As we mourn the loss of Ken Howard, one of our greatest figurative artists and a valued editorial consultant and friend, who passed away on September 11, we share this Masterclass from the February 2016 issue of The Artist.
Back in 2016 Ken was looking forward to an exhibition at the Richard Green Gallery in London, which featured paintings of his two favourite cities, London and Venice, having summarised their importance to him, some years previously, saying 'London is my wife and Venice is my mistress.'
Richmond Bridge, Spring, 2015, oil, (30.5x61cm)
Painted in two sessions of approximately one hour and 40 minutes each, it was essential to do so at the same time of day when the bridge was contra-jour, and in very similar weather conditions.
London
'I was born in North West London in a street that lay between Neasden and Cricklewood. London has always been special to me and I could never leave it.
'My birthplace was an industrial area and the first influence on me as a painter was social realism, expressed by painters such as Ben Shahn and LS Lowry.
'I went to school in Kilburn and in 1949 was accepted to study painting at Hornsey School of Art.
'The four years at Hornsey were amongst the happiest of my life; for the first time I became aware that I was reasonably good at something.
'We were encouraged by the tutors and taught the basic craft of painting, including drawing and painting methods, perspective and anatomy.
'After Hornsey I went to the Royal College of Art and then Florence, before returning to teach drawing at the art schools in Walthamstow, Harrow and Ealing in the Kings Road, Chelsea, from 1960-64, and Hampton Hill from 1964–74 when I painted Richmond and the river Thames. I still do.
'I recall Carel Weight saying to me: ‘Those who earn their living painting are those who go on longest.’ How right he was! I exhibited at the Royal Academy for 32 years before being elected an Associate Academician in 1984. Those of us fortunate enough to earn our living painting need a bit of talent and a bit of luck; one without the other is not enough.'
Sarah at Oriel, 2015, oil, (40.5x30.5cm)
This was painted in one wet, my main preoccupation was to get the right sequence of tone, like the notes on a piano.
I used an earth palette of raw umber green shade, blue black (for blue), yellow ochre (for yellow), burnt sienna (for red) and zinc and titanium white.
'I moved into Oriel, in South Bolton Gardens, south west London, in January 1974; when I first saw this incredible studio I knew I would be there for the rest of my life. I was 42 years old and it was the first real studio I had ever lived in.
'It was also here that I first realised that an artist’s subject matter is on his doorstep, in the immediate environment. At the time I was travelling all over the world, working on commissions; on returning to London for a few days I remember feeling as though I saw my studio as if for the first time, even though I had already lived there for seven years, but without really ‘seeing’ it.
'It is strange how it can take time and familiarity to ‘see’ a subject. I remember walking up the Earls Court Road for many years before I really saw it, and I lived in Mousehole in Cornwall for ten years before I could see the village in terms of painting; now I can’t get enough of it.
'London of course also has iconic subjects such as the Royal Exchange, Westminster Abbey and Hyde Park, and I always find myself reacting to iconic subjects because they are visually exciting and inspirational – as such we should not avoid them. We must, however, create our own interpretations of them, which can sometimes be difficult, and often difficult in London because of the weather conditions. I frequently have to find a covered environment in which to work, because of rain, although on the other hand rain effects can also be visually inspiring.
Bramham Gardens, Chelsea, oil, (51x76cm)
I first really saw this subject when out working for a day with Peter Brown. I find it good to work alongside other painters as they can help you see things that you have never seen before.
'Whenever I leave London for Venice, or America or some other exotic location I wonder why, because for me London is just as exotic. It is a question of seeing your immediate environment and realising that it has everything you need to make paintings.'
Snow Effect, Hyde Park, oil, (25.5x30.5cm)
This was painted from a photo taken during a walk in Hyde Park, after leaving hospital following a hip replacement. The result is what matters, not the means.
Venice
Grand Canal, Venice, oil, (51x76cm). Painted in the studio from small oil studies.
'If London is part of my very being, Venice is an environment that is always new and exciting.
'I must have been to Venice over 100 times and I now have a studio there. I can definitely counter the argument that familiarity breeds contempt, because I never arrive without being excited, as if visiting for the first time, and I never leave without wondering when I will be back.
'Venice is the only place I know where I could stand on the same spot for the rest of my life and turn through 360 degrees and see a new composition at every turn.
'Venice is unique and will become more so. Unlike so many cities where the car rules, Venice functions without them. It is supposed to be full of tourists yet where I live in the Cannaregio you hardly ever see a tourist. If you go to San Marco, the Rialto, or the Accademia Bridge, there are thousands of them, but that is not the whole of Venice.
'When I first went to Venice I was very much into industrial north London and I tried to see Venice in those terms. Instead of dark horizontal London I saw dark vertical Venice in the narrow streets. But it didn’t satisfy me. I soon realised Venice was essentially about light and water and was drawn to the iconic subjects such as the Grand Canal, San Marco and San Giorgio.
'When I think of the artists who painted these subjects, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Boudin, Corot, Turner, Bonnington, Sergeant, Brabazon Brabazon, Sickert and a host of others, I realise these subjects are iconic because they inspire, but the key is that each of these artists saw and expressed their interpretations of these subjects differently.'
Basilica Santa Maria della Salute, Morning Light, oil, (61x30.5cm)
This was painted in one wet, in spite of the larger size. I was able to do this after making several smaller studies of the same subject over the years.
'A few years ago a friend who had been born in Venice and lived there all his life came to London to open one of my exhibitions and said that I had given him a new way to see Venice. He could not have said anything more pleasing, for if it is about anything, painting should be about revelation, about a way of seeing. Each of the painters mentioned saw Venice differently, in their own unique terms. Critics love to say, ‘You can’t paint Venice, it’s been done.’ Rubbish! It all depends on how you see it. The most precious thing we have as painters is our own language. It needn’t be revolutionary, but it must be personal to you and then it will be unique and precious.'
Working on the spot
'It has taken me a lifetime to realise two simple truths about working on the spot: never work too long and never work too large.'
Ken's plein air painting equipment:
- A Jullian box easel
- Winsor & newton oil paints - cadmium red, cadmium yellow, French ultramarine, raw umber (green shade), Naples yellow, blue black, zinc white, titanium white
- Rosemary & Co. brushes - Ivory filberts Nos 10, 8, 6 and 4 and Ebony soft hair rounds Nos 2, 4, 6 and 8 or
- Green & Stone filbert hog hair Nos 4, 6, 8 and 10 and round soft hair Nos 2, 4, 5 and 8
- Pure turps
- A small jar
- An absorbant rag
- Single dipper
- Winsor & Newton Artists' Painting Medium
- Two spare boards (12x10in. and 10x8in.) primed with half-tone grey mixed with ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and Dulux oil-based white undercoat.
Time
'Regarding the time you need, I would say when painting outside, that one hour and 40 minutes should be the maximum. If you try working on a painting for longer than this, you will be working on an image that will have nothing to do with your first impression. The light will have changed, the tide will have changed and even you will have changed.
'Corot, one of my favourite painters (I particularly love his early Italian landscapes), said: ‘Always stay true to your first impression.’ He also said: ‘First establish the sky and relate everything to it.’
'I often thought of buying an instamatic camera, taking a photo at the beginning of an on-the-spot painting session and then looking at it again after an hour and 40 minutes to see how different it had become. I never did buy that camera but I still try to keep outdoor painting to limited periods of time.
'Practice is essential to painting quickly, which is crucial if you want to get your sensation down in one hour and 40 minutes. Remember, a painting is done when it gives you back the sensation that made you start it.
Size
'With regard to the size of on-the-spot paintings, when I was young not only did I work too long in front of the subject, and wonder why after the first ten minutes the painting got worse, I also painted too large. I now mainly work on panels 8x10in or 10x12in. Only on that scale can you complete the work in ‘one wet’.
'If I had my life again I would concentrate on a very limited number of subjects. Having travelled the world I feel I have only just touched the surface of some subject matter. There is of course excitement in the contrasts of working on different subjects, but I still feel to concentrate on one over a long period of time is essential.
'London makes me see Venice more vividly and vice versa. In a way, London or Venice would be enough on their own for both are full of variety and inspiring subject matter.'
Ken Howard OBE, RA
December 26, 1932 - September 11, 2022
Ken in his London studio
Read a tribute to Ken by Haidee-Jo Summers in the December 2022 issue (published on October 21, 2022) of The Artist.
ENJOY MORE ARTICLES BY KEN HERE
Comments
Login or register to add a comment