Terry Harrison's Watercolour Flowers in the Landscape

August 2006

This comes fairly hot on the heels of Watercolour Mountains, Valleys & Streams and Watercolour Trees in the same series. One would have to say that's a lot of Terry Harrison in quite a short space of time and one does have to wonder why the publisher didn't space them out a bit. There's no doubt that Terry Harrison is a popular teacher and there is certainly a demand for his books, but publication at this frequency must surely tend to limit purchasing to his most ardent fans?

The first thing to say about this book is that it's not about flower painting. That's not necessarily a negative but, if you're expecting the master's approach to this popular but tricky subject, you won't find it here. You might also be thinking, I didn't know Terry was a flower painter and you'd not be wrong.

However... All this is not a bad thing. For a start, flower painting is being done to death at the moment (Summer 2006) and not another book on it is no bad thing. It also has to be said that it's a big subject and 48 pages really isn't enough to do it justice. But, like I said, this isn't a book about flower painting. So what the bright blue blazes is it then? Well, it's flowers in the landscape, that's what it is and it's a subject I can't remember being touched since the Jill Bays book of that title some ten years ago. In actual fact, and this is where the short publication interval start to make sense, it's part 3 of Terry's un-named series on landscape elements: trees, mountains valleys & streams and flowers. It's all starting to make perfect sense and maybe a series title would have been a good idea. Or maybe they're planning to bind them all up into one hardback later, in which case won't you kick yourself for having bought three separate volumes?

The thing is that not everyone wants to be a flower painter and yet, if you're going to paint landscapes, you're going to have to make a fist of at least the basic effect of flowers in a hedgerow or at the edge of a field and this is what Terry shows you how to do here. He explains how to get the simple shapes right so that you get convincing groups of flowers without resorting to amorphous blocks of colour and without going into any sort of detail. It's actually pretty much what he did with trees and that worked a treat. If you're a landscape painter, it's a pretty valuable addition to the armoury.

Oct 06

If you are a watercolor landscape artist then you cannot ignore the fact that putting flowers in your paintings will make them look beautiful, capturing the essence of the countryside and the passing seasons. Here is a book that shows you how to do these things.

This is not a book of flower paintings, but a book on how to paint landscapes incorporating flowers. It assumes that you are already some type of landscape painter (although possibly not a very experienced one) and goes on from there. In true Search Press tradition though there are also pages on what you need which is useful if you are less experienced (don't worry if you don't have an easel, I don't use one). I particularly liked the tip about the bucket - what a good idea! Most if not all of the items listed all artists will own, but I was particularly impressed with the pages on choosing a color palette for this type of painting. This is surely one of the most important (and least addressed) questions asked by anybody embarking on a change of direction, or a new painter. This is also true of the pages showing you what brushes to invest in, and what sort of effects they produce. Masking fluid is also unmasked in a whole project, and then it is on with the projects. Here you are shown how to achieve the look of English flowers such as bluebells carpeting the woods, poppies on a farm, fields of wild flowers or roses around a door rather than painting detailed studies of close-up blooms. If you are a painter of this type of scene, or you aspire to be then this is a useful and helpful book.

Feb 08

Terry Harrison, who demonstrates to artists' groups and teaches on painting holidays, gives invaluable advice to artists. He has also opened a gallery in Hampshire. This is his fourth book and he is a bestselling author.

Terry Harrison grew up in Norfolk. His early art education was basic and he never dreamed that he would become an artist. At fifteen, Terry moved to Hampshire and was inspired by a brilliant art teacher. He took O and A levels in art, then won a place at Farnham Art School at the age of sixteen. He became a graphic artist, but continued to paint in his spare time. In 1984 Terry gave up his job to paint full time. He demonstrates to artists' groups and teaches on painting holidays. He has also developed a range of his own brushes and paints. He is the author of many best selling books on painting with acrylics and watercolours. Terry now lives in the Cotswolds.