Landscape painting in all weathers

“I enjoy battling against the elements,” reveals Colin Willey, the British plein air oil painter, who finds that painting in the landscape adds valuable qualities to his work.

“I do not go for lots of details but a sense of atmosphere.” He has four paintings hanging in the House of Lords. He explains: “I will re-work what I do outside the studio and enjoy the two sides to it; struggling against the elements to get something down and the more considered approach in the studio which allows me to experiment with finishes and glazes. I tend to work in blocks – I will work in the landscape for a week or a month and then put things aside for quite a time. Then I have a block of time in the studio. If I am going out a lot it takes time to get into it and then work can be produced quite quickly. I take a photograph of the scene at the same time, which acts as a good point of reference. I use the photo to fire up my imagination for a bigger painting and then put the photo to one side and work from memory.” Colin mainly paints landscapes of Dorset but has also produced pieces on the New Forest and London, “which have been very successful”. Fellow British artist Nigel Fletcher, also paints landscapes in oils as well as watercolours, and he too, prefers to paint outside because he gets "a more satisfying and exciting end result". “The process is enjoyable and much less ‘static’ than in the studio,” says Nigel, who lives in France. “However, as I paint all the time and try to submit a painting every working day to my contacts and subscribers I don’t always have the time to search out something to paint. So I usually take photos and make quick sketches and paint in the studio. By now I have learned to replicate the same process as I would have painting outside.” Colin and Nigel’s work can be seen at creativecoverage.co.uk.

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Tim Saunders is the former Business and Motoring Editor of the Bournemouth Echo in the UK. testdrives.biz