Work in Progress January 2020

The finished piece

The finished work, created using a mix of watercolour paints and pencils. This tree sits in the grounds of the Astley Ainslie Hospital, which were originally landscaped by Roland Edgar Cooper in the 1920s. Cooper went on to become head curator at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. Just behind the tree can be seen the scientific block, which houses a hydrotherapy pool. I’ve taken some artistic license with the tree: in reality the foliage is much darker but I have exaggerated the hints of pink and greens for interest. The land itself has a longstanding association with public health, dating back some 600 years. The Chapel of St. Roque and adjacent hospital once stood to the north of here, caring for victims of plague evacuated from Edinburgh. I’ll return to this theme at a later date.

Taking the plunge

It’s a while since I painted in watercolour: at one time it was my medium of choice. I’d forgotten how much easier it is to use, in terms of materials, mess and speed of drying, in relation to oils. Application is a different matter though. There is less scope to rectify mistakes if for example, you go too dark too soon there is a limit to the extent you can ‘erase’ some of the pigments. That being said there is plenty of scope to create different textures and create depth by taking a mixed media approach. In this short video (apologies, I still haven’t figured out the best way to shoot these), I have started to map out some broad areas of colour, using light washes and watercolour pencils.

Finding Inspiration

New year, new project. I’m planning ahead for an exhibition that I’ll be staging at Newington Library later this year. The working title for the exhibition is Wild Places and Ordered Spaces and this sketch is at the Ordered Spaces end of the spectrum. The focus of this work is one of the magnificent trees to be found on the site of the Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh, a facility dating from the 1930s, built as a place for patients to recuperate after discharge from the Royal Infirmary. This preliminary watercolour crayon sketch will be the starting point for a watercolour painting, a medium I have neglected for the last few years. I like the vibrancy and colour of this sketch, characteristics I would like to retain in the finished work.