Richard Thorn SWAc – Artist & Tutor

Events

Upcoming exhibitions and events featuring Richard Thorn’s work will be listed here.

Publications

Pocket guides designed to help overcome many of the problems of working in watercolour. Richard Thorn, one of the true masters of the medium, takes you through a number of his paintings to explain his approach and shows how he achieves his dramatic effects. Advice and tips to help you improve your technique and perhaps see things in a new and exciting way. Two great guides to help improve your watercolout technique TREES IN THE LANDSCAPE Trees in the Landscape explores 22 paintings and covers topics including: • Anatomy of Trees • Tree Shape and Form • Direction of Light • Texture and Contrast • Trees in Summer, Spring, Autumn and Winter • Woodland Trees, • Tree Trunks • Analysis of some Treescapes • General Working Method • Techniques and tools including stipple, spatter, pen & ink and rigger brushes In all 24 working pages. Size: 160mm x 148mm. Softback. LIGHT IN THE LANDSCAPE Light in the Landscape looks at around 22 paintings and sketches covering topics such as: • Understanding Light • Tonal Values • What to look for and how to begin, • Contrast • Colour and Intensity • Muted Colours • Morning Light, Midday Light, Afternoon Light, Evening Light • Rainy Days • Snowscapes, • Complex Studies In all 24 working pages. Size: 160mm x 148mm. Softback. Or buy both guides together and SAVE!

Down An English Lane A new publication from Halstar publications. A collection of paintings, sketches & footnotes illustrating a portrait of the English lane and the rural landscape of the West country. A bespoke, high quality hardback edition. size: 238x258mm pages: 144 price: £24.99 RRP http://www.halstar.com/

Review: http://artbookreview.wordpress.com/ Down An English Lane by Richard Thorn Billed as "a celebration of rural England", this utterly charming collection achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Richard's watercolour style is very loose and makes extensive use of washes and spattering to create an impression of a scene rather than record it in detail. With only a few exceptions, that impression is of bright sunlight and quiet calm. Figures do not appear and this is more about an idealised than a working landscape. It’s none the worse for that. Given the subject matter and that Halsgrove is a West Country publisher, I initially assumed that these were the lanes of Devon and Cornwall. Although it's not explicit anywhere, there are hints in the introductory material that I'm right. Some of the titles give hints to location ("Down Surrey Way" is perhaps further afield), but most don't and that's right. Although Richard is painting in specific places, they stand for anywhere and

this is as much the creation of an idealised countryside as it is the record of a real one (though it performs the neat trick of being that too). You've probably gathered that I like this a lot. It's a joyous book that makes you smile and feel that all things are not completely wrong, even if the politics currently are. If you love the English countryside, I think – I hope – you'll agree. If you want to paint it, there's plenty of inspiration in Richard's excellent work. A tutorial for anyone wishing to loosen up their painting. I spent an entire summer filling up sketchbooks in the way illustrated in the video. This painting method helps to create free washes that add a freshness and vibrancy to the painting and will help to inform your more finished work.

Events

Upcoming exhibitions and events featuring Richard Thorn’s work will be listed here.

Publications

Pocket guides designed to help overcome many of the problems of working in watercolour. Richard Thorn, one of the true masters of the medium, takes you through a number of his paintings to explain his approach and shows how he achieves his dramatic effects. Advice and tips to help you improve your technique and perhaps see things in a new and exciting way. Two great guides to help improve your watercolout technique TREES IN THE LANDSCAPE Trees in the Landscape explores 22 paintings and covers topics including: • Anatomy of Trees • Tree Shape and Form • Direction of Light • Texture and Contrast • Trees in Summer, Spring, Autumn and Winter • Woodland Trees, • Tree Trunks • Analysis of some Treescapes • General Working Method • Techniques and tools including stipple, spatter, pen & ink and rigger brushes In all 24 working pages. Size: 160mm x 148mm. Softback. LIGHT IN THE LANDSCAPE Light in the Landscape looks at around 22 paintings and sketches covering topics such as: • Understanding Light • Tonal Values • What to look for and how to begin • Contrast • Colour and Intensity • Muted Colours • Morning Light, Midday Light, Afternoon Light, Evening Light • Rainy Days • Snowscapes, • Complex Studies In all 24 working pages. Size: 160mm x 148mm. Softback. Or buy both guides together and SAVE!

Review: http://artbookreview.wordpress.c om/ Down An English Lane by Richard Thorn Billed as "a celebration of rural England", this utterly charming collection achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Richard's watercolour style is very loose and makes extensive use of washes and spattering to create an impression of a scene rather than record it in detail. With only a few exceptions, that impression is of bright sunlight and quiet calm. Figures do not appear and this is more about an idealised than a working landscape. It’s none the worse for that. Given the subject matter and that Halsgrove is a West Country publisher, I initially assumed that these were the lanes of Devon and Cornwall. Although it's not explicit anywhere, there are hints in the introductory material that I'm right. Some of the titles give hints to location ("Down Surrey Way" is perhaps further afield), but most don't and that's right. Although Richard is painting in specific

places, they stand for anywhere and this is as much the creation of an idealised countryside as it is the record of a real one (though it performs the neat trick of being that too). You've probably gathered that I like this a lot. It's a joyous book that makes you smile and feel that all things are not completely wrong, even if the politics currently are. If you love the English countryside, I think – I hope – you'll agree. If you want to paint it, there's plenty of inspiration in Richard's excellent work. A tutorial for anyone wishing to loosen up their painting. I spent an entire summer filling up sketchbooks in the way illustrated in the video. This painting method helps to create free washes that add a freshness and vibrancy to the painting and will help to inform your more finished work.