I live near Darlington in NE England in the UK, an area which experiences a wide variety of weather conditions! So, an appropriate location for paintings of skies. 

My original paintings result from the fusion of my long standing interests in meteorology  - in particular the study of clouds (nephology) - and watercolour painting. As such, I am a contributing member of the Cloud Appreciation Society, as well as being a keen watercolourist. 

Fast changing weather conditions provide a rich diversity of skyscapes, and such diversity has informed the work of many photographers and musicians, as well as visual artists. For example, the American photographer Alfred Stieglitz related clouds to ‘states of mind’ in his ‘Equivalents’ series, while composer Claude Debussy wrote that ‘there is nothing more musical than a sunset’. 

Inspirations for my paintings comes from a variety of sources, including first hand observation (including standing in the middle of a field in a storm!), my own photographs, and various books and magazines - travel brochures for example often feature impressive skies as well as dramatic landscapes. 

I used to paint skies in oils, but now consider watercolours to be an ideal medium to capture the forms, textures and subtle colours of skyscapes.

Having initially drawn up some pencil sketches, in general I use the wet-on-wet watercolour technique on rough textured paper. I find applying paints in this way allows for subtle variations in colour and shape, and enables a combination of hard and soft edges to cloud forms.

I often move and tilt the paper to achieve the effects of paints running into or over each other – think of rain falling from heavy clouds, for example. On some occasions, the accidental effects arising from moving paint around the paper can have beneficial results, while on other occasions the results can be a literal ‘washout’! 

Colours of course play a key role in skyscapes. There are different types of ‘blue sky’ for example, ranging from the warm hue of cobalt blue to the cooler, more distant cerulean blue.

Think also of the many shades of ‘grey sky’, and the various yellows, oranges and reds making up a dramatic sunset. 

The variations of form and texture in skyscapes are influenced by a number of factors of course. The seasons have an important bearing – contrast the ‘fair weather’ clouds of summer with the storm clouds of autumn and winter. Also important is the time of day – contrast a misty early morning with the fading light of evening, for example. 

Some of my paintings are specific to a location, while others purely focus on the drama and variation offered by skyscapes. In others, I have dispensed with any reference to the underlying landscape, letting the sky colours and forms speak for themselves. But all my paintings show the rich variety of shapes, patterns and colours which are above us, and which influence our lives in so many ways. 

Below are a few examples of my work:

Mountain Clouds

Skyscape Over Ullswater, Lake District

Sunset Over Roseberry Topping, North Yorkshire

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Moorland Snow

Showers Over Huntcliffe, Saltburn

DEMONSTRATION

As an example of how I create a skyscape watercolour, here is a step-by-step guide to painting a simple cumulus cloud. Cumulus (from the Latin for ‘heap’) is one of the ten basic cloud species classified by Luke Howard in 1802. Cumulus clouds, ranging from small, fair weather clouds to clouds of a much greater vertical extent which can bring showers, have been the subject of many great watercolour painters – see for example ‘Kirkstall Abbey’ by Thomas Girtin, and some of Constable’s watercolour cloud studies in the 1820s.

For this example I have used rough textured paper and a hake brush.

STEP ZERO

This first step involves no painting, just a pencil sketch outlining the planned content. Here I identify the essential parts of the composition, the colours involved, the areas of light and dark, and how I will use hard and soft edges. See below for my example.

STEP ONE

In step one I wet those parts of the painting which are to be in cobalt blue at the top of the sky, and then apply the colour to broadly outline the shape of the cloud. Note that I do not apply the colour in a uniform way, as this gives more drama to the painting. I use a tissue to lift out some hard edges to the cloud, but also leave some some soft edges. Larger cumulus clouds will often have softer, more fibrous appearance at their tops where glaciation occurs.

STEP TWO

Here I add the sunlit parts of the cloud by painting in some raw sienna highlights. I soften the edges of these areas of colour so that they appear more natural.

STEP THREE

In step three I first add some cool cerulean blue for the sky horizon, thus taking account of aerial perspective, and then add in the cloud shadows using indigo with a touch of burnt umber. The cloud shadows are darker towards the base of the cloud. I use careful blending of the shadows to achieve a naturalistic appearance. A hint of rain can be achieved by letting the shadow colours run into the cerulean blue below. The finished painting is shown below.

To see more of Robert's paintings visit his gallery on our website https://www.painters-online.co.uk/artists/robertaustin/

To find out more about Robert's art visit www.skyscapeswatercolours.com

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