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Rip Charles Reid (1937 - 2019)

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The extraordinary as well as incomparable watercolour painter as well as fine art instructor Charles Reid died on 1st June 2019.


I'm sure all of us who were fans of him all convey our ain memories of "our connections" amongst Charles Reid - fifty-fifty if nosotros never ever met him.

These are mine.....

When I firstly got interested inward fine art 1 time again - equally a much-needed creative diversion from number-crunching (after the long slog through my firstly score at Cambridge as well as and therefore the exams for my accountancy qualification) -  1 of the rattling firstly icon instructors who appealed to me was Charles Reid.

I'd pass hours inward the fine art shops salivating over the watercolour paints as well as and therefore spent what seemed similar forever sat inward the volume department pouring over the latest bright fine art pedagogy volume from Watson Guptill inward the USA - trying to produce upwards one's heed what I could afford to purchase - paints or books or pigment as well as books - as well as it was invariably the latter.

One of the artist/authors I loved best of all was Charles Reid. He only connected similar no other fine art instructor at that time.

I never became a practiced watercolour painter, preferring dry out media to wet, but my eyes were opened to art-making piece reading his books.

I absolutely loved his washy means of watercolour icon which had sensational colours as well as glazes as well as blurs as well as mixes on the page. I bemoan endlessly the fact I therefore rattling rarely encounter paintings past times a brain painter who celebrated the attributes of watercolour inward exhibitions of watercolour icon today.

I was awe-struck past times the fact he left his watercolours drip downwards the page as well as was totally unphased past times it. He left his graphite sketch included inward the finally piece of work - for all to see. Surely this was breaking the laws of "proper painting"?

In fourth dimension I came to encounter him rattling much equally the contemporary successor to John Singer Sargent.

Somebody who ever painted from what he could encounter as well as was ever concerned amongst the number he was trying to achieve.

recent images on his Instagram account - amongst that rattling memorable self-portrait inward the middle
Who remembers the:
  • continuous occupation drawing?
  • the "big blur"?
  • the emphasis on seeing shapes as well as values equally they presented themselves - as well as non equally your encephalon tried to tell y'all they were?
  • highlighting the value of the backlit subject?
  • even to a greater extent than emphasis on the importance of edges - as well as "the lost as well as found"?
  • the focus on mixing interesting darks - on the palette as well as on the page - as well as the avoidance of black
  • and ever always ever - looking for connections as well as relationships inside your bailiwick - inward line, mass, color as well as tone... ?
What I liked nearly him was this teaching (in his books) was ever rattling informal - as well as at the same fourth dimension rattling thoughtful as well as considered - a fleck similar his paintings.

However, for me the most of import thing was that his pedagogy wasn't nearly watercolour icon as well as 'how to paint' at all.

When I went to describe some of my Charles Reid books off my bookshelves I was amazed to uncovering that absolutely none of them were inward the watercolour section!  In fact I'd state I was panicking at that point!!!

They were of course of pedagogy elsewhere - on my composition as well as blueprint shelves - as well as sitting amongst the other books inward related bailiwick matter.

That's because he was nearly therefore much to a greater extent than than nearly how to pigment inward watercolours or oil.

Below y'all tin encounter the covers of only 3 of my books. I approximate the most recent editions straightaway convey unlike covers.

I can't uncovering my re-create of Painting what y'all desire to see (right) - but that's also a non bad book

I'd similar to pay tribute to what he taught me past times encouraging y'all to seek out these books if you've non read them previously - as well as convey a practiced read - as well as and therefore start applying his tips inward your practice.

I rarely encounter them inward bookshops anymore - more's the compassion - but y'all tin notwithstanding uncovering them all online.

Mine is the 1991 paperback - but it was originally published inward 1985
I intend this was the start of my Charles Reid journey. He was writing nearly things nobody else seemed to cover. It's a fleck all over the house inward price of content - but lots of its is invaluable.

My hardback was published inward 1991 as well as is straightaway available inward watercolour amongst a unlike cover
This volume is all nearly "the essential elements of practiced picture-making" - it's all nearly composition - as well as in that place are pitifully also few practiced books nearly composition out there!

He shows y'all how to compose both inward price of how y'all pigment - as well as also inward price of how y'all approach a icon from the rattling beginning
We encounter also much! Everything looks important; we're taught to intend symmetrically as well as to laissez passer on equal attending to all areas. Good practise built on venture design, which depends non on specific bailiwick thing but on your might to perceive whatever bailiwick - figure or otherwise - inward price of colour, value, as well as shape. These are the essentials, the edifice blocks. Learn to piece of work non from your caput but from your eyes. Your existent aim is to pigment the light, non the thing itself. You convey to educate yourself to encounter the bailiwick objectively rather than to seat amongst it, as well as to process what's inward front end of y'all equally a elementary blueprint problem. (Introduction to Part Six on Designing Paintings)


The volume which actually taught me how to await at people as well as how to tape them
- as well as why I rarely sketch people amongst faces!
This volume was published inward 1994
Again, this is NOT a volume similar whatever other on how to pigment a figure. I works life it rattling influential - fifty-fifty though I wasn't icon inward watercolour. It works whatever medium y'all use.

He emphasises that
  • painting figures requires drawing skills
  • contour drawing is important
  • how to piece of work your brush as well as mix colours
  • how to deliver pigment to your paper
  • the actually of import aspects of facial construction as well as features
  • how to compose as well as blueprint figure drawings as well as paintings.

A brusk biography


The value of a human being is inward what he did. The most of import thing he did was to instruct rattling many people how to see, how to blueprint as well as how to taste their painting

However he also did a few other things as well as this is a brusk summary extracted from his website and
  • born inward Cambridge, New York
  • studied fine art at the University of Vermont as well as the Art Students League of New York. 
  • won numerous awards, including 
    • the Childe Hassam Purchase Prize at the American Academy of Arts as well as Letters, 
    • the National Academy of Design and 
    • the American Watercolor Society. 
  • In 1980 he was elected to the National Academy of Design. 
  • Public collections of his piece of work include Smith College, Yellowstone Art Center, Brigham Young College, Roche Corporation, as well as the National Academy of Design. 
  • Reid was also a instructor who taught workshops or therefore the world. 
  • Reid was also an writer who wrote 11 books on icon inward watercolor as well as crude - published past times Watson-Guptill
    • 1972 - Figure Painting In Watercolor 
    • 1976 - Flower icon inward oil 
    • 1983 - Painting What (You Want) to see 
    • 1985 - Pulling Your Paintings Together 
    • 1986 - Flower Painting inward Watercolor 
    • 1989 - Portrait Painting inward Watercolor 
    • 1991 - Painting past times Design: Getting to the Essence of Good Picture-Making (Master Class) 
    • 1994 - The Natural Way to Paint 
    • 2004 - Charles Reid's watercolor Secrets
    • 2008 - Watercolor Basics: Learn To Solve The Most Common Painting Problems aka Charles Reid's Watercolor Solutions
  • Recent awards include 
    • a Purchase Award from Shanghai International Biennial Exhibition inward 2013 and 
    • a Gold Medal from the Portrait Society of America inward 2013.
You tin uncovering out nearly him:

His amazing fine art pedagogy books

I'd link to his website if it had links to his books - but it doesn't - therefore the links are to Amazon (USA - embedded inward the championship - as well as Amazon UK)

Echo Point Books & Media seems to convey the licence to reprint his books - but I've no persuasion nearly the quality. I tin for certain recommend the Watson Guptill versions if y'all tin larn concur of them (this is an event where the older versions toll to a greater extent than than the recent reprints!)

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