My Obsession with Watercolour – the life and art of Robert A Wade

Making a film in these unprecedented times is a challenge of the highest order. Nevertheless, APV have pulled off not merely the seemingly impossible, but an absolute triumph. This tribute to Bob Wade is a joyous celebration of both the man and his medium as he turns 90. A fulsome tribute lasting over an hour can be as exciting as watching the proverbial paint dry but, from the first notes of the restful opening music, this is a delight. Bob looks back at a lifetime of painting and shares not just memories but the sheer joy of painting in watercolour and ‘the surprise and wonderment and magic that appear before your eyes’. ‘I’m a people person’, he adds, ‘that’s what artists do, they notice things’. Tributes from fellow Australian artists add to the sense of a fulfilled life and the film is punctuated by extracts from several of Bob’s demonstrations.

APV Films, 75 minutes, £16.50 (£13.50 on demand)