Sue Howells' studio in Birmingham
ELECTED ARWS 2016 & RWS 2018
Sue Howells was born in 1948. She has enjoyed great success, winning the Soloman and Whitehead Award in 2008, followed in the same year by being recognised by the Fine Art Trade Guild of Great Britain as the best selling published artist in the UK.
Sue says of her work, "I don't usually plan my paintings in advance. Starting with a loose wash, I let one brush stroke lead to another, always looking for the perfect composition, cropping along the way to get the right balance. The enjoyment of using pure watercolour is important to me, exploiting the effect of this elusive medium, letting the beauty of the paper shine through.
I like to keep the plains free and simple, working with a full brush of paint, economising on detail knowing that one bad stroke and all is lost, as pure watercolour cannot be repaired or re painted.
I try to avoid opaque paint, only using when necessary. At heart I am a traditionalist letting the medium speak for itself. If one starts to tidy up spontaneity is lost.