26 October 2026 · Close to nature
Wild roses, fine stems and space between the leaves. This week: Fidelia Bridges, close observation and a plant study of your own.
Meet Fidelia Bridges →
Mark C Grant · The working twelve: Mark’s palette layout, 25 October 2026
Read the photographed box, find one-, two- and four-colour palettes within it, then explore sixteen starting mixtures for Liverpool skies, brickwork, shadows and greens.
José María Velasco · Valle de México desde el cerro de Santa Isabel, 1875
An expansive Mexican landscape asks us to look beyond the pretty distance: what makes a view belong to a particular place?
John Singer Sargent · In the Generalife, 1912
From Paris portraits to a chair in a Spanish garden: John Singer Sargent’s life, the importance of his watercolours, and what we can borrow without trying to become an Edwardian celebrity before lunch.
Look closely at Bridges’ pink roses, then try a plant study of your own. Follow the practical challenge in the gallery study, with space between the stems and leaves.
Look, then paint →A study, a discovery, or a wash with a mind of its own. Share your painting, ask a question or show what happened when you tried an exercise. Tell us if you would like critique.
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Street corners, bookshops, weather and the places we walk past. A few paintings made by the person behind the zine.
Look through Mark’s paintings →
