Peter Rintoul
My love of the sea comes from growing up in Leith. The salty air and the drone of the foghorn were there to remind me of the water’s close proximity. Given that most of our holidays were also spent on the coast, it is hardly surprising that the sea and boats have always been important subjects for my painting. Even when I found myself living inland, I could always find a river or loch to paint!
I guess there are easier subjects to paint. Water is so fluid and alive it does not seem appropriate to draw it out on a bit of paper and then colour it in. So I worked freehand. For me the only way to capture water was to let my brush live the constant motion. For many years I used oil paint as my medium. Well, it was safe. If I didn’t like what was happening I could easily over paint it, and if it was really going badly I could always scrape the lot off with a knife and start again.
I stayed with oils for many years until my wife Christine bought me a box of watercolours. Pretty soon I was hooked! No drying time and so portable. Downside is that watercolour is not forgiving. If it is too wet, it runs. If it is too dry we get hard edges. But, let it run, let it smudge, let it bloom; it all enhances the spirit of such a lively element. If it works, it is great, and if it doesn’t, well paper is not that expensive is it?
So I would sit on the beach at Hosta, while our children played in the sand and Christine prepared our picnic. I’d watch the waves for twenty minutes, half and hour, whatever, then pick up my brush and quickly paint my visual experience. Ok so it’s not great art. But its fun and I love it. And for me that’s what it’s all about.