Watercolor Artist - USA (2019-08)

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SPEED AND SIMPLICITY

Taylor has learned to trust his instincts when searching for something

to paint along the shore. “When a subject fi rst grabs my attention,

I must explore that fl eeting moment in time,” he says. “I don’t keep

looking and walking farther, hoping there might be a better subject,

when it’s right at my feet.”

He starts each painting by drawing freely with a soft but sharp 3B or

4B pencil—usually contour, without lifting his pencil—to capture main

structural lines. “Th e result is fast drawing, which adds to the spontane-

ous outcome,” says Taylor. “Composition is destroyed by too many

unnecessary details. Speed is also important if the subject includes

moving objects.”

Taylor keeps a spare sheet of paper beside his prepared watercolor

surface so he can test colors and map out the values, structure and

composition. “I plan how to approach the subject in a simple way,” he

says. He notes the colors he wants to use, which will all be mixed on the

paper, not on the palette. “I measure what I’m doing in percentages to

create the color mixes,” Taylor says, a useful carryover from his color-

correction days. “If you can mix color on paper, you can understand

what percentage of each color is required to mix the color you want.”

Then, with a big mop brush, Taylor lays in the atmosphere of the

subject—often created by the light and color of the sky—and all the

lighter values and nuances are added as well, usually on dampened

CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE TOP
Taylor had to plan ahead to capture the
moment quickly in Fun in the Waves,
Gippsland, Australia (watercolor on paper,
10x19). He worked out the color beforehand,
doing a test run on a spare sheet of paper. “The
challenge is always the weather and the drying
rate,” he says of painting on location. “There
needed to be a feeling of connection between
the atmosphere of the sea and the bathers
enjoying it, so lots of wet edges were needed.”

“This is one of the most dramatic harbors in
England,” says Taylor of Still of Morning,
Polperro, UK (watercolor on paper, 28x39).
“I love exploring the shoreline at low tide. The
water craft huddle together safely, and the light
dances.” Taylor used lots of large brushwork
and bold, wet washes for the scene. “The strong
shapes are calmed by the walled harbor and
the lapping sea.”

“Exploring the coastline at low tide in this
northern part of England is captivating,” says
Taylor of A Solitary Moment, Whitby, UK
(watercolor on paper, 22x30). The scene of
a lone vessel left on the sand was an inspiring
discovery. “The colors were magnetic,
particularly the rusty refl ection and the warmth
of the bridge, and the blue boat,” he says.