A decade in watercolour
I’m Colin, a watercolour painter based in the UK. For the past ten years, I have painted exclusively in watercolour, exploring its subtleties, unpredictability, and delicate beauty. I experiment a lot. Inevitably some 'experiments' go into the bin!
I am not a typical landscape painter. I seldom paint en plein air, instead, I explore the landscape searching for ideas, moods, and atmospheres that resonate. I take many photographs — fragments of light, shapes, or details — which I later use to create paintings that are emotionally rather than geographically true.
I hope the care and depth of my work show in every painting.
Life and place
I live in Woking, Surrey — England’s most wooded county. Trees frequently appear in my work, not as literal studies but as vehicles for imagination and reflection. My landscapes seek to evoke mood, memory, and atmosphere rather than replicate a specific location.
Inspiration from literature
Much of my work begins with lines from songs or poems that linger in my mind. These influences often shape the emotional tone of a painting long before a brush touches paper. I'm keen to express a celebration of the fleeting beauty of life and memory.
Exhibitions & community
A past member of Pirbright Art Club, and currently a member of Pirbright Painters, Guildford Art Society and Chobham Art Group , I owe much of my artistic development to these groups and their encouragement over the years.
Occasionally I also exhibit with Village Artists , a collective of local artists, at Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking.
Recent successes and awards
Guildford Art Society - Arts & Artisans / November 2025/ West Horsley Place - The Christmas Fair, West Horsley
Sold 'Day breaking' watercolour and 1 other mounted print.
Guildford Art Society Summer Exhibition / July 2025 / Sy John's Centre, Merrow
Sold 'An evening is coming in' watercolour and 4 other mounted prints.
Village Artists / May 2025 / Denbies Wine Estate Gallery, Dorking
Public vote winner with 'An evening is coming in' and 2nd place with 'No birds'. Sold 'Run for the hills!' watercolour.
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 213th Exhibition / May 2025 / The Mall Galleries, London
'No birds' selected for the exhibition.
Pirbright Art Club Annual Exhibition / Dec 2024 / Lord Pirbright's Hall, Pirbright
Public vote winner with 'Larkin on TV' and 2nd place with 'No birds'.
Pirbright Art Club Annual Exhibition/ Dec 2019 / Lord Pirbright's Hall, Pirbright
Public vote winner with 'The edge of everything'.