John Somerscales
A Demonstration - "Landscape in Watercolour"
Tuesday 14th April 2026, 2.00 - 4.00pm in the Pavilion
Following this demonstration, John wrote a summary of his approach:
I started [the demonstration] by outlining my thoughts and approach for my style of observational painting. Watercolour is a difficult medium, mostly due to the fact that there are very limited options for changing things once a painting has been started. The planning stage of a watercolour is always critical; colour studies and sketches being a helpful guide to making a good initial decision about the composition and colour range. The essential techniques of watercolour such as wet in wet, dry brush and mark-making with the brush are things which make a successful painting come alive. They should be practised regularly as an exercise in their own right and not necessarily during the course of painting a picture.
It is very easy to overwork a watercolour and so it is a good idea to stop as soon as you run out of ideas and then re-visit the painting at a later date.
John Somerscales
Photographs of the demonstration followed by some of John's work.
About John:
John is an observational painter who likes to work on location whenever possible. Much of his work, both oil and watercolour, is started en plein air and completed in the studio with the aid of photographs and sketches.
John's drawing skills, honed by his former work in graphic art and design, enable him to tackle complicated subjects with confidence. His evocative and expressive brushwork is underpinned by sound construction.
John divides his time between new work, commissions, teaching, demonstrating and writing articles on technique. He has staged many one-man shows and has contributed work to The Pure Watercolour Society at Windrush and The Sunday Times Watercolour exhibition in the Mall Galleries, London.
The text above is abstracted from two websites where you can also see more of John's work:
Artists in Woodstock
Oxford Art Society