Publications

Making a Mark review Sunday Times Watercolour Prize 2018

The paintings I liked

My favourite bit of wall in the competition

For the record my prizewinner would have been Jayne Stokes SSA's composite image of 121 small painting of the Outer Hebrides. Each is different; each is painting on a tiny piece of watercolour paper which has either been torn or burnt so the edges are rarely precise. Each tiny painting has been thought through carefully and painted well - and the overall collage of mini-landscape paintings of the Outer Hebridean islands has that wonderful combination of both being a record of a place at the same time as having an air of abstraction and pleasing patterns. One of those paintings you can gaze at from a distance and also stand right in front of and become absorbed in what you see. It is also undeniably a watercolour painting! I also highlighted her 'Wanderlust' work selected for the 2016 exhibition as being very pleasing - and you can see more of her painting collages on her website. I'd love to own one her works but they're tad expensive for me!