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a painting, because it is easier to tone
it down than tone it up. Sometimes
when sketching I use an exclusively
earth-colour palette which, of course,
excludes blues. However I find that
burnt umber reads as blue in this
context.Subject matter
Landscape has always attracted me – I
find it is the best way of exploring and
coming to terms with the space that I
inhabit. Over the past 30 years, for
example, I have painted the county of
Northumberland. I like the openness of
the place; its ancient history is evident
on the surface. In exploring and
studying this landscape I get a sense of
its stillness and isolation. The ancient
processes of the seasons and the cycle
of decay and regeneration is much
larger than the span of a single human
life. The human capacity for awe and
wonderment is in my view worthy of
celebration and the earthy alchemicalprocess of paint is my way of
celebrating. When painting well, I find
that the self becomes forgotten and the
true nature of subject is revealed.
Setting out to paint in the open can
be quite a nerve-wracking experience.
How will onlookers react? Will they
think my work is rubbish? But as soon
as I get on with it such considerations
become irrelevant. In the UK, which has
a predominantly literary and musical
culture, I am sometimes met with stares
of mild disapproval. This aside, the
reactions I get are usually very positive
and can even result in a sale. My advice
to anyone who is reticent about plein-air
working is to just get out there and do
it.Drawing
Drawing is really easy. To draw a person
you just draw a vertical line, then put a
circle on top, add arms and legs and
the job’s a good ‘un. As children, we
understand this, but with advancingyears the magic can be lost. Drawing
can become a great way of looking at
things. It requires patience and a
complete suspension of self-criticism. If
you think you can’t draw, try drawing a
picture of someone from life with the
paper under the table so that you can’t
see it to criticise it. Like as not, the
resulting image will bear some form of
likeness to your subject.
When working on a portrait sitting I
am happy if my first attempt looks
vaguely human – this is where patience
comes in. The second attempt is
usually a fairly good likeness and on a
good day the third can capture
something of the inner person. Drawing
isn’t just a pencil activity. Brushes can
be much faster and produce a much
wider range of expression. Try drawing
with different implements and media –
never stop experimenting and never
lose that childlike sense of awe.Putting people in the
landscape
I am aware that my landscapes are
largely unpeopled and yet I am
interested in painting people, so my
ambition is to release my figures from
their boxes into the freedom of the
landscape. In this ambition I look to
painters from the past such as Nicolas
Poussin, Joshua Reynolds and, of
course, the great Balthus, in whose
work the human form is depicted as a
natural part of the landscape.TA L KING TE C H NIQU E S
artistApril 2016 http://www.painters-online.co.ukDEMONSTRATION
EmmaSTAGE ONE
Having applied a thin layer of yellow ochre
over a white ground, the image was drawn
by removing light areas with a rag. Darker
areas were defined by burnt sienna for
warmth and burnt umber for the cooler
and darker ones. Cool light areas were
touched in with underpainting whiteFINISHED PAINTING
Emma,oil on board, 9 61 ⁄ 2 in
(23 15.5cm).
Next I laid down proposals for colour
relationships that defined this very
complex, three-dimensional form,
taking care once more not to be
distracted by too much detail. I like to
keep my options open at this stage.
After much consideration I decided to
paint the eyes more ‘smiley’ and
wider apart. The skin tones were
exaggerated into complementary
compliance to give the impression of
radiant light and over exaggerated in
the cheeks in order to lift the smile.
Contrasting areas of softness and
sharpness helped to define the formStephen King
will be exhibiting at the Richmond Hill
Gallery, 26 Richmond Hill, Richmond,
Surrey TW10 6QX from May 23 to 29;
telephone 020 8940 5152. He is a
regularly exhibitor at Plein Air
Contemporary, 341 King’s Road,
London SW3; Gallery 286, Earls Court;
and participates in the midsummer
Arthouse Open Studio Festival in
Twickenham. Giclée reproductions of
his work are on permanent exhibition,
and to purchase, at The Woodman, 60
Battersea High Street, London SW11.
For more information about Stephen,
see http://www.stephenkinggallery.com.TA