The Perils of Demonstration
When I am in the Channel Islands I do a lot of paintings on my stand sitting at a table. It always attracts people who like to watch and ask questions about watercolours, and I will happily explain how to achieve a certain effect. But you will always get the ones who like to knock your efforts. In Jersey once I was painting a commission of an old Fisheries Protection Ship tied up along Gorey Harbour.
"Bit of artistic licence that" came the comment from a man in amongst the crowd.
"Sorry?" I said "Not real that painting" he carried on getting louder. These type of people really annoy me as they try to run you down even though they have no idea or the courage to sit there and do it themselves.
"Why is that" I asked politely "
That ship" he pointed at the painting "would never get into that harbour"
" Well I can assure you it did, otherwise I wouldn't have painted it" By now there were more people around and the detractor was warming to the fact he had an audience.
"Well" he said loudly " I used to be the harbour master at Gorey and I'm telling you it couldn't dock there" and with a flourish laid his cards on the table ' four of a kind'.
I waited for a second then lifted my watercolour paper and pulled out the photograph my client had given me to paint. Gorey harbour with the ship berthed there as snug as a bug. 'Royal Flush' The man muttered something evil then pushed his way out of the crowd.
I've had a young lad drag his finger across a newly painted tree spreading the colour into the sky. " Hey Mister" he said holding his green finger in front of me " That tree's still wet". The strangest comment was in Guernsey was from a man who had watched me paint for twenty minutes. I am left handed and after awhile he said "Where do you get them left hand brushes" I laughed thinking he was joking but no, he went on to say that he too was left handed and was having difficulty doing good pictures with normal brushes.
He'd looked all over but couldn't find left handed brushes like mine. I told him they were specially made and would sell him one for £50 but he didn't have enough money with him. I found the same thing happened in one of my art classes that I run. One of the students asked which brushes I used and I told him that I use Winsor and Newton series 7. They are expensive but looked after will last a lifetime.
Next week he came along with a No 8 Series 7 brush. After the class was over he expressed his disappointment with the brush. I picked it up and dragged a lovely wash along the paper. 'Well' he said ' It doesn't work for me, it must be because your left handed.
Published: 18th May 2006 | Back to Watercolour Memories.
Previous: The Furry Ferry
Next: Wooden Art
