Review: Rws 'Watercolour Etc' Exhibition At The Bankside Gallery

"Watercolour Etc", the Spring Exhibition of the members of the Royal Watercolour Society is on display at the Bankside Gallery until 25th Apr 2015.


Watercolour poster for the RWS exhibition - featuring a watercolour icon past times Richard Bawden
The exhibition is for members too associate members only. Each fellow member could also submit 1 particular artwork done inwards unopen to other media. Interestingly non all artists submitted operate inwards other media. That way c.20-25% of the c. 210 artworks on display inwards the exhibition are NOT paintings inwards H2O based media.

The rationale is that "many artists" comprehend a make of tools too media inwards the making of their fine art too stay opened upwards to the possibilities whether technical or expressive. I'm non quite sure what the relevance of other media is to a media based social club although I tin readily empathise the rationale inwards relation to a discipline based one.
The Society is the centre of excellence for H2O based media on paper, which allows for a various too interesting make of approaches to the medium of watercolour.
The RWS keeps making me remember it wants to move something else too is no longer 100% behind the advertisement of H2O based media. It claims to move a centre of excellence but to practise that it has to deliver - comprehensively too consistently. Diversity is fine but excellence is everything. It's a signal worth pondering.

A thought of the exhibition (Thames side)
If you're unable to learn to the exhibition yous tin meet the artwork (not to size):
But if yous desire to meet the paintings upwards unopen yous demand to see the exhibition. The Gallery is opened upwards betwixt 11am too 6pm every twenty-four hr menstruum during the exhibition.

Interestingly neither the Bankside Gallery website nor the RWS website render whatsoever kind of facility for whatsoever fine art collector who wants to trigger a buy online (e.g. reserve a painting). I remember perhaps they demand to remember quite seriously nigh the fact that this is how quite a lot of fine art is sold nowadays!



More nigh the paintings



Turner Medal


David Brayne RWS was awarded The Turner Medal. I idea it was a real keen compassion that his paintings were hung behind the desk which made it impossible to await at the way they are made - which is fascinating

Two watercolour paintings past times David Brayne

Featured Artist


The Featured Artist for this exhibition is Richard Bawden son of Edward Bawden RA (1903-1989). He's an creative someone who industrial plant inwards a painter, printmaker too designer. He studied painting, printmaking too graphic blueprint at Chelsea, St Martin's too the Royal College of Art.

He paints inwards watercolour too produces prints too illustrations using lino too etching techniques. Examples of the latter are the 2 mackerel (top row - lino) too The Mackerkl (bottom row - etching). He also combines etching too watercolour such as inwards the Royal River Pageant work. I loved the fact yous could meet the same discipline - the staircase (middle row) - as both an etching too a watercolour.

I real much similar Richard Bawden's operate - too that's non but because I similar his interior scenes too the fact that cats continue getting within the motion icon frame! What I genuinely is the fact that this is an creative someone who places an emphasis on draughtsmanship too blueprint too real plainly thinks nigh what he is doing.

Featured Artist Display past times Richard Bawden RWS NEAC RE
It was rather strange for me seeing Richard's operate on Mon morning time this calendar week too so the watercolour paintings of his father's unopen friend Eric Ravillious (1903-1942) at Dulwich Picture Gallery on Tuesday afternoon. There's a sure similarity inwards style. It is withal a neat juxtaposition to receive got the 2 exhibitions running at the same time.

If there's 1 comment I'd desire to brand nigh Richard Bawden's operate it's that I practise want he'd learn himself a website!

Guest Artist


Barbara Rae CBE RA Hon. RE had been invited to exhibit - too her large mixed media icon dominated the halt wall of the gallery. That said, 3 paintings past times Janet Q Treloar held their ain side past times side to it.

Janet Treloar (left too bottom) too Barbara Rae (top right)

Painting I liked past times other artists


As ever I loved the watercolour (and oil) paintings of 91 twelvemonth old June Berry RWS.  I but dearest her watercolour technique too role of colours - nobody does it better!

June is a stalwart of the RWS shows - she ever submits too ever puts on a adept display. She paints the same places inwards the same way too every fourth dimension she manages to come upwards up amongst a novel perspective. That rather goes to present that, over time, it's non the way or the techniques that demand to modify . An creative someone but needs to ensure they maintain a fresh optic on their discipline matter.  A leisurely review of the icon on her website volition receive those who similar narrative paintings.

I idea the notion of placing her operate side past times side to that of novel Associate member Emma Haworth ARWS - also a figurative painter of urban narratives - was inspired!

Paintings past times (left) Emma Howarth too (Middle too right) June Berry
Paintings past times Jenny Wheatley RWS
Others who impressed:
  • Jenny Wheatley RWS NEAC - 1 of the few people who was demonstrating what tin move done amongst transarent watercolour paint. I idea sidelining her side past times side to the toilets was very poor hanging
  • Liz Butler RWS - I real much liked her pocket-sized watercolour paintings of allotments. I'd dearest to meet to a greater extent than large watercolour paintings past times her
  • Angus McEwen's large icon was as impressive as ever - but it would receive got been overnice to meet to a greater extent than of them
  • I ever similar the paintings of Annie Williams RWS RE and her prints are as accomplished.
Leaving aside the "other media" artwork, this exhibition certainly has to a greater extent than of what mightiness move described as paintings which await similar they receive got involved the role of water. However the role of H2O was non evident everywhere.

That's non to tell at that topographic point isn't unopen to real adept figurative fine art inwards acrylic.

Two acrylic paintings past times Iain Nicholls ARWS

Acrylic Paintings past times Bill Henderson RWS
I was real impressed amongst the 1 at the top
While at that topographic point are many adept paintings inwards the show, I desire to emphasise yet 1 time to a greater extent than my personal preference is for paintings which genuinely await similar they involved H2O as opposed to ones which, inwards theory, could move shown inwards an ROI exhibition!

Bottom business I would real much similar to meet an exhibition that includes much more evidence of the all circular skills inwards watercolour icon as exemplified past times good regarded painters inwards the past.

(Note: Those who are of a similar heed mightiness similar to move too meet the annual exhibition of the Royal Painters inwards Water Colours - whose exhibition fits much ameliorate amongst my Definition of H2O based media - see 203rd Annual Exhibition of Royal Institute of Painters inwards Water Colours #1 - Prizewinners too Events and Annual Exhibition of Royal Institute of Painters inwards Water Colours #2 - Open Entry

I looked at the exhibition too tried to detect a connecter betwixt it too the recent exhibition of the RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition (which I was critical nigh meet my Review).  To my heed their opened upwards exhibition is a "feeder" for membership of the RWS too hence says something nigh where the fine art social club wants to move inwards the future.

In item I looked at the artwork inwards this present past times the electrical flow President - Thomas Plunkett PRWS - who has 2 pocket-sized industrial plant inwards the exhibition which are non on the RWS or Bankside website - too 3 past times Presidents - (Francis Bowyer PPRWS Hon RE - Over the Meadows (who takes 'on handmade paper' to a whole novel dimension!), Richard Sorrell PPRWS Hon RE - see A Hot Day and David Paskett PPRWS - see Boaty Bits).

To move honest, it's real disappointing to tell that I didn't meet anything inwards the exhibition which says to me "top lineament watercolour painting" inwards the context of most people's agreement understanding of that term. The media seems to move incidental rather than celebrated past times the artwork. See the paintings inwards the "In Memorium" department at the halt of this postal service to meet examples of paintings which celebrate the medium.

Maybe the want for multifariousness needs to remember nigh unopen to other options:
  • How nigh a novel fine art social club devoted to traditional watercolour paints - amongst the aim of promoting icon using such paints? (See What is watercolour?).
  • Or alternatively an fine art social club devoted to acrylics?  I've no employment amongst acrylic per se - what I receive got a employment amongst is exhibitions which don't comprehensively deliver fantabulous paintings inwards traditional watercolour.
  • Or perhaps a woman someone President side past times side fourth dimension round? Perhaps a dissimilar perspective on the way forward?

In Memorium


The exhibition includes 2 displays to members who died since the Members' Autum Exhibition terminal year.

I shall move real piteous non to meet whatsoever to a greater extent than watercolours past times Charles Bartlett PPRWS (1921 - 2014) inwards the exhibitions at the Bankside Gallery. To my heed he strode the boundary betwixt figurative too abstracted amongst a masterful optic too a sure touch.

Charles Bartlett was President of the Royal Watercolour Society betwixt 1987 too 1992.

Paintings past times Charles Harold Bartlett, creative someone too teacher,
born 23 September 1921; died nineteen Dec 2014

William Bowyer RA, RWS, RP,  NEAC (1926 - 2015) is a much to a greater extent than recent loss - he died xxx days earlier my visit. He is represented past times a genuinely splendid watercolour icon too a pocket-sized petroleum icon of Walberswick jetty which was a identify which stimulated a lot of his paintings inwards recent years. You tin meet to a greater extent than of his fine art on the identify unit of measurement website.

There also can't move many men who receive got been President of a national fine art social club (NEAC) for 3 decades too fathered 2 sons who receive got each gone on to move both artists too Presidents of their respective national fine art societies.

Paintings by Arthur William Bowyer, landscape too portrait painter, 
born 25 May 1926; died 1 March 2015

Talks too Events


There are a divulge of Talks too Events taking identify during the course of didactics of the present - unopen to of which are already fully booked.

I banker's complaint 1 of the booked upwards ones is on Urban Sketching - which closely follows an Urban Sketching workshop run past times NEAC Drawing School!

(For those wanting to detect out to a greater extent than nigh Urban Sketching,you tin bring together the London Urban Sketchers Sketchcrawl which I'm organising on the 26th Apr for FREE. Check out: 

Reviews of previous Exhibitions


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