'Silver Light, Old Harry Rocks' 48cm x 34cm

‘Paint like the bird that sits in a tree and sings. It doesn’t sing for applause – it simply sings, whether anyone likes it or not.’

Years ago, I received these profound words of wisdom from none other than our wonderful Groups manager…Mr Edo Hannema himself; the quote is attributed to his friend and fellow Dutch painter Kees Van Aalst, and they are words that I return to time and time again.

Whether you are a beginner, seeking some comment and guidance as you come to grips with landscape painting, discovering the pleasure and persecution of the watercolour medium, or a more experienced painter making positive strides forward with your work, it is wisdom we would all do well to heed. But why would I bring this to our attention now?

Firstly, I am increasingly persuaded that the infrastructure of social media no longer offers a conducive space for artists to display and share their work. These platforms encourage a dishonest approach to painting, where the artist’s need for applause and recognition takes precedence over an honest journey that starts with inspiration and observation, ending with creation and sharing. Landscape art is a largely spiritual exercise, and by that I don’t mean a religious one, but as we paint our favourite places, or those that excite our imagination and creativity, it should reflect our experience, our emotional connection with a place. We paint this scene anyway (and we may share it); the bird ‘simply sings, whether anyone likes it or not.’ It is always a disappointment to me on my courses when a student is hesitant to show me a painting that didn’t work out – I understand why, but I always want to see these, and look at the process they have been through to express their inspiration; a right-or-wrong analysis is not important to me. Social media platforms are also places where unpleasant interactions are commonplace, and it continues to upset me that something as pleasant as art can attract the negativity that seems so easy to throw around when there is no personal accountability. Grrrr! It doesn’t end there – it is now evident to most that social media platforms are not created with end users’ interests foremost. Some, but not all, have become venues for theft of artists' work, whether that’s to train AI’s large language models, or the more blatant copying of artists’ work for sale of their content to copy on video. I’m not quitting social media just yet, but its utility for me as a full-time artist is becoming increasingly difficult to justify. Beginner, intermediate, or experienced painter, be very careful how you use social media to share your work in future – it is not what was originally provided, and not what it promised to be,10 years ago.

Secondly, and this follows on, I would like to encourage all of you to take advantage of what is on offer in our Groups community. I established this when it was the old Forum structure to connect those interested in landscape painting and the watercolour medium. I have been fortunate to be joined in this initiative by Edo, who continues to offer his help and experience to me, and to all of us, and we have tried to create a place that allows anyone to share what they have created, no matter the level of skill and perceived success of what has been created. The criteria has always been a passion for the subject and an eagerness to learn. Our ambition here is not to mirror the ‘look-at-me’ shop windows of social media, but to encourage you to have the confidence of sharing, with the hope of receiving helpful advice and warm encouragement, without the sharp edges and commercial avalanche of social media. Of course, we can’t comment on everything, but when paintings are posted and shared with a request for help and comments, then it seems to me that many of the lovely people in Groups will try to add some helpful pointers along the way.  May I encourage you to be active with your posts, questions and comments; my lighter touch with social media now will allow me to divert more time here over the coming months.

Finally, I am in the process of finalising contracts/titles/content with my publisher for three more books over the next few years. Believe it or not, this will involve a lot more painting, and will take me to new landscapes (yes, I’ll still be painting my favourite oak and the lane just around the corner, but I might also venture a couple of miles further down the road 😉) – think Scotland, southern Italy & Cornwall. I will not be including any of my new work for these books on social media – it doesn’t deserve it – but will share developments, adventures and new paintings here with you all on Groups. My only request is that you don’t share these externally, please.

Be like the bird: paint because you enjoy it, because you feel compelled to do it. And please, share it here with all of us so we can enjoy it too. I feel strongly that landscape art is evidence that you are awake to your surroundings, to life. You see moments, colours, shapes, stories unfolding that many others overlook. Your awareness is the gift, not your technical skills at capturing it (these come with learning and practice), and such a gift is worth sharing. Please feel welcome and comfortable participating here – it’s a growing group of like-minded friends, and don’t forget…in our story of the bird, no one throws stones at the bird; you should all be congratulated for creating the same environment here in Groups – thank you.

Happy painting! Olly x