Artist Spotlight (Patreon)

Hi everyone,

It was especially difficult to choose just one painting for this month’s Artist Spotlight, because there were so many wonderful and very different interpretations of our puffin challenge.

Some of you kept the background very simple and let the bird do all the talking, while others introduced soft washes of colour to help the pale feathers stand out. Some paintings were quite detailed, while others were looser, allowing the watercolour to create its own textures in the feathers and rocks. I also loved seeing the different approaches to the dark feathers, from deep, rich blacks to softer mixtures with subtle shifts in colour and value.

One of the things I love about these challenges is that everyone starts with the same reference, but the finished paintings can feel completely different. Well done to everyone who took on the challenge!

For this month’s spotlight, I chose Marielle’s painting because I was immediately drawn to the softness and restraint in the way she handled the subject.

There’s a subtle quality to the painting that can be hard to get right. Marielle has added just enough soft colour to suggest the form of the white feathers, while still allowing the paper to do most of the work.

The dark feathers are handled beautifully too. There’s enough variation in the blacks and greys to suggest detail without turning the feathers into lots of individual little shapes. This was something that took me a long time to learn myself. I used to feel I had to paint everything I could see, but over time I learnt that suggesting detail can often be more effective than describing every little thing. That helps keep the bird soft and natural.

The rock adds interest without distracting from the bird. I love the way Marielle has allowed the paint to settle and create its own texture rather than overworking it.

The soft warm colour behind the bird also adds to the composition. It’s subtle, but it separates the white breast feathers beautifully from the white paper and helps give them a little more definition.

Marielle mentioned that she completely lost track of time while she was painting, and I loved hearing that. To me, that’s such a lovely part of painting, when you become completely absorbed in what you’re doing and stop thinking about how long it’s taking. Your attention is simply on the colours, the shapes and the paint in front of you. I think that feeling of being fully immersed in the process comes through in her painting too.

Thank you, Marielle, for allowing me to share your beautiful painting. I really enjoyed looking at the way you approached this subject, and I hope everyone else enjoyed seeing the different interpretations of our puffin challenge too.

Louise