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“My
mother once told me that I was her “easiest” child because
she could sit me down at the age of two with a pencil and
paper and, for hours, I would draw everything around me,
including my brothers and sister.”
Isobel George still “draws” from what’s around her,
ingests the images and emotions and re-creates them
as watercolour/mixed-media paintings in a
semi-abstract-figurative style. She has developed a
technique of working with the water, the pigment and
the paper, producing a flow and a spontaneity
essential to extending the feelings she wishes to
express.
A
native of London, England, George emigrated to the
east coast of America in the early seventies with
her husband and two sons where, as a self-taught
artist, she spent fifteen years working in graphic
design and illustration, providing imagery for books
and periodicals.
She has been painting full-time since moving
to California in 1992, and divides her creative time
between California and the south of France. George’s
work is exhibited in public and private collections
in Europe, South America and the U.S.A.
“Drawing
subject matter from life and from my imagination, I
begin a piece with a minimal pencil sketch on heavy,
rough watercolour paper. Working wet-on-wet, I apply
my initial background colours, using broad brushes
loaded with pigment – creating a combination of
intense, bold colour and subtle, seductive washes. I
don’t mix paints beforehand – instead, I utilize the
paper as my palette, shaping the image with the
medium. I use gouache for the black areas – it’s
solid opaqueness enhancing the brilliant
translucency of the watercolour pigments. Towards
the completion of a painting, I may add touches of
gold leaf and soft pastel, creating an interesting
textural interplay.”
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