Nigella (love in a mist) Photograph

Jacki Stokes at Garden View Studio I'm in love with colour and I'm in love with strong vibrant luminous watercolour. For me, although the act of painting is very much about the subject, it's also very much about exploring the wonderful interactions of the paint. Watercolour is magical - I like to watch it blend and flow and react, often letting it do it's own thing, in the knowledge that no two paintings could ever be the same. I use strong washes of wet in wet colour, often using mixed media and experimental techniques to achieve exciting effects and textures. Although I've been painting with watercolour for many years now, I am still amazed and continually excited by this most magical of mediums. I'm still on my journey of discovery; a journey which I hope will never end. Every time I pick up my paintbrush I wonder where the paint will lead me. I also love to paint abstract encaustics because, once heated, encaustic wax is also a very fluid medium, and the subtle fusions of pure bold colour are fascinating to observe and experiment with. These paintings and photographs are my response to the spirit and the joy of Nature. I trade as Garden View Studio selling an ever changing range of high quality greetings cards, featuring prints of my paintings and photographs, to independent retailers and direct to the public. (www.gardenviewstudio.com) Greeting Cards are also available online from RedBubble - please click on my shop tab to see the range. (www.redbubble.com/people/gardenview) This year I will be running some taster workshops for those who have been inspired by my abstract encaustic paintings and by my experimental watercolour techniques. If you've been inspired by my work and you live near Taunton UK, please contact me and I will add you to my mailing list. 2013 Highlights I am delighted to confirm that the Royal Horticultural Society again invited me to exhibit as part of "The Artists' Garden Exhibition" at Rosemoor Garden in Devon, in September. Also in September I took part in Somerset Art Weeks at the lovely Bishops Hull House in Taunton, along with Nicky Clarke, Heather Hughes and Sheila Rendell. (http://www.somersetartworks.org.uk/artists/jack...