Artist of the Month – March

Fran Howard

Fran Howard was born in Sussex but lived much of the time in South Africa from 1946 to 1973 when he moved to London. Fran took up painting in watercolour in 1991 and finds his subjects in England, Provence, Kenya and South Africa, and other places he visits on holiday. He particularly enjoys painting scenes with water. He lives on the Thames in Mortlake and paints the river regularly. He is a member of the Chelsea Art Society, Richmond Art Society and Barnes Artists. You can contact him via email:  mail@franhoward.org.uk

What are you working on now?
Mainly local river views and studies of birds on the Thames. But I have started to paint still lives in oil paint – inspired by Barnes Artists!

How has lockdown affected your work?
Plenty of time for work, but inevitably more studio work – I try to work from photographs only after I have painted the scene en-plein-air and really looked at it for an hour or two!

Recent technical discovery?
I have started using oil paint again and have discovered a really big pallet is vital to mix colours. Other than that nothing that hasn’t been done for centuries.

Favourite artist?
Edward Seago, and also George Devlin. Both for technically fresh well composed land- and water-scapes.

Colour you can't do without?
Cobalt Blue, in skies and greys. I was taught to use cobalt blue and raw umber for light greys, reflecting the light, and French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna for dark greys, absorbing light. These are wonderful and easily variable combinations.

Plein Air or Studio?
Both, but en-plein-air whenever I can and then I work up the subject in the studio. I seldom achieve a frameable work from a first painting session. The beauty of watercolour, which is my preferred medium, is that a painting can be completed in an hour or so.

Barnes Secret for an artist?
The Thames is no secret, but the birds on the river – gulls, cormorants, swans, Canada geese, Egyptian geese and more – are a great subject found in Barnes, mainly on or near the river and the Leg of Mutton Lake

Favourite piece of kit?
My watercolour box by Holbein, Japan. It has plenty of easy-to-access paint bays, good mixing areas and a  thumb hole for ease of holding it.

What makes Barnes special to an artist?
The tow path and river views, changing all day and every day. The surface of the river water changes unceasingly and extraordinarily.

Next show?
I have held several exhibitions over the years but now I like to participate in group shows organised by The Chelsea Arts Society or Barnes Artists who are planning a really exciting show opening on 9th July the theme of which is WATER to reflect the good local conservational work of Friends of Barnes Common and the wider and more important issue of climate change.