David Brayne RWS

“I like the idea of placing an oar, fishing rod, or something similar in the hands of the figure, because this immediately creates a gesture in quite a lyrical way, which in turn will suggest movement and begin to form patterns and rhythms that will run throughout the work.

“Moreover, if I include two or three figures there is at once an inferred relationship or narrative, although I prefer to leave the exact nature of this to the viewer’s imagination.”

“In my studio I have a stock of about 100 pigments. Each has its own characteristics. Some, like the iron oxides are quite dull-looking, but when you apply them to the paper or canvas surface they can behave quite differently – if you work them in with a cloth or brush they turn very bright. I have my favourite pigments and I often start with those; other colours are used less frequently and perhaps more intuitively.

“Commercial pigments are much more finely ground. I have no objection as such to commercial colours: I sometimes use conventional watercolours if they offer the best solution for the effect I want. However, generally I can only achieve the particular luminosity, vibrancy and lyrical quality that I want by using pigments.”