“The Moment When” with Tamsin Relly

On Work & Studio Life

What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?

On a dream studio day – which can feel rare sometimes between other commitments around managing an art practice – I take a slow walk down via the park for a coffee and to give my dog a run. I usually potter around for a while once I’m in, and prepare the space before getting on to any making.

I’ve started a new ritual I call ‘An Offering for the Muses’, where I select an image of an artwork, some text or a poem, a photo, an art material, an object from nature, and something to listen to – music or a podcast.

I choose quickly and intuitively from things that don’t necessarily have to do with current projects and lay them out…as an offering to the creative pot and to invite a moment to engage with the books and practices that interest and inspire me, but can too easily sit untouched.

What are your biggest inspirations or influences that have shaped your practice?

In recent years I have been drawn to respond to the ecological crises of our time, our role in that and how we relate to what is unfolding environmentally through day to day life. I’ve been exploring ideas around how we find connection with our living world, and how we can move towards living in reciprocity with Nature, remembering that we are a part of it.

On Watercolour Paints & Techniques

What was the moment when you tried watercolours for the first time?

I tried watercolours for the first time when I was growing up as my parents used to paint with them. We used to wet the paper beforehand so the pigments would bleed into soft spongey pools. I remember the sense of magic around how those sticky little blocks in the pan, could release so much luminous colour.

What are the qualities you look for when choosing watercolours?

I lean towards more transparent colours as I like the way these lend themselves to working in layers. But I do enjoy the earthiness of opaque tones which offer a different quality. I use watercolours mostly for printmaking or working large scale – both of which benefit from a generous palette, so I tend to rely on tubes and where possible those with a high pigment content.

Do you have any unique techniques you are happy to share?

I like to work on tough cotton paper, in quite loose, fluid layers – which I find allows the pigment to pool in crisp and interesting ways.

Aside from working with watercolours direct to paper, I use them for monotypes, which are unique prints. In this process, I paint onto a clear acetate-like plate, leave it to dry and then run it through a press transferring the image onto damp paper.

I work with the paint quite wet so a lot can change as it’s drying, and the image comes out in reverse. I enjoy the fluidity of this process – you never quite know what you’re going to get until it comes off the press.

How long have you been using Winsor & Newton watercolours, and what do you like about them?

I have been using Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Colour and Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colour for as long as I can remember. More recently I’ve started using Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolours. They come in an extraordinary range of colours which are rich in pigment.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone trying watercolours for the first time, what would it be?

My advice for someone new to watercolour would be to think about the marks like pieces of stained glass, that you can build up in translucent layers of colour.

And if you have the means, to experiment with different paper surfaces until you find one that you feel works well for your mark. It was like this for me, certain surfaces lend themselves to the type of mark I make, whilst for others nothing I can do works!