January Book Club with Sylvia Kent & Watercolour Artist James Merriott

Written by Michelle Ward in Eat My Brunch👁 17,807

Monday 25 January 2016, 9.02pm

Joined in the studio for this months book club by Sylvia Kent and our special guest, water colour artist, James Merriott.

Tel. 01277 210728

E-mail joanjimcca@fsmail.net

Website www.cottagecornerart.co.uk

SAA website saa.co.uk/art/jamesmerriott

James’ Biography

“Born in the East End of London in 1941, James Merriott is a local painter who has lived in Brentwood for over 40 years and has been painting watercolour for 35 years. He has had a love of art all his life and from a very early age was inspired by his uncle, Jack Marriott RI (1901 to 1968 ). Much of Jack’s work was English landscapes commissioned by various railway companies to be reproduced as poster and carriage panel.
Although, like everybody else, setbacks have occurred from time to time, James considers that his life is a constant flow of good fortune. His career in the London Fire Brigade (1962 to 1978) was cut short with the onset of rheumatoid arthritis and the disease has remained with him ever since.
To help cope with both pain and disability James turned to his love of art and with it developed a passion to portray the places he loves. In addition to art, his interests include old buildings of the county and butterfly conservation, all of which are evident in the enthusiasm he has for his work.
The basis of his watercolours is simplicity and he demands of himself speed of execution to obtain results. He depends entirely on visiting the subjects he depicts, and wherever possible, paints from life.
James’ achievements have meant that he has become very busy and he demonstrates and lectures to clubs and groups. He gives private tuition to fellow painters and undertakes commissioned work. In fact anything he is asked to do he feels privileged to take on.”

James gets under way, first of all laying a wash on the sky area, working on the table. He is working from an old painting he did years ago of Hadleigh Castle but is going to turn it into a snow scene. He has lightly drawn in the scene with a pencil and will build on that.

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MORE ABOUT SYLVIA KENT

https://sylviakent.blogspot.co.uk/

Sylvia contributes to national, regional magazines and on-line journals. Following her Freelance Writer of the Year award for Writing Magazine, she began work on FOLKLORE OF ESSEX which contributed to Channel 5’s film COUNTY SECRETS. Sylvia’s book THE WOMAN WRITER, published by the History Press is sold @ the British Library. This history of the Society of Women Writers & Journalists dates from 1894 and includes pioneers who made their mark in journalism, literature & poetry. Sylvia celebrates the centenary of Joyce Grenfell, a former SWWJ president. A chapter is dedicated to Joyce who meanders throughout the book which was reviewed in The Times, other dailies & YouTube. Sylvia is SWWJ’s Archivist. She work with several publishers including on-line specialists.Ebook titles are BRENTWOOD: HISTORIC TOWN & ST MARY MAGDALEN: BILLERICAY, both downloadable via Kindle. later books are kindlised. 2,000 articles are linked to Facebook,Twitter @sylviaakent & Suite 101. Film/audio clips now added.