The moment Mark Entwisle spotted the paper bag that he painted for the 2020 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition will not be forgotten in a hurry – not because the artwork went on to scoop the top prize, but because his eldest son won’t let him live it down.
Mark was accompanying his then teenage son on a prospective student tour of the Camberwell College of Arts when he was stopped in his tracks by a scene that reminded him of Vermeer’s A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal in London’s National Gallery. It had the subtle light filtering through a big, high window on the left, but instead of illuminating a female figure playing the harpsichord, it softly lit up a brown paper bag, branded with red graphic letters.
Reaching for his Leica film camera – and ignoring his son’s protestations – Mark took the shot. Unbeknown to him, however, it was the last shot of the film, kicking into action the camera’s (extremely loud) automatic rewind feature. The pair found themselves the centre of attention among the quiet group of strangers.
“Everyone turned around to see what the noise was,” the artist recalls. “My son was clutching his head. It was just excruciating. I’ve tried to reason with him that it was worth it, but I think he’s still doubtful about that.”
Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
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Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Still life IN 3 HOURS
Former BP Portrait Award runner-up FELICIA FORTE guides you through a simple, structured approach to painting alla prima that tackles dark, average and light colours in turn
Movement in composition
Through an analysis of three masterworks, landscape painter and noted author MITCHELL ALBALA shows how you can animate landscape composition with movement
Shane Berkery
The Irish-Japanese artist talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the innovative concepts and original colour combinations he brings to his figurative oil paintings from his Dublin garden studio
The Working Artist
Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work
Washes AND GLAZES
Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide to incorporating various techniques into your next masterpiece. Artwork by STAN MILLER, CHRIS ROBINSON and MICHELE ILLING
Hands
LAURA SMITH continues her new four-part series, which encourages you to draw elements of old master paintings, and this month’s focus is on capturing hands
Vincent van Gogh
To celebrate The Courtauld’s forthcoming landmark display of the troubled Dutch master’s self-portraits, STEVE PILL looks at the stories behind 10 of the most dramatic works on display
BRING THE drama
Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene
Serena Rowe
The Scottish painter tells STEVE PILL why time is precious, why emotional responses to colour are useful, and how she finds focus every day with the help of her studio wall
Bill Jacklin
Chatting over Zoom as he recovers from appendicitis, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about classic scrapes in New York and his recent experiments with illustration
