PASTE MEDIUM

This is a watercolour study in paste medium. Which means that flour paste rather than water is used as a medium for the watercolour. This results in a slight body and sluggishness in the paint which can be very pleasant to work with.You can also,to a degree, remove watercolour if you wish. The rock like shapes at the lower edge were developed by removing watercolour.

(See my other posts about how to make flour paste which is here and my post about Cotman's use of flour paste in his late works here. This sketch was done with a thin flour paste.

CLOUD PRACTICE

My aim in making this tiny watercolour was to see if I could suggest a large landscape with big clouds-such as you get in Northumberland, and to do it on a small piece of paper. This measures 7.5"X5.5" or approx 19X14cm.

DUNSTANBURGH DESIGNS

I was briefly at Craster yesterday and noticing that the tide was high I only walked a little way towards Dunstanburgh and decided to sketch the classic view-which I do not usually draw. But, as I say the tide was high, the waves were quite big also and there was much white water. The light was tremendous and there was much spray in the air. It looked more like Spring than Autumn.

Sketchbook pages,08/10/15, Dunstanburgh

Colour study from memory today, acrylic on a scrap of hardboard about 10" long.

BERNAT KLEIN

The Bernat Klein exhibition at the  Dovecot Gallery in Edinburgh has ended. It was a pleasure to see this retrospective devoted to the work of such a remarkable designer who sadly passed away last year.One could  see samples of his  multi-coloured yarns, some of the tapestries he made in collaboration with the Dovecot and some of the oil paintings he made whilst developing his  textile designs. He had a remarkable life-from Yugoslavia to Israel to Galashiels he followed his vocation in textiles with great determination and originality.

Bernat Klein Dress:Polyester, 1969 V&A. Not shown.

Detail from Bernat Klein painting. This one was in the exhibition and seems to relate to the dress shown above.

Bernat Klein painting-as shown

The paintings were mostly very attractive and the tie-in with the textiles obvious at a glance. The colour is rich,clean and luminous. It is obvious that the paintings have been cared for and it is delightful to see that some have been sold.

Bernat Klein painting as shown.

Published by Bernat Klein Scotland with Collins,
London 1965. (The colophon says that Collins were the distributors)

Double page spread from "An Eye for Colour" Showing on the left a painting "Seascape" and don the right the cloth known as "Velvet Tweed"-with a velvet ribbon for the warp and one of the multi-coloured yarns for the weft.

I first heard of  Bernat Klein, An Eye for Colour when my local library bought a copy. It wasn't that I had much interest in textiles or knowledge of them but here was a nicely produced book with lots of good colour illustrations and excellent typography. From what I later learned of Klein this could be no surprise. It was immediately obvious that he wanted quality in whatever he produced. In a word, the book stood out and was immensely attractive in itself. This was something to be treasured way back in the 1960s. There were numerous colour illustrations and of course I was delighted to find that Klein shared my fascination with Seurat. He names him as one of the inspirations of his multi coloured wool fibres and textiles.I cannot pretend that I read the book from cover to cover on first acquaintance. I did that a few years ago when I bought my own copy and my respect for the man increased considerably.


Klein's archives exist at Herriot-Watt's border campus (14 linear metres) and this PDF gives an idea of the range of items. For a sketch of his career and further illustrations  this item will be very helpful.You can see textile samples at the National Museum of Scotland here. The NMS will eventually be opening a gallery which will include Klein's work.

Iona Sketch

Tiny sketch of my own. Acrylic study about 7"X5".Perhaps an idea for a painting.
Looking towards Eilean Didil from the Bay at the Back of the Ocean