Everyyear,GRAHAMEBOOTHtravelsthe worldteachingartworkshops.
Thismonth,helooks backto hislastvisitto thenorthofEngland to share
tipsandadvice forcapturinglocal colourT
heLakeDistrictis undoubtedly
oneofEngland’smostpopular
regionsandI jumpedatthe
chancetotutora workshoptherewith
AlphaPaintingHolidays.Thelasttime
I hadvisitedtheareawasduringmy
honeymoonmanyyearsagowhenwe
hadfiveunbrokendaysofdawnto
dusksunshineinMarch.Pureluck,
I wastold.Onmyreturn,wealsohad
fivedaysofsolidspringsunshine
withtheaddedbonusofwarm
temperatures.I beganto
thinkit mustneverrainin
theLakeDistrict.2.The Lake
District
LANDSCAPES IN DETAILLEFT Grahame’s
chosen view of
Lake Windermere- turn to page 60
to see how he
interpreted it
The potential subject matter
is plentiful and picturesque with
mountains, rivers and extremely
paintable villages in addition to the
lakes. Being based in a hotel on the
shore of Lake Windermere gave me
plenty of opportunity to study and
paint the lake, even if it did raise
some interesting challenges – not
least the fact that any lake is not a
terribly interesting subject by itself.
It is, after all, just a large amount of
water but what makes it interesting
to most artists is the effect of light
on the water and the relationshipbetween the lake and the surrounding
land. The relative stillness of the lake
contrasts nicely with the busier
landscape and choosing a suitable
and interesting foreground really
helps to create a harmonious and
interesting whole.
If you are painting a lake, that
foreground interest is probably the
most important consideration. Look
for nicely shaped trees and shrubs,
or jetties and walls which are usually
fairly common features. If you are
fortunate enough to find someone
fishing, this can also provide interest
with the added advantage of them
probably remaining in position for
some time. With the view I settled on,
the little gazebo on the lake shore
was an obvious possibility, but I still
spent quite a bit of time walking up
and down the lake shore first to find
what I thought was the best aspect.
All too often I find that painters do not
look around enough before starting.
If you are working from a
photograph remember that the
camera only captures an instant
on the water. It is better to paint a
general feel of the water movement
rather than a precise instant. Take
plenty of photographs. There is
nothing more annoying than to realise
that a slightly different shot would
have been so much better.Top tip
Don’t assume the first
view you find is best
- a few steps left or
right can drastically
alter a scene