Are you spending hours on a painting, trying to get it just right, and yet you’re still unhappy with the result? In spite of your best efforts do your paintings seem too stiff, too tight? Many painters I meet and teach are chasing that elusive loose result that looks so free and easy. I’ve spent a number of years pursuing it myself and am happy to dissect my approach over the course of these four articles.
First up though, a definition. Why? Because if we have an idea of what we’re chasing we might have a better chance of catching it. The sentence below is a description of loose painting. It was originally a definition of ‘painterly’ from another source, but over the years it has evolved and changed to be more in keeping with watercolour (partly because I can never remember the original quotation exactly!) Here it is as I use it: ‘A patchwork of shapes, washes and brush marks which jigsaw together to give the illusion of our subject.’ I love this simple sentence; it says so much.it hint at how we use the medium; it helps us observe our subject, guides our thinking as we paint, and finally points to the criteria for a successful painting.
