ART BOOKS & DVDS

WELCOME from the editor

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YOUR VIEWS

Letters, emails and comments

THE ART WORLD

NEWS, VIEWS, INFORMATION AND SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD

OPPORTUNITIES & COMPETITIONS

Check out the latest competitions to enter and make a note of important deadlines

EXHIBITIONS

GALLERY OPENING TIMES AND EXHIBITION DATES CAN VARY; IF IN DOUBT, PHONE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

Eileen Cooper OBE RA and The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Eileen Cooper gives Susie Hodge an insight into what drives her work and her approach to coordinating this year’s Summer Exhibition

Glastonbury tales

Peter Brown recounts how he coped with the mud and the crowds as he painted on the spot during last year’s Glastonbury Festival

Charles Williams’ musings: VAN GOGH

Being an artist is not an easy matter. The biggest

Sparkling light and loosely defined forms

John Singer Sargent was the most familiar portrait painter in oils of his generation, but his watercolours are less recognised, says Susie Hodge, who reviews Sargent: The Watercolours, this summer’s must-see exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Move with the right kind of people!

Adebanji Alade advises ‘fostering relationships with artists who are at the top of their game’ if you want to improve your work and chances of success

Plein-air adventures

On a visit to York Adebanji Alade discovered that the city is full of inspiring scenes that were perfect for a spot of plein-air sketching and painting

Colour versus neutral

Paul Talbot-Greaves shows you how to create and use neutrals to provide contrast and depth in your work. Each month he invites you to complete a painting challenge that you can submit online for appraisal

Focus on perspective

Perspective is one of the main considerations in cityscapes. Hashim Akib shows you how to highlight ways of seeing and apply the principles to enhance your work

Jaxell Extra Fine Artists’ Pastels

Richard Suckling finds that Jaxell Extra Fine Artists’ Pastels offer a good spectrum of lightfast colours with good coverage at a very reasonable price

Portrait particulars

Juliet Wood describes how she tackled an oil portrait of her grandson, revealing the challenges that confronted her during the process

Painting the figure

There’s more than one way to paint the figure, as Phil Tyler points out. Here he shows you how to use the measured approach to make an alla-prima painting in oils

Animals in motion

Marie Antoniou reveals how she uses bold brushmarks and clean colours to achieve a sense of movement in her abstracted, impressionistic wildlife paintings

Wet paint and pixels

Martin Kinnear examines ways to harness digital technology and use it to best advantage when painting in your studio

INSPIRED BY… Monet

Glyn Macey concludes his series with a plein-air painting inspired by the works of Claude Monet

A modern canvas for professionals

Michele Del Campo tried out the new Winsor & Newton Professional Cotton Canvas featuring the Pro-Stretcher and discovered how this high-quality product can take your work ‘to the next level’

Beach scenes in watercolour

Paul Weaver demonstrates how the transparency of watercolour is perfect for capturing the light, atmosphere and colourful activity of the seaside

THE A-Z OF COLOUR

Ultramarine blue is a beautiful colour, says Julie Collins, who shares some mixes that she hopes will inspire you, too