Welcome to the Punch

In a single painting, Darrell learned techniques that would last him a lifetime

Darrell first painted in oils growing up. In his second year at Falmouth School of Art, tutors asked him to paint a still-life subject of his choice. He picked an ambitious composition and switched from oils to watercolour. He felt the need to prove himself as a painter: “I knew my future painting with oils may be limited – plus I quite like a challenge. The medium of watercolour carries certain perceptions, but over the course of that single painting I developed a technique that remains the basis of every painting that I do today.”

In the piece, Dr Johnston’s Punch, he painted the red wine bottles and large glass as if he were using oils. His loaded brush applied flat, heavy paint, merged the tone and colour, then Darrell applied body colour and zinc white highlights. By the time he reached the far right of the painting, he felt proficient in watercolours. “I lay glaze upon glaze of colour, often wet on wet, to bring up resonance and allowing the colour to sing.”

The secret, Darrell says, is to know your palette and embrace colours that work together. Muddiness kills colours. The white of the board comes through the glaze and brings the painting to life. All this takes patience: “The art scene in general often dismisses watercolours. It’s a great shame. It has this label as being weak and hobbyist, whereas in fact it is so hugely disciplined and exacting. It’s by far a much greater medium to master than any others. That painting became a revelation. I’ve never attained that level of accomplishment over the course of a single painting since.”