Watercolour has some very special qualities. It can shine with a luminosity like no other form of painting, and its transparent nature reveals the workings of the artist. I became hooked on this medium early on and have striven to perfect my style of painting ever since.
My initial interest in watercolour painting started after buying a book on John Singer Sargents Watercolours. I was impressed by his mastery of the medium. It encouraged me to take a tin of watercolour paints and make my own impressions. It began a passion that has remained with me since.
I was fortunate to attract the attention of publishers early on in my painting career and worked for British, American and Chinese Publishers, which in turn lead to work with Art Magazines such as Artists and Illustrators, Artist, and Leisure Art. I was also commissioned by British Telecom to paint a series of paintings to place on the covers of their telephone books.
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Much of my painting material came from close to home. I lived in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire near the River Ouse. Many of my paintings feature the lazy river, and willows as they change through the seasons. A number of my paintings hang in the gallery at the local museum, and many of my exhibitions were held in the town.
As my books demonstrate, I like to paint a variety of subjects, though landscape has been a frequent theme. I lived close to the river Ouse in Cambridgeshire for many years, so scenes of fens and slow moving rivers were a common feature of my work. Like many painters before me, I find travel a great stimulus for painting and have been fortunate to be invited to paint within China, Tibet, Taiwan, Israel as well as my own personal trips to different places.
In 2004 I moved to Geraldine with my New Zealand born wife and enjoy the challenge of the more rugged landscape that surrounds me. My paintings have been exhibited in galleries in the South Island, and in December 2008 I had a successful one man show at the Saffron Gallery in Timaru.
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Tutorial
Figures in Watercolour
Books by Richard Bolton:
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Painting Weathered Textures in Watercolour
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Weathered Texture Workshop
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Creative Drawing and Sketching
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Texture & Detail in Watercolour
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Landscape Watercolour Painting
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Creative Watercolour Techniques
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Painting Landscape & Nature
