48 JUNE 2017 http://www.painters-online.co.uk
additives that you can use in your
paintings like texture pastes and
impastogels. In oils you just put the
paint on thicker, but ring the changes
by contrasting thin and thick areas.
If you want a masterclass in texture,
check out the work of Francis Boag.
He often creates the texture on his
mounts before he begins the actual
paintings, using gels and collaged
materials. This can be a very exciting
way to work, which is full of surprises.Choose your subject
The next element is key – your subject
matter – and what a choice: landscape,
seascape, still life, figure work, it just
goes on and on. Just think of the
number of artists whose styles you
can recognise by their subject matter:
Constable (landscape), Rembrandt
(figures), Morandi (still life), Turner
(weather and atmosphere) and
Canaletto (Venice). So, are you going
to restrict yourself to one type of
subject or are you going to tackle
different ones? The choice is yours.
Having selected your subject matter,
you must then think of how you are
going to approach it. What viewpoint
will you select: low or high? How large
will your work be? Will you prefer to
work small scale or large scale? Go to
any amateur exhibition and you will
find lots of small works. Why not make
your mark by working on a larger scale?
Then consider whether your next
composition will be simple or complex.
Having considered all these formal
elements, you can now decide how you
are going to use them to create your
style – a style that will be recognised
as yours and yours alone. Experiment
with putting the emphasis on different
elements in different works until you
find an approach with which you are
comfortable then stick with that.
It’s going to take some work to create
your own style, but it is worthwhile
and will give you a lot of pleasure
when an exhibition visitor immediately
recognises a picture as one of yours.
Enjoy following the exercises (right)
and good luck on your search. LPStormy Day, Largo Bay, watercolour,
113 ⁄ 4 x8in. (30x20cm). Seascapes and
landscapes do not always have to
represent bright, sunny days. The study
of light and weather can provide
untold wealth of subject matter that
can be developed in your own style
and in a variety of media. Notice,
too, the use of a restricted palette.tRocks, acrylics, 5x12in. (12x31cm).
At first sight this might appear abstract
in style, however it is a realistic
representation of the forms and
colours found by looking directly down
on rocks. The stylistic emphasis is on
texture and colour. Texture is a much-
neglected formal feature in many
paintings. Try experimenting with
it and see if it inspires you.tLP06 46-49 Mitchell_Layout 1 05/04/2017 14:58 Page 48