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HIGHGATE WATERCOLOUR GROUP

We hope that you like our website, which makes it easier to locate our Members' Galleries (lower down the page).

Highgate Fair in the Square on Saturday 15 June 2019 from 12.30 to 5.30pm

Our next public appearance as a Group will be at the Highgate Fair in the Square when once again we will be running a stall in Pond Square (probably located outside the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institute) where we will be offering handmade cards (some of which will be handpainted) and original artwork in mounts - and all at extremely affordable "Fair" prices. The day offers an opportunity to meet some of our artists, some running the stall, and some busy sketching the Fair. The Fair is a fun day out for all the family, so please come and see us and enjoy Highgate at its most entertaining. The Fair in the Square's website is here

To keep up with our activities, please go to our Facebook Page.

Members' Galleries

Chris Baker

Chris Baker

49 photos in 3 sub-albums

I really love painting with watercolours! Though I've used oil paints and made drawings for a number of years it's watercolours that I now mainly work with. I like to make preliminary studies using sketches or by using my own digital images and image manipulation software. In addition to the group's annual exhibition I've been fortunate to have had my work shown at the Mall Galleries, the Bankside Gallery and at other venues. My blog: chrisbakerwatercolours.wordpress.com I am very happy to take commissions.

Freda Blayney

Freda Blayney

15 photos in 2 sub-albums

Maureen Bocking

Maureen Bocking

49 photos in 4 sub-albums

Cathy Burkinshaw

Cathy Burkinshaw

17 photos in 4 sub-albums

Christian Cook

Christian Cook

17 photos in 3 sub-albums

I work mainly from direct observation. My favourite subjects are urban scenes and landscapes. I paint directly in front of the scene or make drawings which I later develop into paintings in the studio. I also enjoy painting and drawing from the figure and printmaking. I have painted mainly in London and the south east of England but also abroad in France, Germany, Spain, Greece and India. The media I use:- watercolour, gouache, pastel, charcoal, acrylic and sometimes collage. I trained at Camberwell School of Art and The London College of Printing. I taught for some years at the City Lit. and Westminster and Camden Adult Education Institutes. Website: www.chriscookpaintings2.com

Ruth Edwards

Ruth Edwards

26 photos in 4 sub-albums

Edmund Gordon

Edmund Gordon

15 photos

Erna Green

Erna Green

19 photos in 2 sub-albums

Oonagh Hodges

Oonagh Hodges

16 photos in 3 sub-albums

Shirley Hodgson

Shirley Hodgson

14 photos in 3 sub-albums

Sara Kaye

Sara Kaye

9 photos

Gianna Lapini

Gianna Lapini

14 photos in 2 sub-albums

Sue Lees

Sue Lees

56 photos in 5 sub-albums

I have been painting in watercolours for 27 years, and continue to be fascinated by the medium. Plein air painting is a huge challenge and so exciting, I try to do as much of it as possible, both with the full pure watercolour kit and sketchbooks with various inkpens, washes, crayons, etc. I am also a member of the Society of East Anglian Watercolourists, and the Islington Art Society, and have an Instagram account under the name of Suesymslees.

Helena Lezard

Helena Lezard

23 photos in 4 sub-albums

Arvind Limaye

Arvind Limaye

23 photos in 3 sub-albums

Brenda McDowell

Brenda McDowell

5 photos

Vivian Manthel-French

Vivian Manthel-French

13 photos in 2 sub-albums

A New Zealander who spent many years living in Highgate London. She has now returned to her home town, Wellington, but visits the UK every year, and has continued her ties with the Highgate Watercolour Group. She is an Artist Member and served on the council of The NZ Academy of Fine Arts, and is an exhibitor and past president of Watercolour NZ. She has had a retrospective exhibition of her watercolour portraits in The NZ Portrait Gallery. She paints a variety of subjects in watercolour and mixed media including landscapes from both countries and has solo exhibitions in NZ and the UK. The Commonwealth institute in London selected her for a solo exhibition, which resulted in an invited exhibition at Ballance House, Belfast, Ireland. She has been selected for the Royal Watercolour Society Open Exhibition.

Ruth Margolis

Ruth Margolis

9 photos in 3 sub-albums

Ulla Mead

Ulla Mead

8 photos in 3 sub-albums

In 1979/80 I did an Art Foundation Course at Harrow College of Art followed by a 3 year course in Ceramics at Croydon College of Art. I am now working as a ceramicist again but have spent most of my working life as a ceramic jeweller. After doing a short course in watercolour painting in the early 2000s I also developed a passion for working in that medium.

Maggie Pettigrew

Maggie Pettigrew

3 photos in 1 sub-album

As a fine artist, I have explored a range of media including, installation, print-making, collage and paint. In my current focus on watercolours, I search for the flow and rhythm in the natural world, exploring techniques for layering water and pigments to represent organic elements such as water, vegetation and sky. I search for the soft rounded shapes and blended colours that are present in natural forms.

Andrew Riley

Andrew Riley

35 photos in 4 sub-albums

I was trained to use watercolour in a very controlled way as a Scientific Illustrator at Hornsey College of Art. This led onto a 20 year career as an Illustrator. I now use watercolour in my landscape painting; sometimes combining it with pastel, gouache and acrylic to achieve different atmospheric effects. My aim in painting is to evoke a feeling of serenity and harmony with a message of hope for myself as well as for the viewer. I host watercolour workshops, and am also a member of Islington Art Society.

Philip Sanderson

Philip Sanderson

22 photos in 4 sub-albums

Charlotte Stephenson

Charlotte Stephenson

10 photos in 2 sub-albums

Vanessa Whinney

Vanessa Whinney

63 photos in 6 sub-albums

I've lived with watercolours all my life as my father was quite a well-known East Anglian artist. The house was always full of his landscapes, even though he left home when I was quite young. He taught me a little but I was mostly interested in art history and it wasn't until later in life that I took up the medium myself. It is one of the most difficult painting mediums. You can't really paint over your washes to correct your mistakes, as you can with oils, acrylics, pastel etc. - they go muddy. But the more you practise, the more you progress - a truism of course, but definitely worth the effort. For those of us who like to paint en plein air, its great advantage is convenience: a pad of paper, a pocket watercolour box and some brushes, and of course water - and you're kitted out. You may also wish to take a stool and easel. Many artists like to travel and paint together, and the history of art is littered with examples of those who do, for companionship, for support, for a word of friendly advice. In the studio you are generally on your own, rather a lonely business, so I like to get together and paint with my mates. Membership of the Highgate Watercolour Group gives me all this plus the opportunity to show my work every year at Lauderdale House with my fellow members. Vanessa Whinney 07974 679441 Vanessa.whinney@talktalk.net

Jill Wilkinson

Jill Wilkinson

7 photos in 2 sub-albums

Mary Williams

Mary Williams

14 photos in 3 sub-albums

Who are we?

The Group was founded in 1980 as part of the Highgate Society with the aim of enabling enthusiastic watercolour painters to work together in an informal friendly atmosphere. We are a mixed bunch – some of us have painted professionally over a lifetime (and are members of top London art societies, and in one case, an international art society), some are newer converts to the joys of watercolours and other paper-based media. Some of us also paint in oils and acrylics. We are enthusiastic about a variety of subjects and really enjoy painting buildings and townscapes, landscapes and seascapes, still life, portraits, and, of course, Highgate and other North London local scenes. If you are thinking about buying art online, you may like to know that our work is mainly affordable, and we welcome enquiries.

We are based in 10A South Grove (opposite Pond Square), Highgate, North London (the Highgate Society's premises), where we paint regularly on Thursdays, but we quite often go out and paint together either locally or further afield. We also have periodic visits from professional tutors and models.

We have an autumn show annually in Highgate, as well as occasional much smaller displays. We also have a stall at the Highgate Fair in the Square in June. There are around 25 of us, and although our numbers are constrained by the size of 10A Pond Square, and we are currently full, we are always interested in hearing from any experienced watercolour artists who live reasonably close to Highgate. If you like the sound of the HWG, please mail us at highgatewatercolour@gmail.com Please bear in mind that we have an annual membership fee, currently standing at £55.

Keep In Touch

If you have any questions, or would like to hear about upcoming exhibitions and receive an invitation to our annual private view, please mail us at highgatewatercolour@gmail.com. For general news and updates, you can also follow us on Facebook.

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