ArtistsNetwork.com 27and allow the weather to infl uence his search for subject
matter. “It’s worth making an eff ort to get in front of
subjects that excite and inspire me, because that’s when
I produce my best work,” Bartholomew says. “For that
reason, I’m happy to get on a plane to California or drive
to the north of Scotland—which, ironically, takes longer—
if it gives me the best starting point for a new project.
Th e expense of travel is always repaid because the new,
high-quality reference material makes me so productive
when I return home.”
A Pairing in Mixed Media
Bartholomew is able to capture the vibrancy of a seascape—
or the liveliness of an animal subject, for that matter (on
page 31)—in part because of his method of combining
pastel and watercolor. “I’ve used pastel and watercolor
together for about 25 years,” he says, “although the propor-
tions of each vary widely from picture to picture.” He fi nds
that this dual-media approach allows him to work quickly
in the studio to capture the dynamic nature of a scene.
“It’s important to me to keep a pace to my work to
maintain energy—both physically and mentally,” the
artist says. “My favorite pieces tend to be the ones in
which I worked quickly rather than the ones I had to
battle with to keep looking fresh.”
Bartholomew’s works are generally large-scale to
accommodate his loose approach. He works on Saunders
Waterford 140-lb. watercolor paper, which he stretches
and soaks. “Th e pastel takes well to the surface, and there’s
ABOVE
Sinking Sun, Skye
(watercolor on paper, 15¾ x43¼ )LEFT
Barnacle Beach
(watercolor on paper, 21½ x43¼ )