Who do you think is England's greatest ever painter? My recent blog about John Constable produced a lot of comments and many people might choose him as this country's greatest ever painter. But probably, like me, another name springs to mind immediately - Joseph Mallord William Turner.
Turner may not have been the most pleasant man to know - apparently his manners were rough and his conversation brusque at times. He treated his long suffering mistress very unkindly and left her very little provision in his will despite her devotion over many years. And yet when this man picked up a brush something magical happened - he was transformed into a painter of light unsurpassed to this day. It was said that he made his watercolours look like oils and his oils look like watercolours. Especially in his later years his paintings took on a shimmering exposition of dazzling light and its effects. When I was painting my 'Inspiration' series it was inevitable that he would be included. The painting above was done as a competition entry. Norham Castle was a favourite source of inspiration for him and he painted it many times. I thought this was a watercolour as it is so light and fluid but no it is an oil painting done probably from memory and never finished. When you try and paint in the style of someone your admiration for their genius grows even more and this was certainly the case with me.
Turner may not have been the most pleasant man to know - apparently his manners were rough and his conversation brusque at times. He treated his long suffering mistress very unkindly and left her very little provision in his will despite her devotion over many years. And yet when this man picked up a brush something magical happened - he was transformed into a painter of light unsurpassed to this day. It was said that he made his watercolours look like oils and his oils look like watercolours. Especially in his later years his paintings took on a shimmering exposition of dazzling light and its effects. When I was painting my 'Inspiration' series it was inevitable that he would be included. The painting above was done as a competition entry. Norham Castle was a favourite source of inspiration for him and he painted it many times. I thought this was a watercolour as it is so light and fluid but no it is an oil painting done probably from memory and never finished. When you try and paint in the style of someone your admiration for their genius grows even more and this was certainly the case with me.
This is my 'Turner' gallery and I enjoyed painting each one. "Turner's York" was an interesting challenge as it was based on an original sketch by the great man that he never painted. It was included in "Turner in the North" a book by David Hill. He kindly gave me permission to use the sketch for my painting. It was a typical Turner scene - the viewpoint doesn't exist! He sketched the bridge from a boat in the river and then stood on the bridge to add the minster. Then he put the two together to make a composite drawing of the essence of the City of York - brilliant. I'll finish with a print of simply the most exquisite little watercolour I have ever seen and yes....you have already guessed who it is by...so I give you the original "Blue Rigi":
Keeps your feet firmly on the ground doesn't it?
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