I've always been a fan of Sophie's work and was very much looking forward to the Newquay Society of Artist's demonstration evening.
Sophie's work is deceptively simple to watch as she talked us through her approach; using only 5 or 6 colours in a painting, she always aims to reduce detail and allow the jeopardy of watercolour to take you on a journey and let the painting emerge. We see the initial washes and colour blend together, then blocks of colour going in to provide the structure of the landscape, followed by lifting off elements for highlights and finishing details.
This sounds very organic and sporadic but don't be fooled; you can tell there is a lot of juggling going on as she works quickly with the water; always having to think one step ahead, as well as reacting to what's happening now and making the marks count. She will only do 3 to 4 layers on a painting, so they need each to play their part.
Sophie is an artist of experimentation rather than technicality, of embracing the challenge of how to use the watercolour rather than how to paint the scene. Yet she creates that magic by using her experience, talent and pure daily practice; balancing masterful knowledge of her art with fun. Now that's something to aspire to.
