David Bellamy’s Landscapes through the Seasons in Watercolour

Builth Wells artist releases new watercolour book.

A highly regarded artist, writer and tutor has released a new book detailing his techniques and ideas for painting his beloved landscape throughout the year.

David Bellamy, who lives in Builth Wells, has written Landscapes through the Seasons in Watercolour, published by Search Press. A revised and expanded edition of David Bellamy's Winter Landscapes in Watercolour, David looks at each season in detail and explores the challenges and surprises they present to the landscape artist. In the fully illustrated book, David explores, through painting, the beautiful landscapes across the UK including those in his own area in Powys.

David said: "Many of my books include scenes of Powys, and my new book has quite a number.”

"Of all the counties in Britain, Powys is probably the least well-known for its outstanding beauty, outside the Brecon Beacons national park boundaries, and it's a great privilege to live here and record its glorious scenery."

Through Landscapes through the Seasons, David shares his techniques for creating seasonal effects, such as rendering hoar frost on trees, creating realistic looking foliage, limiting the colour palette to create mood and how to give your painting misty and atmospheric impact. David also lays out what the best materials to use are in a variety of different situations and the varying ways the artist can handle a paint brush to give a desired effect.

A full-time artist and author, David has written over 15 books illustrated with his paintings, and eight DVDs on his techniques in watercolour have been produced by APV films. David paints mainly in watercolour, specialising chiefly in mountain, wild coast, Arctic, and desert scenery. He is also currently working on a book about the Middle East.

David said: "My sketching adventures have led to encounters with polar bears and walrus, among other creatures in remote  fjords, falling over a crocodile in East Africa, taking painting groups into the Himalayas and the Andes, and exploring deep into the Sahara Desert.”

“Even though they smell a bit and make rather rude noises, the bull walrus is one of the most considerate models I have ever sketched. In Nepal, one student managed a superb watercolour sketch of Everest only to get it eaten by a yak as it was drying on a wall”

“It has been a great privilege to meet so many wonderful people in so many of these wild locations. Powys has also given me many interesting moments, especially when sketching underground in excruciatingly challenging positions."

Through his painting and writing, David also hopes to bring about greater awareness of the threats to the natural environment and is particularly active in conserving wild areas. David also occasionally runs painting courses at Caer Beris Manor Hotel in Builth Wells but has not been able to run any this year due to the pandemic. The events usually attract people from many parts of the world including Japan and the USA. Locally, David exhibits paintings at the Ardent Gallery in Brecon.

-- Luke Williams * Brecon & Radnor Express *

Here the popular artist and best-selling author David Bellamy looks at each season in detail and shares with us how to tackle landscapes when faced with their many challenges. Specific techniques are explained in detail, such as how to create musty effects or render hoar frost on trees, and there's useful advice on composition, making the most of your subject and portraying atmosphere in watercolour. The Moors in Summer, Winter Mountains, After the Spring Shower and a Late Autumn Waterfall are just some of the subjects included in this eminently practical book by a master artist.

* Leisure Painter *

The paintings were lovely, just looking at the artwork was a pleasure. I found the instructions good, the instructions and serial progress photos should make it possible to produce something satisfactory to even a first time watercolour painter. Overall pleased with this book

-- Connie Kiernan * Amazon *

The idea of a book about painting the seasons is not new, but rarely has it been handled so well, and with such relevance as here. It is perhaps such an obvious theme that subject matter often becomes second rather than first thought, and previous books have lacked focus as a result.

The arrangement of this entrancing guide will come as no surprise, though the start point of summer perhaps points to an intended earlier publication date. The material for winter is adapted from the 2014 David Bellamy's Winter Landscapes in Watercolour, but is integrated nicely, pointing to the care that has gone into the writing and production.

There are plenty of examples and demonstrations. David explains how shapes, light, colour and atmosphere all contribute to the look and feel both of the work itself and the ways in which it needs to be approached and presented in a painting.

-- Henry Malt * Leisure Painter - January 2021 *

This is a book that'll last you all year round. David demonstrates not just the broader vistas, but quiet corners and details such as trees, buildings, waterfalls, animals, trees and flowers.

You'll discover how the shapes of natural subjects change with each turn of the season, and David provides examples for everything, as well as full demonstrations that show how images develop in their own individual ways.

This is a thorough guide in the company of a popular and experienced teacher who makes working with watercolour a delight.

* SAA *

This is an expanded version of David’s Winter Landscapes which appeared in 2014. It’s therefore no surprise that this is the season that gets the greatest coverage. Overall, on a back-of-the-envelope calculation, about two-thirds is new material. For a ten quid paperback, that’s not exactly daylight robbery if you have the previous book (which, as one of David’s super-fans, you will).

If this is all new to you, be assured that the integration is good and you won’t be able to see the joins. Search Press are very good at this kind of thing and the progress is seamless.

The whole thing is sound and well executed, with the demonstrations and overall quality of work fully up to the standard you’d expect from David.

So, anyway, this is as thorough a guide to painting outdoors at all times of the year and in all weathers as you could wish. At 96 pages, it’s practically concise, but there’s no wasted space and it feels a lot larger. David isn’t just a great painter, he’s a great distiller of information and the way it’s presented. Do you get the impression I’m telling you to buy this? Good.

-- Henry Malt * Artbookreview.n