Frome artist and teacher, David Chandler, has published ‘Tate: Master Watercolour,’ which guides artists of all abilities on how to recreate a selection of the Tate Gallery’s famous watercolour paintings.
He set out on a journey through the Tate gallery’s 8,000 watercolour paintings and was tasked with select ing just 30 that in his opinion, exemplified all the qualities of this subtle, unpredictable medium. Now these have been used to create a series of lessons for a practical book that would both encourage beginners and inspire the more experienced artist.
Once the 30 paintings were agreed with Ilex Press and Tate, David then had to paint his own versions and document and photograph each stage of the process. “Anyone who’s attempted a watercolour knows that timing is of the essence,” said David, “and it wasn’t always easy to stop halfway through my perfect flat wash to take a picture!
“Lighting values had to be constant throughout too and sometimes an entire lesson was rejected just because one photograph wasn’t quite good enough. On other occasions, we found out too late, that the estates representing various artists wouldn’t give us permission to reproduce their work. Then, I’d have to go through the Tate archive again, find a replacement and create another lesson. Although there are 30 paintings in the book, I actually painted more than 50.”
A year later, when David’s job was almost done, the Ilex design team set to work to ensure that the 30 paintings from the Tate collection, plus David’s own and the 200 photos he’d taken, all looked good on the page, ready for proofing and printing. Then, a co-publishing deal with a Spanish company was signed and the entire project was put back a further six months, so that a translation could be made.
“It was the best bad news I’ve ever had,” said David.
Now, two and half years since the start of the project, David Chandler’s book is ready at last. ‘Tate: Master Watercolour’ from Tate and Ilex Press is published on 4th February.
David says, “I’ve been teaching watercolour for more than 20 years. I’m privileged that a major gallery with an international reputation has made it possible for me to share all I’ve learned.”
‘Tate: Master Watercolour’ is available from Hunting Raven Books in Cheap Street, Frome.
