The artist- Ray Potter
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Artists statement: Paint with passion
Porcelain watercolour mixing pans, my favourite one and only sable brush, an old mop brush that has already painted a thousand different skies. The smell of purifi ed turps and oil paint that greets me in my studio; a perfect piece of stretched watercolour paper crying out for its fi rst colour wash – these are a few of my favourite things that whet the passion in me to paint.
When I am out and about, I want to feel and hear the physical elements of my subject – the sting of salt water on my face, my bare feet in the sand of tidal pools, the squawk of seagulls. The smell of diesel and old hemp on the pier or the lapping of the water against the bulkheads of the fi shing boats as they lie in wait; the steady
throb of their motors as they sail through the port and starboard beacons on their way to the deep sea. These are the feelings that bring out the passion making me turn to the easel and brush and paint.
My passion for painting makes me go the extra mile to fi nd the subject that will help me paint that canvas with the ‘Wow’ factor. For example the 2010 winning best watercolour at the SASA Annual Exhibition which was my “Early Morning Light”, Kalk Bay …
I was there before sunrise waiting in the dark for the fi rst rays of the sun, ready with my sketch pad, pencil and watercolour to catch the simple composition that would unfold: A line of fi shing boats still at rest, snugly tucked close to the harbour, their rigging and masts silhouetted against a cadmium yellow sky. Before I could see
anymore detail the picture was there, ready for my brushes and then with passion I completed the painting
– ‘wow’!
My passion that morning paid off - so strive to feel, get involved PAINT WITH PASSION.
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