Wedding watercolour wins national title
A Kapiti painter’s portrait of his wife on their wedding day has won him a national watercolour award.
Marcus Ebbett’s painting Soren was a joint supreme award winner at the national watercolour exhibition, Splash, in Wellington. The portrait is taken from a photo and is of his wife Soren on their wedding day.
Paraparaumu College student Jamie Lewis, 14, also won an award, taking out the junior section.
Both artists are mentored by Philip Markham, the exhibition’s guest artist, who is based in Raumati.
EBBETT ENJOYS CHALLENGE
Ebbett and Lewis are both relative newcomers to the watercolour medium - until about a year ago they were predominantly oil painters.
Ebbett said his painting was difficult because of elements such as the skin tones and the flat wash background.
‘‘It’s not something I usually take on ... having a figure and also the flowers in the same painting is quite challenging.’’
As the painting got closer to completion, he became nervous, he said.
‘‘It got to a certain point where it looked okay, but then it gets scary because you can ruin it at any point.’’
He said most other artists submitted landscapes, and for that reason his portrait painting may have stuck out for the judges.
He said Soren liked the painting, and gave him the all-clear to sell it, but if the painting does not sell at Splash he is likely to keep it.
‘‘I KIND OF RUSHED IT’’
Markham took Lewis down to his friend’s house to take photos and paint the best one. Matt’s House Otaki was the result.
Lewis said it took him about five hours to paint it, but he could have used more time.
‘‘I kind of rushed it...[so] yeah, it could’ve been better, but it was definitely a painting worthy of being in the exhibition.’’
Lewis’ love of art has been displayed since he was seven.
He entered his painting Dinosaurus into the SELECT/ed: Kapiti-Horowhenua Annual Review, and won an award for it.
MARKHAM INFLUENCE
Ebbett met Markham in 2009 on a work experience day at Kapiti College. The pair now share a studio.
‘‘He couldn’t get rid of me!’’ Ebbett joked.
Lewis asked to work with Markham when he was 11.
Markham said he wanted both artists to express themselves.
‘‘I believe they learn by absorbing what’s going on around them ... you can show them the techniques and the materials, but it’s about being somewhere where works are made, and they can take from it what they want.’’
EXHIBITION
is continuing at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts until October 30, from 10am-5pm. About 250 paintings from around the country are on display at the exhibition.
Marcus Ebbett and Philip Markham are both on the Kapiti Arts Trail, down the road from each other - Ebbett at 147 Rosetta Rd, and Markham at 173 Rosetta Rd. The trail is October 29 and 30, and November 5 and 6.
Splash