In the 90ties, a VHS video with painting videos was released for the first time in the Netherlands. A quarterly art magazine publisher bought them abroad. and you could order or pick them up there. Very expensive by the way. I paid 92 guilders for 1 video. Now it's normal but thirty years ago it really wasn't. I was on night shift that week and couldn't get there until Friday morning. because the publishing house was closed on the weekend! I Worked all week at night and Friday morning at 7 o'clock at home. The store didn't open until 9am. and it was 25 km away. I drove to Alkmaar at 8 o'clock and picked out a video. Ray Campbell Smith Watercolors.

I was home at 10 am. and began to watch the video.

His calming voice about watercolour made me even more sleepy than I was already and fell asleep. I woke up many hours later, rewind the video and watched again. My jaw dropped.

I rewinded again, and watched the 90 minutes again. I showered, came down again and watched again! In fact I watched that video over and over again that weekend.

He used 5 tubes of pigment. Burnt and Raw Sienna, French Ultramarine Blue, Light Red and Winsor Blue (green shade) (in that time there was only green shade) It was an eyeopener. I thought, that is the way to do it! Now I know, I can use it for my own work in North Holland I love so much. He used 300 lb Arches (I could not afford that so I bought 140 lb) And just a few brushes from W&N The Sceptre series.

The following week I worked the evening shift, so I went in the morning to the store to buy pigments, paper and brushes. That weekend I was eager to paint the village of Driehuizen on a dike in North Holland. Outdoors is the best way to learn. Even when you need to make a break because whole herd of sheep had to pass the same dike. And I used the just learned techniques

I think it took me almost 4 hours to complete. but I was happy with it. The reed edge and the waterfront still caused problems, but the rest looked many times fresher than before. If you look good, I painted everything apart. there is no cohesion between the objects I painted. But the few pigments made that there is unity.

Many years later I stood on that dike again with a different result. But the first one for-fill me with the same joy as the day I made it! Its mine! And I know Oliver did the same as I did, learning from a video or book and practicing on your own subjects. Because that's why you want to paint. But now comes my surprise of the recent years. I see people who want to paint only make copies of demonstrations. And often they make a few so that they have the almost perfect copy. Then they try to paint their own work, and that doesn't work. There must be something wrong, I need more lessons!! Then they go to follow another demo or a workshop or a zoom class. I know some do 5 a year and come back crazy and frustrated with all the different styles in their heads. You don't have to believe me and you don't have to do this. But watch the videos, and incorporate it into your own work. I think it is fun to see a successful copy of one of my demos. But I like it even more when I hear I made my own painting with the technique I learned from Edo or Oliver. Or from another painter. My last demo on youtube is about some trees on the waterfront. it's a made-up waterfront and made-up trees. It is a lesson on a broken brush technique and a wet on wet reflection technique for the water. Find a tree near the water in your area, and use that technique for your own work. I don't care that you can copy my painting. It's about your painting. I only show the techniques so you can use it. Regards and success Edo