RIP Charles Reid (1937 - 2019)
The extraordinary and incomparable watercolour painter and art instructor Charles Reid died on 1st June 2019.
I'm sure all of us who were fans of him all have our own memories of "our connections" with Charles Reid - even if we never ever met him.
These are mine.....
When I first got interested in art again - as a much-needed creative diversion from number-crunching (after the long slog through my first degree at Cambridge and then the exams for my accountancy qualification) - one of the very first painting instructors who appealed to me was Charles Reid.
I'd spend hours in the art shops salivating over the watercolour paints and then spent what seemed like forever sat in the book section pouring over the latest brilliant art instruction book from Watson Guptill in the USA - trying to decide what I could afford to buy - paints or books or paint and books - and it was invariably the latter.
One of the artist/authors I loved best of all was Charles Reid. He just connected like no other art instructor at that time.
I never became a good watercolour painter, preferring dry media to wet, but my eyes were opened to art-making while reading his books.
I absolutely loved his washy way of watercolour painting which had sensational colours and glazes and blurs and mixes on the page. I bemoan endlessly the fact I so very rarely see paintings by a master painter who celebrated the attributes of watercolour in exhibitions of watercolour painting today.
I was awe-struck by the fact he left his watercolours drip down the page and was totally unphased by it. He left his graphite sketch included in the final work - for all to see. Surely this was breaking the laws of "proper painting"?
In time I came to see him very much as the contemporary successor to John Singer Sargent.
Somebody who always painted from what he could see and was always concerned with the effect he was trying to achieve.
Who remembers the:
Below you can see the covers of just three of my books. I guess the most recent editions now have different covers.
I can't find my copy of Painting what you want to see (right) - but that's also a great book
I'm sure all of us who were fans of him all have our own memories of "our connections" with Charles Reid - even if we never ever met him.
These are mine.....
When I first got interested in art again - as a much-needed creative diversion from number-crunching (after the long slog through my first degree at Cambridge and then the exams for my accountancy qualification) - one of the very first painting instructors who appealed to me was Charles Reid.
I'd spend hours in the art shops salivating over the watercolour paints and then spent what seemed like forever sat in the book section pouring over the latest brilliant art instruction book from Watson Guptill in the USA - trying to decide what I could afford to buy - paints or books or paint and books - and it was invariably the latter.
One of the artist/authors I loved best of all was Charles Reid. He just connected like no other art instructor at that time.
I never became a good watercolour painter, preferring dry media to wet, but my eyes were opened to art-making while reading his books.
I absolutely loved his washy way of watercolour painting which had sensational colours and glazes and blurs and mixes on the page. I bemoan endlessly the fact I so very rarely see paintings by a master painter who celebrated the attributes of watercolour in exhibitions of watercolour painting today.
I was awe-struck by the fact he left his watercolours drip down the page and was totally unphased by it. He left his graphite sketch included in the final work - for all to see. Surely this was breaking the laws of "proper painting"?
In time I came to see him very much as the contemporary successor to John Singer Sargent.
Somebody who always painted from what he could see and was always concerned with the effect he was trying to achieve.
 |
| recent images on his Instagram account - with that very memorable self-portrait in the middle |
- continuous line drawing?
- the "big blur"?
- the emphasis on seeing shapes and values as they presented themselves - and not as your brain tried to tell you they were?
- highlighting the value of the backlit subject?
- even more emphasis on the importance of edges - and "the lost and found"?
- the focus on mixing interesting darks - on the palette and on the page - and the avoidance of black
- and always always always - looking for connections and relationships within your subject - in line, mass, colour and tone... ?
What I liked about him was this teaching (in his books) was always very informal - and at the same time very thoughtful and considered - a bit like his paintings.
However, for me the most important thing was that his instruction wasn't about watercolour painting and 'how to paint' at all.
When I went to pull some of my Charles Reid books off my bookshelves I was amazed to find that absolutely none of them were in the watercolour section! In fact I'd say I was panicking at that point!!!
They were of course elsewhere - on my composition and design shelves - and sitting with the other books in related subject matter.
When I went to pull some of my Charles Reid books off my bookshelves I was amazed to find that absolutely none of them were in the watercolour section! In fact I'd say I was panicking at that point!!!
They were of course elsewhere - on my composition and design shelves - and sitting with the other books in related subject matter.
That's because he was about so much more than about how to paint in watercolours or oil.
I can't find my copy of Painting what you want to see (right) - but that's also a great book
I'd like to pay tribute to what he taught me by encouraging you to seek out these books if you've not read them previously - and have a good read - and then start applying his tips in your practice.
I rarely see them in bookshops anymore - more's the pity - but you can still find them all online.
READ MORE......>>
