The EAC October meeting enjoyed a stimulating demonstration from experimental watercolourist Keith Hornblower on his dynamic approach to the medium.

Working at an upright easel with just three colours, Keith applied several layers of paint, wet in wet, to build up texture, somehow controlling the mix and incorporating drips and random effects to produce a monumental Icelandic landscape in just two hours.

‘My approach is dynamic and spontaneous, applying paint at speed, moving and adjusting washes as I progress,’ says Keith.

‘Light and shade – tonal values – are everything to me. I use colours for dramatic effect rather than trying to reproduce them literally, thinking mainly in terms of warm and cool, and often working with a simple triad of primary or secondary colours.’

Keith’s advice: ‘Remember – take risks and make mistakes. I do it all the time!’

Hornblowerart.com