sound cute, and while Jozwiak works with humour, her images go beyond cute. Even in these tame situations, her crows have a mischievous wildness about them."

This accompanied an exhibition in June 2012 and a selection of her work is on permanent display. The Cole Gallery is at http://www.colegallery.net

Below are some of Bevs latest work - not yet on her website - which she kindly sent me. I do see a change in emphasis with colour. One thing that attracted me to her work was her use of brilliant colour, especially red, and this has been toned down in these paintings. You can see many subtle colours and the use of complements.

The Diploma II

 Man of the Hour

World Beat

Big Dreams

Three Dancers

Bev has also supplied the following `mission' statement, if that is the right expression. 

"The style I am currently working in seems to be the direct result of my own personal journey. I can paint thick, dark and dramatic. to light loose and washy, all in one piece. Who says you can't have it all.

From an oil like look to dripping puddles, I love the spontaneity and freshness of watercolor. It has the capabilities to be hard edged in one stroke and washed out in the next. Watercolor is the perfect medium for creating edge variety, soft, hard,blurred or focussed. Lost and found edges help to create movement throughout the painting. I try not to get bogged down with finishing every detail. When you do your edges become hard, thus stopping the eye from travelling through your piece."

I have always been under the assumption that paintings should look like paintings, and not photographs. With that in mind, try to create movement in your work by showing brushwork, adding water, creating runs, drips and splatter. Experiment with the uniqueness of watercolor. Be bold, fear tends to make you tighten up. Don't just be a recorder of facts; keep in mind that you do not need to reproduce everything that you see. being freed up from exact rendering helps you concentrate on what the medium can do, rather than worrying about the small details.

This medium can be so versatile so don't fight it. Don't work against it; let it be in all its glory"

So there you have it!

More examples of Bevs work.

Now down to the nitty gritty of materials. Her palette is a John Pike, this is a very large, flat, hard plastic palette with 24 wells. It has a lid that you can also use for mixing. An illustration appears in one of my earlier posts on palettes. Paper is 140lb Fabriano Hotpress and the following Winsor & Newton tube paints, but note exception. Yellow Ochre, Quinacridone Gold (opt), Burnt Sienna, Sap Green (Holbein), French Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue (opt), Manganese Blue Hue, Alazarin Crimson, Rose Madder Genuine, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Orange (opt), Winsor Blue (Red Shade (opt), Winsor Blue (Green Shade) (opt), Cadmium Yellow,

Brushes are Cheap Joes Golden Fleece (a large American mail order supplier) , Bev says she has expensive brushes but `I always seem to paint with these inexpensive brushes from Cheap Joes, almost exclusively a number 10'.

This is a long piece but I felt there is so much interesting and useful information that I have printed it in full. Almost a mini Masterclass in itself. Thank you so much Bev and I look forward to seeing more of your work in future.

Avon Valley Artists Thursday 1 March 2012

This week the subject was `In the Garden'. to be interpreted as you will although keeping to the basic theme.

My source Photo

 In the Garden - Fabriano Artistico Extra White 14" x 20" Not

Although only small my garden swarms with birds. I have four feeding stations plus a bird bath and a small pond, a four star hotel for the birds! The most numerous visitors are goldfinches. In the painting I've added greenfinches, also regulars, and a long tailed tit, an occasional visitor usually in numbers. I could have put in many other species.

My basic painting was built around two bird feeders with the two goldfinches at the front left the  main focal points. I painted them and the bird feeder together with an impression of the surrounding foliage in one passage. I then moved to the right completing the second feeder and another goldfinch linking them together with the  greenfinches at the top right. The branches at the top of the painting were put in last as was the long tailed tit. I tried to link everything to avoid any one part looking isolated.

Colours used for the goldfinches were Indigo (Daniel Smith PB60/Pbk6) for the blacks , Hansa Yellow Medium (Daniel Smith PY97) and Indian Yellow (Rowney PY153) plus diluted Raw Umber. The Red is Quinacridone Rose (Graham PV19). Raw Sienna was used to simulate the seeds in the feeders. I used a lot of Hookers Green (Graham) in various dilutions and sometimes altered with yellow. Some Gold Ochre is in there somewhere (Winsor & Newton PY43). Burnt Sienna was added in various places to add warmth. The Greenfinches are a mixture of green and yellow in various dilutions. The greys are mainly Indigo with some Burnt Sienna.

Brushes were my Da Vinci Artissimo 44 Size 2 Kolinsky mop, a size 6 Da Vinci Maestro 10 and the Isabey retractable size 6. Comments welcome.