Artist Demonstration: Tanya Baily

It’s all about Transparency

By Margaret Vickers

Award winning watercolour artist and educator, Tanya Baily was the demonstrator for the March meeting of the Lane Cove Art Society (2024). Tanya’s presentation aimed to bring clarity to the steps involved in arriving at the large expressionistic watercolour artworks she creates.

Sketches are key to her approach. Numerous small artworks are done daily. Marks and patterns are laid down. “Copying photos is not great,” remarked Tanya. Painting a landscape scene is approached in an exploratory way. Even when a portrait is done she insists on seeing the person, not just relying on a photo of the subject. Constant assessment is done with these initial works. Tanya is searching for inspiration in small paintings which eventually be built up into more detailed compositions. The sketches are a means of identifying what elements will eventually make up her watercolour painting. Tanya does at least twenty sketches before she “discovers” her composition.

In bringing a critical eye to these initial works Tanya can work out what colours go together and which patterns she wants to use in her larger works. For her watercolour demonstration Tanya took patterns from a bush scene. The marks were made freely. No initial drawing was done. There was no pressure to arrive at a finished composition. She was experimenting with the marks she was putting down. It was a method of working out what colours worked together and what compositional details caught her eye.

Throughout the demonstration Tanya stressed the beauty that the transparency of watercolours can produce. Opaque watercolours such as the cadmiums are therefore rarely used. Transparent watercolours allow layers of colours to be built up. “Watercolour has its own language,” Tanya said. Her large expressionistic watercolours are made up of numerous transparent layers.

Practical tips were demonstrated by Tanya as she did sketches of bush patterns using watercolour. She uses 300gsm good quality cotton paper bought in a roll of ten metres. When works are large, often 2metres x 1.5metres, this seems a very practical way to go. This paper’s quality also allows many layers of watercolour to be built up. What paper you use is influenced by the subject you are painting. Smooth, hot pressed paper does not absorb as much water as cold pressed rough paper so it is good for botanical art.

How do you select the palette to create a certain mood in an artwork? A visit to the NSW Art Gallery allows Tanya to analyse artworks noting the colours used to create certain moods. “The Impressionists are brilliant expressionists,” said Tanya, “especially Pisarro.” Sometimes sound can also influence the palette selected! “How do you communicate the idea of a snake slithering through the undergrowth?”

The experimental approach Tanya takes to her marks was further shown in her use of masking fluid and salt in her watercolours. Texture is enhanced. Masking fluid is laid down and then left to dry. Paint is put over the top and then the masking fluid is lifted and added elsewhere in the work. The process can be repeated. Salt is brushed off once its mark has been achieved.

The purity of watercolour was constantly reinforced throughout Tanya’s presentation. Sharing her experimental approach to watercolour exposed a genuine love of her genre. “Learning to work with transparency is the secret to watercolours,” advised Tanya. Maybe it’s time for the purity of watercolour to be fully appreciated.

Thank you Tanya for a very uplifting, insightful and educational watercolour presentation.