Uncategorized – Jan Calderwood Fine Art

What being an artist means for me

What does it mean to be an artist? Why is anyone an artist? What drives us to paint, what inspires us, how do we keep going?

Art as a force for good

( and if you buy anything from my website I’ll take 10% off and give all money to Ukraine. Just get in touch via the Contact Form.) In a world still struggling with the pandemic, climate change and now with a terrible new war, creating art could be seen as a trivial occupation, but IContinue reading “Art as a force for good”

Paint with your eyes!

Helps you to see the world as an artist does. In her book Painting on the Right Side of the Brain, Betty Edwards points out that all children draw, but over the age of about 10 only those who will go on to be an artist or artistic will continue to really see shapes asContinue reading “Paint with your eyes!”

Merry Christmas!

And a very Happy and Healthy New Year to all my followers. It’s time to paint our own Christmas cards – here is my card to you, one of my new collection of British Wildlife Watercolours. (No idea why the image appears too large at the top of this post! I will have to askContinue reading “Merry Christmas!”

Group Hugs?

The global pandemic and social distancing have meant almost 18 months of isolation, and hopefully you have kept up some art, but working entirely on your own. Or if you are a complete beginner, you have been wondering how to start! Maybe you have been watching You Tube videos and giving them a go. HoweverContinue reading “Group Hugs?”

Keeping a Travel Journal

Keeping an illustrated journal, especially of a particular journey or place, is such a wonderful thing to do – it will give you and others pleasure for years to come. Having your own sketches, drawings and paintings with hand-written notes and labels creates such a personal reminder of places you have seen, far more thanContinue reading “Keeping a Travel Journal”

Sketching in summer

Sketching in the summer Being able to get out and about in summer means more opportunities to see and sketch new scenes, perhaps new places if you are able to get away, even for a day or a weekend. Now that travel is opening up a little you may be lucky enough to get abroad,Continue reading “Sketching in summer”

Learn from Impressionism

Learning from the Impressionists. The Impressionists changed Art for ever – in the centuries immediately before them, most paintings were created indoors in a studio, so that trees and skies for example were stylised, idealised, sometimes unconvincing. Subjects were historical – eg from ancient Greece or Rome – or mythological ( nymphs, gods and goddesses),Continue reading “Learn from Impressionism”