This biography of John Blockley is taken from a blog by Joe Hargreaves, from March 2011 … this blog is dedicated to all the G John Blockley (and would be) fans out there who are looking to show appreciation to the late great artist. Please add your comments and any stories about how John's paintings make you feel, and how it reflects in your own style …
http://gjblockley-blog.blogspot.co.uk/
It appears that no one has left any comments or stories, so here are a few more items of information that I've gleaned from various sources, either from his books or from the web, about John's work and methods of painting …
It appears that no one has left any comments or stories, so here are a few more items of information that I've gleaned from various sources, either from his books or from the web, about John's work and methods of painting …
John Blockley recieved no formal arts training: yet
he painted nearly all his life. He trained as an engineering draughtsman,
progressing to designer, then exhibition designer and subsequently became head
of the exhibition design and construction department of the Atomic Energy
Authority.
Much of his work was in oils, acrylics,
watercolours and pastels and concerned with painting his impressions of various
forms of projects under construction or in operation, and, on one occasion an
eight-metre long mural entitled “Progression of Mankind” for an exhibition in
Japan. He exhibited throughout the UK and received a number of awards over the
years including the ‘Winsor and Newton Prize’ at the Royal Institute. He was
particularly drawn to bold saturated colours that evoked special places or
atmospheric conditions, often favouring intense reds and oranges such as in the
paintings that are in the RWA permanent collection.
As well as being a member of the RWA, John
Blockley was also a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours,
The New English Art Club and was a past President of the Pastel Society. He was
author to a number of books on painting techniques, a well as an illustrated
account of a year in his life: A Personal Record.
He died in January
2002 and an obituary in The Times appeared
soon after …
John
Blockley became well-known as an artist in watercolour, pastels and, in later
years, acrylic, despite having had no formal training in the subject and not
starting to paint full-time until he had reached the age of 52.
Born in Knighton (1921) on the
border of Shropshire and Wales, Gwilym John Blockley left school at 13 and, at
his parents’ insistence, served an engineering apprenticeship. He then had a
series of engineering jobs in the North of England before joining the UK Atomic
Energy Authority again in a technical capacity, in 1952.
In a remarkable
change of tack, and even by his passion for drawing and painting, he became
head of the authority’s design studio. Several of his pictures illustrating
atomic power and desalination were displayed in the British Pavilion at Expo 70
in Osaka, one stretching to the full height of the pavilion. His painting of
the prototype fast reactor at Dounreay was exhibited at the Royal Academy.
But Blockley was
unhappy at UKAEA, and for several years he devoted virtually every weekend to
painting outdoors, in all weathers, to capture craggy mountains, bleak moors
and industrial subjects. An exhibition of his work in 1965, ridiculed by his
boss, astonished both the artist and his critics when virtually everything
sold.
Emboldened by this
commercial success and, as ever, with the staunch support of his wife,
Margaret, Blockley finally took the plunge in 1974, at the age of 52, giving up
his well-paid job to paint full-time. He never looked back, devoting his
prodigious energy to painting and the obsessive search for the essence of his
subjects.
He loved the
ruggedness of the Cumbrian and Welsh mountains, the Pennines and the singular
mood of the Pembrokeshire landscape. All the time he experirnented with new
techniques, developing a style which continued to evolve but remained
unmistakably his own: experimental and progressive, with no boundaries;
somewhere between abstract and representational, stark but richly patterned.
His talents were not
confined to producing distinctive and technically accomplished work. He was
also an inspiring teacher, running courses every year from 1967 until illness
forced him to retire last summer (2001).
He was elected a
member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 1967 and served on
its council for many years. But it was at the Pastel Society, an organisation
whose aim is to promote the medium by means of exhibitions, tutorial workshops,
demonstrations and lectures, that he made the most impact. He joined in 1969
and showed a sense of purpose as its president for two terms (1981-83 and
1988-93) which helped to revive both the medium and the society. He was also a
member of the New English Art Club and of the Royal West of England Academy.
His energetic leadership, outgoing personality and dry wit made him a popular
colleague among artists and students alike.
After retiring from
the Atomic Energy Authority he moved to the Cotswolds (though he sometimes
complained that the area was “too pretty”), where his wife managed their
successful gallery in Stow-on-the-Wold. He shared a studio with the artist
Moira Huntly, each benefiting from the other’s criticism.
Blockley also wrote
seven books on watercolour and pastel techniques, the last of them appearing
last year. Among the most popular was Country Landscapes in Watercolour,
in which the artist explained how to achieve a strong textural interpretation
of the countryside by mixing watercolours with gouache, Indian ink and other
mediums. The text also demonstrates how to handle different terrains,
buildings, close-ups, lighting and weather effects. Another popular book was A
Personal Record, an illustrated account of a year in his life.
He is survived by his
wife, whom he married in 1949, and, by their two daughters, one of whom, Ann,
is also an artist (see http://www.annblockley.com)..
Several
artists have been influenced by John’s textural style – these names come to mind … Michael
Morgan, Malcolm Edwards, Naomi Tydeman and Ron Ford … I will include relevant links in future posts.
Copies of John's A Personal Record published by Ferguson Wells Publishing, 1998, appear on Amazon and eBay from time to time and are usually priced from £200 and upwards … this is a gem of a book which encapsuates the essence of John Blockley in his sketches, blots, scuffs and all. Whist not in itself instructive, nevertheless gives an insight into the mind working of a very good artist. It is a book to treasure.
The following links have examples of his work:
Copies of John's A Personal Record published by Ferguson Wells Publishing, 1998, appear on Amazon and eBay from time to time and are usually priced from £200 and upwards … this is a gem of a book which encapsuates the essence of John Blockley in his sketches, blots, scuffs and all. Whist not in itself instructive, nevertheless gives an insight into the mind working of a very good artist. It is a book to treasure.
The following links have examples of his work:
http://www.paintingandartists.com/contemporary-watercolorists
The following notes are taken from The Challenge of Watercolour,
A and C Black, London, 1979 and Watercolour: Practice and Progress,
A and C Black, London, 1985 …
The following notes are taken from The Challenge of Watercolour,
A and C Black, London, 1979 and Watercolour: Practice and Progress,
A and C Black, London, 1985 …
Colour selection
Paint manufacturers
produce a wide range of colour to choose from. I have beside me a chart of
watercolours containing nearly one hundred colours. My selection is:
Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, Lemon Yellow, Aureolin, Indigo, Payne’s Gray and Pthalo Blue.
I can mix most colours
that I want with this ‘main’ selection, but I also carry, for occasional use
Hooker’s Green Dark, Cobalt Blue, and sometimes I add (for me) a ‘way-out’
colour such as Cobalt Violet. Sepia is a lovely brown, Burnt Sienna is a lovely
reddish brown. In past days there were doubts about fading, but most colours
today are reliable. The colours listed here can be relied on not to fade.
This is my paint box,
shown here rather less than exact size: it is, in fact, about the same size as
this book when opened out (440 x 275 mm). Starting at the bottom left corner the colours are:
Cobalt Blue, then a ‘spare’ place, Light Red, Cobalt Violet, ‘spare’, Yellow
Ochre, Raw Sienna, Cadmium Red, Hooker’s Green, Pthalo Blue, Indigo, Payne’s
Gray, Lamp Black, Aureolin, Lemon Yellow, White (rarely used), Alizarin Crimson,
Burnt Umber. The ‘spare’ places are for trying out new colours, and
occasionally previously disliked colours.
It may seem more
logical to keep colour families together and many painters would be critical
of my casual arrangement. The Cadmium Red looks startingly displaced from the
other reds. My arrangement probably came about through early ignorance, or
impatience, but there is some sense in it. I frequently modify Cadmium Red with Yellow Ochre,
and Aureolin with Lemon Yellow, Indigo with Payne’s Gray and so it is
convenient to place them as neighbours. Sometimes I simultaneously pick up
harmonious neighbouring colours with a flat wide brush so that one brush stroke
across damp paper produces subtle blending of two colours.
The box has large
wells for mixing colours. I clean the largest of these frequently while
painting, but the others are never cleaned. These dried previous colour mixings
might be criticised as dirty and untidy but I would be inhibited by starting
with an immaculate colour box. For me, these spillages of yesterday’s colours
are exciting and stimulating, and I can almost read ‘beginnings’ of paintings
and landscape suggestions within them. They are helpful in overcoming the
initial anxiety of starting work on the sheet of white paper. The dried mixings
have practical value also, they can be picked up with a wet brush to provide
subtle colour touches in today’s painting.
Colour extracts
A number of colours
can be mixed from only a few colours and to illustrate this I have taken
extracts from my paintings. These are reproduced same size as the originals and
are intended to identify some colour mixtures and show them in the context of
actual paintings rather than as mere specimens.
These examples
indicate that a variety of colours can be obtained by mixing and it is
constructive and fun to experiment with colour mixtures.
Scans to follow
Scans to follow
Painting with a few colours
I do advise those just
starting to paint to proceed systematically. Aim to get to know a few colours
at a time, and then gradually add to your vocabulary. Paint some simple
landscapes, or indoor things, with just a few colours. Delightful results can
be obtained by painting with one colour, say Indigo, and then towards the end
of the painting introducing a hint of another colour, only just noticeable,
perhaps Raw Umber, or Raw Sienna. Some of the early water-colourists achieved
delightful results with almost monochromatic work.
Mountain light
This painting is about
a mountain side speckled with light reflected from boulders, where eroded scree
is scattered down the slopes.
The mountain side is
clothed with trees and it was important to paint them as a mass rather than
individually. Lots of separately painted trees would detract from the sparkling
light. I painted the trees with one wash, shaping the top to describe rounded
tree tops. Branches and trunks were stroked with a brush into the damp wash.
The painting began
with a wash all over of Payne’s Gray mixed with diluted Alizarin Crimson. The
trees are Payne’s Gray with additions of Burnt Umber in places. So, mostly only
one colour, Payne’s Gray, is used, with occasional additions of the other two
colours. The larger reflected lights were blotted out with my finger wrapped in
a rag, and the small lights with a stick (the end of my brush) wrapped in a
rag.
Warm and cool colours
Colours close to red are termed warm colours. My landscape sketch (below) shows a landscape painted with warm colours, all of them being closely related to red.
The other sketch shows a landscape in cool colours, all of them being related to blue.
These little sketches are inventions of mine to illustrate the idea of warm and cool colour, but in nature, warm and cool colours are rarely separated quite so definitely. They mostly exist together.
Recession
Colours in the landscape tend to cool with distance, they lose their colour and incline towards blue or blue-grey. Try an experiment. Paint a small simple landscape with a building in the foreground and a building in the distance. Paint the foreground with Burnt Umber and the distance with Cobalt, very pale. Paint the roof of both buildings with the same red. You will see that the distant roof will jump forward and not sit properly in the distance. The distant roofs should be cooler.
Tone
We have discussed how objects become cooler with distance. Objects also tend to become paler with distance. So, in addition to our use of warm and cool colour to obtain recession we now have dark and light, known as tone. In order to become familiar with this it is a good idea to forget colour for a while and paint in monochrome. Try a painting in any one colour – I suggest Payne's Grey – and try to suggest recession by painting distant objects with paler washes.
It is not always easy to judge tone when working with colour. This is proved by seeing colour paintings photographed in black and white; often a part of the photograph appears to jump out of its surrounding, showing that the artist, when considering the colour of that part, had not considered its tonal values and has painted the passage too light or too dark.
A very old trick is to look at the subject through closed eyelids to eliminate details and simplify the scene into broad tonal masses.
We have discussed how objects become cooler with distance. Objects also tend to become paler with distance. So, in addition to our use of warm and cool colour to obtain recession we now have dark and light, known as tone. In order to become familiar with this it is a good idea to forget colour for a while and paint in monochrome. Try a painting in any one colour – I suggest Payne's Grey – and try to suggest recession by painting distant objects with paler washes.
It is not always easy to judge tone when working with colour. This is proved by seeing colour paintings photographed in black and white; often a part of the photograph appears to jump out of its surrounding, showing that the artist, when considering the colour of that part, had not considered its tonal values and has painted the passage too light or too dark.
A very old trick is to look at the subject through closed eyelids to eliminate details and simplify the scene into broad tonal masses.
Tonal sketches
These sketches were painted with Indigo watercolour as simple planes of tones. They indicate how distance can be implied on a piece of flat paper, by regulating the tonal values. This tonal recession is known as 'aerial perspective'.
Such small sketches are enjoyable to do, and can be effective in themselves. They certainly help towards an appreciation of painting in tonal values.
Colour and tone combined
The combination of colour and tone is extremely useful in helping to convey a sense of distance and space on a flat piece of watercolour paper.
My colour sketch with warm brown trees and the blue trees beyond, gives a sense of distance. This has been helped also by painting the trees successively smaller, but the effect would have been even greater by painting the diminishing trees in successively cooler colours. The tone of the nearest, larger group, might also have been slightly darker.
My sketch 'Mountain sky' has dark blue in the distant left mountain and in the foreground. Is my judgement wrong? In fact, the foreground blue is slightly darker than the distant blue, and is also made to appear darker by contrasting it with a very pale foreground tone. But perhaps I should not have used blue – though I wanted it as a kind of link with the background. So it should be even darker, or a warmer blue? How do I make it a warmer blue? I could obtain it by mixing a warm colour with blue, or, preferably, paint all the foreground red, then glaze over it with a glaze of blue.
Tonal scale
In terms of painting, tone extends from white to black, with all the shades of greyness in between. Some painters use this range of tone in their paintings, to give strong dramatic effect. Others work over a limited scale ranging from white paper to a grey tone for their darkest tone.
Paintings ranging over the darker tones are referred to as low key, and the lightest scale of tones as high key. I have heard the latter type referred to as 'wishy washy' but the truth is that such paintings can be beautifully rendered, suggestive and containing nuances to be savoured and relished.
The important consideration is that whatever key we wish to work in, we have to avoid scattered, abrupt changes of tone. Strong tonal contrasts should be placed in important areas to which we wish to draw attention. If they are scattered indiscriminately over the painting, the result will be busy and confusing.
Busy tone, and incorrect tone can be the most irritating faults in a painting.
The small study opposite started with a wash all over of pink,
Bridge, North Wales,
p72, The Challenge of Watercolour
Stage 1
Using a pencil, I draw
the outline of the bridge only. I would find further drawing inhibiting when
painting, and in any case the bridge is the only positive shape I need to
recognize in the preliminary stages. The mountain is the only other positive
shape in the painting and this I paint in later.
With masking fluid I
mask out the boulders in the immediate vicinity of the bridge. I also mask out
the light parts of the bridge itself.
I mix a dilute wash
of Raw Sienna and a little Cadmium Red and paint the light part of the sky. I
extend a stronger mixture of these colours down to the bottom of the paper.
While this is still wet I blend French Ultramarine modified with a little Black
into the upper sky and into the foreground.
At this stage the
paper is covered with traditionally applied washes which represent the lightest
tones of sky and ground, into which I have blended some darker tones. There are
no hard edges. The foreground on the right appears very pale, but remember it
represent the palest part of the ground and only small fragments of it will
remain in the final painting.
Stage 2
I strengthen the
foreground even more, leaving a diagonal passage of the original wash in the
centre leading towards the bridge. As the wash dries I draw and stipple stiffer
pigment into it with a brush to create an uneven tone. I let the painting dry.
Stage 3
I dampen the sky with
clean water and blend in blue-black mountains. I also wet the foreground and
add Burnt Umber and Brown Madder separately into it. Then I hold the paper
horizontally in both hands and rock each edge up and down so that the wash
sweepsbackward and forward over the paper surface and the paint pigment
deposits out of the wash to suggest a textured foreground.
I strengthen the
skyline, tease long grass out of the ground wash and indicate some stone
walling. I let the painting dry and rub away the masking fluid to expose white
paper in the rocky area next to the bridge.
Stage 4
I strengthen the mountain,
tint in the rocks and define them further with lines drawn with a fine brush.
I will add some photos, scanned from the above books, at a later date.
I am a huge fan. Eager to see the scans in the blog.
ReplyDeleteSo much wonderful content. A new fan....
ReplyDeleteMy favourie watercolour artist, brilliant, brilliant
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love his work and have a copy of 'The Challenge of Watercolour' - I can now happily run a tap over my work and have been encouraged to experiment more with different techniques.
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