Art Masterclass      March 2006

Alan Thompson discovers inspiration in a shaft of light on a wall, the volume

of an apple, the look on a face. "Everything has a significance," he says.

"There are so many exciting things to paint." Consequently, unlike many

artists, he does not specialise in a certain type of subject matter, nor is

there a particular quality that he must express. For him: "Whether it is an

apple or Venice, it is a matter of responding to what I see; painting what is

in front of me."

His varied subject matter includes wonderfully skilful and sensitive still lifes, landscapes and figure compositions, and evocative scenes of Venice, Siena, Florence and other magical places. However, the fact that these are different subjects is irrelevant to him — more to the point is the fact that they are different paintings. The common denominator, perhaps, is that each one is treated with the same integrity, the same search for what he describes as "a parallel to reality". He works in paint to convey something of the solidity and other qualities in what he sees.

Although essentially a figurative painter who has spent many years working from life, Alan has recently begun to modify his approach somewhat to rely more on his imagination and his interaction and response to effects and qualities that evolve during the painting process.

"In the past," he explains, "with the excitement of looking and reacting, the painting was secondary; it happened. I was intent on trying to capture the yellowness of a lemon, for example, perhaps at the expense of getting involved with the impact and nature of the paint itself. Now I work with a much greater awareness of those qualities."

  Harbour, Keffalonia, oil on board, 12x153/4in. (30x40cm)

Florence, oil on board, 14x231/2in. (36x60cm) 

Varied palette

Alan paints mainly in oils. "I have tried all kinds of media," he says, "including acrylic, which in my view has a slightly plastic, artificial quality — the colour lacks the depth and resonance of oils and it doesn't handle as well, particularly when using a painting knife. Watercolour has a transparency and it is a very attractive medium for some types of work, as is egg tempera, which I have used for paintings of fungi, in which I needed a certain delicacy. But I always return to oils. I like the fact that, because it is relatively slow-drying, you can move the paint around and there is time to consider, adjust and rework areas if necessary.

"My palette varies according to each painting. The exact choice of colours depends on the subject matter, but there are perhaps ten or so colours that I regularly use. I am always trying different brands of paint to find the best colours. The basic colours are zinc white (for glazing), titanium white, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, burnt sienna, raw sienna, yellow ochre, viridian, ultramarine, cobalt blue and a crimson. I never use black.

"Because I often work with a painting knife I prefer a firm surface to paint on, and therefore I normally use prepared MDF (medium density fibreboard). This is first sized with a rabbitskin glue size and then given two coats of primer, preferably oilbased primer, if this is available. Generally I like a very slight texture to the surface. I also occasionally paint on fine linen. The surface is left white, which I think adds vibrancy to the subsequent colours.
 

Venice - Backstreet Canal, oil on board, 12x15in. (30x39cm)

  Lemon Tree, Kefalonia, oil on board, 14x231/2in. (36x60cm)

"Especially when I am using painting knives, I apply the paint as it is, without

adding any medium such as turpentine or linseed oil. But for glazes, I mix the

paint with Liquin, which helps with the transparency and also speeds up the

drying process."
 

Ideas and inspiration

As well as painting the landscape in Cumbria, where he lives, Alan also paints landscape and townscape scenes from Italy and France. He enjoys visiting new places, particularly because of the different qualities of light and colour that he finds: the contrast in light between Florence and Cumbria, for example. "I've just been to the south of France," he explains. "The turquoise sea against the red roofs is just wonderful. It is not something you come across in the UK, so that's why I travel."

Siena Rooftops, oil on board, 14x231/2in. (30x60cm) 

Alan also paints still-life and figure compositions in the studio. The still lifes are painted mainly from direct observation, though relying on memory when the fruit or vegetables deteriorate. Similarly, with the figure compositions he will work from models for as long as these are available, supplementing this approach with reference to photographs. He regularly makes life drawings and once taught this subject at Carlisle College of Art.

On his travels Alan relies on photography for recording anything that interests

him. He no longer does much sketching on site, and in any case he regards

drawing as a separate process — as a means of expression in its own right,

rather than a preliminary to painting.

He welcomes the advent of digital photography: "When there is some good

light I rush out and take hundreds of photographs. Back in the studio I consider

the photographs and decide which subjects I would like to paint. Usually I refer

to more than one photograph and I may adjust what is there to suit the needs

of the painting. It does not have to be topographically correct."