Tag: watercolour

St Monans Churchyard, Fife

I was recently commissioned to paint a view of the Churchyard at St Monans. The client wanted four children included in the painting but otherwise left me to choose the best view, which was much appreciated, as it enabled me to select a view which not only met the client’s specifications but allowed me to choose the view which I think best portrays the unique setting of St Monans church. The church building and churchyard are centre stage but I’ve included enough visual information to show the quaint fishing village, red-tiled houses and harbour in the distance with a wide expanse of sea and sky behind.

16″ X 12″, on Saunders Waterford paper.

waterlily painting

Waterlily

I’ve spent a very enjoyable couple of days on & off, painting this beautiful lily that is gracing our garden pond at the moment. This is a mixed media painting – watercolour, white chalk and white gouache paint. I’m afraid the delicate, lucid tones of the stamens eluded me! Which points up the fact that Art only imitates nature, it can never portray accurately the amazing delicacy and subtle nuances of light that we see with our eyes. As Picasso famously said: “Art is a lie which makes us understand the truth.” in other words my painting, or anyone else’s for that matter, can only be an approximation; we have to find an equivalent in paint or whatever medium we work in, that will at best enable us to mimic on paper or canvas the effect of light .

waterlily painting
“Waterlily” Watercolur on Arches paper, (9″ X 6″ (approx)

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these…” (Matthew 6:28,29)

Prints of this work are available via

 “Redbubble” or “FineArtAmerica”