nursery rhymes

in watercolour...
and hand in hand at the edge of the sand... - Chris Edwick

and hand in hand at the edge of the sand
watercolour on somerset paper 56 x 76 cm

colour is all the joy in life...
the king of hearts he called for the tarts... - Chris Edwick

the king of hearts he called for the tarts…
watercolour on somerset paper 76 x 112 cm

Like Mattise, Patrick Heron and Gillian Ayres, I love to make paintings that are about the simple but profound subject of joy, using colour.

The choice of colour, the shape its given, the gesture of the brush is the unique handwriting of a painter and say everything about their philosophy of living.

I’m moved by the brevity of life and the painful beauty of the world. Painting colours and shapes gives me a chance to pin down the beautiful butterfly of the moment as it passes out of my grasp. Painting is my net to catch the joy in the present and fix a liquid rainbow of colour and embody it in earthy pigment. My hand was here…

The light, immediate, delicacy of watercolour is the most poignant medium of all. Oil paint chronicles the story of the hour but watercolour catches that brief glance of the moment… the painting remains to salve the ache of its loss….but as a proof it was cherished!

she shall have music wherever she goes…
watercolour on Somerset paper 56 x 76 cm

While I was rebuilding the house I had limited studio space, so thought I’d work in watercolour.

I started a small series inspired by nursery rhymes.

Why nursery rhymes?

I love the words and images that first fired my young imagination….simple, playful, funny, unforgettable…

…and hand in hand on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon…

…actually that’s how I think life should be, dancing hand in hand, by the light of the moon and in that same spirit I thought I would make simple, playful colours and shapes, in watercolour.

and they danced by the light of the moon...watercolour 56 x 76 cms - Chris Edwick

and they danced by the light of the moon…
watercolour on khadi handmade paper 56 x 76 cm

The delicacy and lightness of touch in watercolour is incredibly hard to achieve, this makes it a medium unlike any other. I’ve spent all my life practising. It can’t be corrected or adjusted. If its wrong I just have to start again. It’s about banishing doubt and letting the brush dance over the paper with a joyful confidence.

I let the brush dance and when it’s right a good watercolour is like a lemon sorbet on a summer’s day…

…all this makes it perfect for the sweetness and playfulness of the nursery rhyme.

star light star bright, the first star I see tonight... - Chris Edwick

star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight…
watercolour on somerset paper 56 x 76 cm

sugar and spice and all things nice…
watercolour on Somerset paper  56 x 76 cm

One of the many joys of watercolour is the beautiful range of papers available to work on. Usually I work on Somerset paper which is soft and velvety but I had some highly textured hand-made Khadi paper and thought I would try it. I love the sugary, grainy texture it has and became very addicted to it!

sing a song of sixpence... - Chris Edwick

sing a song of sixpence…
watercolour on khadi handmade paper 56 x 76 cm

While the house was re-built, I stayed in a cottage with a courtyard, surrounded by climbing roses. A garden beyond, leading to water-meadows and further away, a wild wood…

When summer came, I painted outside. The sun blazed into the courtyard and quickly dried the first passage of painting so I made a further colour wash over the first layer. This is another of the great beauties of watercolour; delicate, transparent washes of colour above layers below. This was the story of a summer of watercolours and nursery rhymes and sugar and spice…

and the dish ran away with the spoon... - Chris Edwick

and the dish ran away with the spoon…
watercolour on khadi handmade paper 56 x 76 cm

though I know not what you are, twinkle twinkle little star…