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yorkshire

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:12 +0100

West Coast Scotland No.1

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:12 +0100

700mm x 500mm

Uber Breaker

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:12 +0100

700mm x 500mm

West Coast No.2

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:12 +0100

700mm x 500mm

Uber River

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

700 x 500

North Pennines 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour

Steel Rigg Hadrians Wall 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolor

The Valley 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour

West Coast of Scotland 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour

Beech Trees 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Silver Birch 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour

West Coast of Scotland

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour

Uber Door 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

34cm x 50cm

Uber Harvest

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

50 x 70

Uber Birch 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

70 x 50

Uber Valley Wales 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

70cm x 50cm

Northumberland 2009 UNmc

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

33cm x 24cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Borders 2009 UBOff

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

50cm x 33cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Pine 2009 UPjh

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

65cm x 22cm (unframed)

Watercolour

South Downs 2009 UDOme

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

50cm x 23cm (unframed)

Watercolour

East Anglia 2009 UEAei

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

32cm x 24cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Pine 2009 UPjg

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

18cm x 22cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Snow Scene 2009 USSof

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

50cm x 70cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Snow Scene USSoe

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

33cm x 52cm (unframed)

Snow Scene 2009 USSod

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

33cm x 52cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Silver Birch 2009 USBmd

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

33cm x 52cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Lake District 2009 ULDde

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

24cm x 32cm

Pine 2009 UPej

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

48cm x 19cm (unframed)

Watercolour

East Anglia 2009 UEAdj

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

70cm x 50cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Pine 2009 UPbf

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

70cm x 50cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Beech 2009 UBEea

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

49cm x 32cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Northern Ireland 2009 UNIca

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

70cm x 50cm (unframed)

100cm x 80cm (framed)

Watercolour

Lake District 2009 ULDbj

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

50cm x 70cm (unframed)

80cm x 100cm (framed)

Watercolour

South Coast 2009 USCe

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

65cm x 24cm (unframed)

Watercolour

Wales 2009 UWbj

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

70cm x 50cm (unframed)

100cm x 80cm (framed)

Watercolour

Yorkshire Dales 2009 UYDdi

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

70cm x 50cm (unframed)

100cm x 80cm (framed)

Watercolour

Borders 2009 UBOee

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

70cm x 50cm (unframed)

100cm x 80cm (framed)

Watercolour

Silver Birch 2009 USBhc

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

50cm x 70cm (unframed)

80cm x 100cm (framed)

Watercolour

Northumberland 2009 UNda

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

50cm x 50cm (unframed)

80cm x 80cm (framed)

Watercolour

Lake District

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

Forster captures the imposing scale of the Lake District in this work of a valley walk. The scene is set in an early morning fell walk, where the claustrophobia of the steep valley is contrasted with the promise of open views ahead. The palette is beautifully restrained in this work; subtle variations of forest green lead the eye gently down to a strong peach hue that cuts across the picture plain, reminding the viewer of the energy and demanding nature of this landscape. This is Wordsworth country; the idyllic stream and dew-wet grass, reminiscent of his lines ‘One calm September morning, ere the mist, had altogether yielded to the sun, Sauntered on this retired and difficult way.’

Forster comments that ‘this painting represents the very opposite to highlands in that it depicts a very different British mountain-scape. The difference in the Lakeland fells and the highland mountains is not just a matter of scale; the lakes are a more cultivated; more inhabited landscape. For me this painting is about a journey it is the promise of a day’s walk in the hills, an early start climbing out through a valley to the high fells beyond. It has a suggestion of the early morning sun glistening on the dew. The walker has a spring in their step, and a landscape that can be privately enjoyed and discovered. It is about leaving the steep valley floor with its restricted views, and moving on and up to more elevated peaks.

The Lake District is one of England’s best-loved destinations, and its largest national park, containing a varying landscape of lakes and fells. The children’s author, Beatrix Potter, established the Lakes as her home, and still proves today to be a major tourist attraction by means of a museum in Bowness-on-Windermere. The famous walker and writer, Alfred Wainwright, explored the Lakes in fine detail, and established a famous walk across England; beginning in Cumbria, travelling the full width of the Lake District, before culminating on the North Yorkshire coastline at Robin Hood’s Bay. Dove Cottage is the setting for all things William Wordsworth, and is another popular magnet in the Lakes.

South Downs

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

Recently proclaimed as a national park, this view of the Downs is rooted in the nascent beauty of an agricultural harvest. Posited in late summer (early evening), the scene is dry and dusty; you can hear faint noises breaking the tranquillity, perhaps the hum of a combine harvester in the near distance. The grooved tramlines appeal to a sense of order, and provide a geometry to the work, as the whole scene is bathed in a wonderful golden light.

Forster reflects that, ‘the South Downs is a varied and, in certain places, wild landscape but in this painting I was obviously heavily focused on the taming of the land. There can be no doubt that Southern England, due to its general topography and climate, is the more heavily populated and therefore has a greater emphasis on urban life. I wanted to reflect a landscape where the influence of man and agriculture is united in celebration. Of course it would be sanguine if the whole country where rendered as such, but there is an uncanny beauty in the sculpted field of a summer harvest. The order and symmetry the tractor and combine have brought this structure to the land, it is a portrayal of an achievement; a process a cycle. For me, this is an August evening in the height of summer. Even the cloud formation has a suggestion of the sickle.’

Since 2009, the South Downs is now recognised as a national park. The area forms a larger collection of Downs, culminating in its most easterly point at Beachy Head. The South Downs have been a popular enclave for writers and artists, including such luminary figures as Jane Austen, Rudyard Kipling, Lord Tennyson, Vanessa Bell, and Eric Ravilious; the latter creating many memorable scenes of his immediate landscape. Pallant House in Chichester, houses one of the finest collections of British Modern Art in the country, including notable works by Lucien Freud, Ben Nicholson and R.B. Kitaj.

Silver Birch 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Yorkshire Dales

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

Forster’s impression of the Yorkshire Dales depicts the unique relationship between man and the landscape. The natural valley is perhaps enhanced by a long and historic agricultural heritage in Yorkshire. The barns and the walls divide the composition and signify the harnessing of the landscape. The eye is led through the composition by a clearly defined road that meanders peacefully in a kind of simpatico with the countryside.

Forster enthuses on the subject of The Dales, ‘the landscape offers the perfect Uber subject matter. This is a fascinating part of our island. The Dales have this very unusual combination of a very rugged yet obviously farmed landscape. In a similar way to the Lake District, these two seemingly incompatible combinations fuse to enhance what is already a thing of beauty.

The tight little valleys of the Dales, sculpted by ice wind and rain, offer a plethora of shapes and shadows for the painter. They are reasonably small in scale so it is possible to encompass the entire sweep of a valley into one composition. Unusually, I have included a road in this painting; the parallel is drawn here with the river as they both blindly meander down to the valley floor.

The dry stone walls are another and barns are another feature of the Dales that is impossible to ignore. The way the walls follow the natural sympathy of the contours and the barns settle on to the small flood plain, show to me the unique blend and relationship that have cultivated this most unusual landscape over the centuries. As with many areas of upland particularly in Northern Britain there are the sheep in addition to the trees. They offer a great subject matter, and provide the viewer with a sense of scale and distance to which we can place our position within the landscape.

The Yorkshire Dales, are an upland area of Northern England lying roughly in the traditional boundary of Yorkshire, but span the counties of Cumbria, North and West Yorkshire. The area has been designated a national park since 1953. The artist David Hockney has recently set about capturing the landscape around his Bradford home to critical acclaim, adding a Californian light and colour to his Yorkshire landscapes.

Western Isles

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

‘West Coast’ explores the importance of our coastal landscape as an Island nation. It describes one of the most dramatic and rugged coastlines in the British Isles, formed by a series of peninsulas and island groups. The palette is important to Forster in this work because of its uncharacteristic nature; the colours are perhaps untypical of the British landscape, symptomatic of the uniqueness of the location as the scene reconstructs a kaleidoscope of hue. Light and dark also play a key role in the work, as the sun casts a distinct shadow across the scene, catching both the dunes and the rugged coastline with equal measure.

The artist comments that ‘for those who have never visited this region the colour palette may come across as a little unusual. I wanted to create an almost foreign feel to it. In terms of the British landscape the Western Isles are about as different as it gets. In the late summer the colours on the heather and the huge white sand beaches offer a stark contrast to our common perception of typical British coastal landscape.’

The work is full of contrasting senses; wet and dry sand; the gentle tidal pools and fresh water streams running in from the hills. As previously alluded to, there lies in this work a notion of stepping into a painting; with this painting it makes me want to be barefoot and paddle. It has a more sensory element; you can feel the cold water and the sand between your toes. It is also a painting about solitude; a theme that again is echoed through the work. If you are ever likely to have a beach to yourself then this is where it will be.

Something I really enjoyed working with in the Western Isles piece, was the foreground. Similar to Cotswolds and Birch, this patterned foreground adds and echoes the mountain colours. This is in stark contrast to the Dunes. Shaped by the wind, they are like giant waves defiantly facing the sea.

These beaches of the Western Isles were made famous by the popular group of artists entitled ‘The Scottish Colourists’. Formed in late Victorian Scotland, it numbered in its membership the artists JD Fergusson, Francis Cadell, Leslie Hunter and Samuel Peploe. They went on to have a profound effect and popularity on Scottish painting, and have resulted in many contemporary artists visiting and painting these locations.

Wales

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

Wales has a more complex pictoral plane than many other works in this series. The eye is led from the meandering river in the foreground, through to a stretch of open water and onwards towards the majestic beauty of a mountain range. The distinctive palette reflects a moment in time; on a late afternoon day, a window of low autumn light in the clouds casts its gaze on a reflective lake. The golden leaves of the birch recall a hazy memory of summer sun. The scene portrays the balance in nature of the intimate and vast changes in the Welsh landscape.

‘There are several components of this piece’ Forster reflects, ‘that really bring a number of very contrasting subject matters together. My intention is to take a journey of the eye sweeping around the whole composition starting and ending as if you can just walk into the frame and be in the painting; to allow the viewer personal ownership of the scene, and project their own feelings on the work.’

‘I wanted this scene to have a very peaceful sense to it; very contemplative. This is the sort of view you might take in while sitting on a bench. Observe the light reflecting on the lake, a sense of a light wind and a quiet birdsong from the abundant trees and babbling stream working its way from the mountains to the lake. This creates a natural barrier separating the viewer from the rest of the painting.’

The scene evokes the crispness of late autumn, resonating in the feeling of cold with the early snow fall on the hills. There is again a sense of something ahead; the sky is relatively unsettled. There is also a feeling of an obstruction; of denseness within the impenetrable forest.

Perhaps no other writer or artist best embodies Wales, as Dylan Thomas; particularly in his ode ‘A child’s Christmas in Wales. ‘The silent one-clouded heavens drifted on to the sea. Now we were snow-blind travellers lost on the north hills, and vast dewlapped dogs, with flasks round their necks, ambled and shambled up to us, baying "Excelsior."’. In recent times, the Welsh painter Kyffin Williams has gained national and international acclaim for his work on Welsh hill farmers. His unique application of paint, layered impasto with a palette knife, is now much revered and mimicked.

South Coast

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

Forster’s work on the South Coast is suggestive of a time of day closer to sunrise. The rose hues in the palette bathe the cliff formations in pink, as the stark white sails of a spinnaker imply a more human intervention in the scene. The viewpoint of the work follows a small stream as it enters the vastness of the sea. As with much of Forster’s work though, the scene is cautionary; despite its apparent calmness, danger seems to lurk on the violent current and jagged rocks. The work is suggesting to the viewer that the vastness of the sea can at any time intervene in human safety. The palette, in this work, is beautifully balanced. From the combination of sage green and azure hues in the sea, to the warmer tones of pink and ochre in the surrounding cliffs, the whole scene is finely balanced.

Forster’s intention all along was ‘to make this painting bright and busy in comparison with the other paintings that have a pervading sense of calm. I wanted the yellow to be loud to almost shout at the viewer and force us in to contemplating this scene. Again, there is a portrayal of the dynamic erosion of the sea; a physical process that has sculpted these peculiar looking cliffs; a sense of what has come before and what will happen in the future.

There is no doubt that through all these paintings we must acknowledge the weather, atmospherics, how can we have a landscape that does not acknowledge this vital ingredient.’

‘The spinnaker sail and the lighthouse bring to the fore the nautical nature of the channel. As historians, we can recall a day where the great fleets of the British Navy sailed for more serious reasons along this coast; it now gives way to a place of leisure.’

Uber South Coast is devilishly non-specific, perhaps purposeful on the artist’s part. It defines some of the most spectacular coastal landscapes in the British Isles. Popular destinations along the south coast include the 1000 year old Corfe castle; the picturesque Lulworth Cove; and more contemporary phenomena such as Sandbanks development, near Poole harbour. On a more literary note, it perhaps evokes the wonderful literary landscapes portrayed in Thomas Hardy’s distinguished work. Nowadays one can visit his birthplace situated near the town of Dorchester. One of Devon’s more famous sons is the society portrait painter, Joshua Reynolds. Reynolds co-founded and then presided over the Royal Academy of Art, was born in Plymton near Plymouth.

Pine

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

'Pine' reflects the once vast expanse of Caledonian pine forests, invoking the beauty, fragrance and tranquillity of the subject. The scene though is one of flux. The image reveals an intervention by humans with the subtle evidence of heavy machinery in the foreground of the work. The picture is bathed in an angelic light, filtering through the canopy as it weaves in and out of the wood.

Forster contemplates the importance of woodland in his work, ‘pine like beech has a number of similarities concerned with our associations to the forest and all its connotations. Although, much like the portrayal of the South Downs, this scene is a manufactured landscape in its essence. My intention was to allude to this in terms of repeating the theme of harvest; one of transformation. They are in many ways fairly soul-less, lonely places. There is not a vast abundance of wildlife, they are a strangely sterile habitats due to the limited and specific ground cover; a theme I have endeavoured to highlight. I find them to be eerie, ghostly places, the trees being doomed, the living dead, yet not in an uncomfortable way they are a very peaceful, still and silent.

An important theme again is the very strong sense of sunlight and shadow, the way the long winter shadow of a pine tree follows the contours of the ground has been a subject I have painted for many years. I remember as a child being on a train and looking out of the window, watching the shadow jump from foreground to background and back again and it fascinating me how this happened, the speed of light and our sight, a shadow will follow a shape not just of its object but the ground it lies on.

Northumberland

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

‘Northumberland’ captures the geographic beauty of Whin Sill; a ridge of volcanic rock that stretches from Teesdale through Northumbria and northwards to Berwick. Forster describes a passage of Whin Sill that houses a Roman Wall, creating a dialogue between man’s interventions with nature.

Being native to Northumberland I felt it would be impossible not to represent the landscape that initially influenced my work and has continued to inspire me as a watercolourist.

There are many parts of Northumberland that I would have liked to paint; from the open Moors of Allendale; the Shire South of Hexham; to the huge mounds of the cheviots and its rivers such as the Coquet and College burn, not to mention the coasts and castles that Northumberland is famous for.

However I chose to paint the Roman wall. There can be few more impressive historical sites than this. There is a stretch of the wall in Tynedale that hugs the contours of the natural volcanic rock shelf known as the Whin Sill. As you enter Tynedale from the west this rock looks like a huge breaking wave that stretches for ten miles or more, hundreds of feet high, threatening to smash its way northwards towards the Scottish border.

It is plain to see why the Romans chose this as their natural northern border. This is a wild and rugged landscape with a perpetual breeze in summer and gale in winter it must have been a tough existence for the Roman soldier. It is an inspirational landscape and one that I am pleased to have conquered through the Uber technique. I kept to an uncomplicated palette for this painting, and is constructed in just three washes as I felt the contours of the landscape were complex enough to carry this level of simplicity.

Northern Ireland

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

The subject of Forster’s work in Northern Ireland centres on the volcanic rock formation known as the Giant’s Causeway. Designated a world heritage site in 1986, the geometric wonder of the world, forms the primary theme to this wonderful work. Forster’s main preoccupation with this scene lies in the sky’s is reflection in the sea and the resulting union between the two. Forster contrasts the strict geometry of the rocks with the natural beauty of the scene; allowing the clouds to take on a more fluid, less regimented form. The palette is again, very restricted, as the cool magenta hues of the stone, give way to something more natural in the cliffs behind them.

Forster sees ‘the vantage point in this painting as being very important. It is the view from the end of the causeway looking back on the journey. It is a sea level view almost like being in a boat. For those who have been there it is not hard to forget the experience of clambering over the basalt columns with the sea pounding away at your feet. It is easy to imagine being swept away.

A theme with all the coastal paintings is this intense interaction between the sea and the land; coast lines are dynamic, changing environments, they are at the will of the sea. However, the causeway is particularly stubborn; the hardiness of the rock has to a large extent weathered the advances of the sea very well. I wanted to contrast this hard foreground with the more gentle soft tones of the hillside. These elements, in addition to the sweeping waves, queue up to hammer the causeway and give great sense of motion to the composition.

The basalt columns in themselves were a challenge to construct and paint the necessary geometry within the constraints of the Ubertechnique. I used the fact that they were wet with sea-spray alongside a glaring sun to portray the white needed to enable the painting to take place. It was the most technically challenging of all the collection pieces.

One of Northern Ireland’s most famous sons is the Nobel Prize winning author, Seamus Heaney, who perfectly sums up the unique landscape of Northern Ireland, “Our unfenced country, is bog that keeps crusting, between the sights of the sun”.

Highlands

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

In ‘Highlands’, Forster captures the breathtaking panoramic view of the Scottish Highlands, reflecting the exhilaration of a climb, the isolation, the achievement, the wind and the fortunes of the changing weather. One particular range, the Torridons, are the oldest mountain range in Europe; exuding a mix of ancient history and melancholic beauty. The highlands scene is perhaps best described by Lord Byron, on how ‘He who first met the Highlands swelling blue, Will love each peak that shows a kindred hue’.

Forster states that ‘I have always enjoyed climbing and painting mountains and I firmly believe that a mountain is at its best in winter, preferably with a good sprinkle of snow on it. This brings out the shape; the spine, the bones of the subject. I can then see how it lies, how it is formed and to a degree that is what Highlands is all about.

This painting has another unusual aspect to it in that it is painted from an elevated perspective. This is crucial as it puts the viewer as on and part of the mountain, creating a stronger sense of involvement. It is a privilege to be in this elevated position with the mountain side giving away its extended views. Due to the lie of the snow we have a clear sense of North and South and once again the geography of the landscape is crucial and hints to an ancient past aside from the highland sheep; it is a landscape all to itself.

It is not easy to define the exact boundary of the Scottish Highlands, but roughly lies north of a line from Greenock to Inverness. The area contains numerous national parks including Trossachs and Cairngorms, and is peppered with numerous stunning lochs including Loch Ness, Loch Lomond and Loch Tay. The highlands have long been visited and adored by writers and poets including Robert Burns, William Wordsworth, and Lord Byron.

East Anglia

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

The burnt sienna and violet hues of this distinctive palette define Forster’s reflection of the East Anglian landscape. Suggestions of both a peaceful yet moody and stormy scene are possible from the unique combination of colour. There are implications in the work of a once vibrant fishing industry that has perhaps given way to something more picturesque, yet there is still urgency in the drawing and composition of this work that pertains to something more vital. There is a wonderful tradition of landscape painting in East Anglia including artists such as John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough, and Edward Seago.

‘The driving influence to this painting’, Forster remarks, ‘is the tide. The low lying land of East Anglia is perhaps greater exposed to the sea as anywhere in Britain. I wanted to capture the wonderful low horizon lines of this landscape. This is about slippery wet mud of sand eels and worms and flocks of birds. More than in any other painting, I really wanted the sky, the land, and the sea to mirror each other; not just in terms of the colours but of the shapes. My hope was to capture the twisting, turning nature of the water and tide.

‘As with all Überpaintings, the long shadows are an essential construct to the work. I use these heavily to provide a hint to a continuity from outside the constraint of the composition. It must be recognised that in all painting as with the way we see the world, there are objects that influence the image we are looking at, without neccessarily being able to see them ourselves. So I’m wanting the viewer to imagine a larger landscape, their landscape, an Überpainting must make the viewer work; on one hand being accessible yet are physically and metaphorically multi-layered.’

Dartmoor

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

The landscape in Forster’s Dartmoor, is punctuated with the striking beauty of Tors. The Tors are given an animated posture, slightly anthropomorphic; the strong light source casts an eerie druid-like shadow across the scene. The intent is to draw attention to the contrast in light and shade; the exposed and the sheltered. The distinctive palette of the work enhances the contrasting feelings of solitary and beauty. The palette appears warm, perhaps providing the viewer with a false sense of security in what are otherwise harsh and unfriendly conditions. The wonderfully evocative poet Ted Hughes recites in The Snipe: ‘the moor’s swollen waterbelly, Swags and quivers, ready to burst at a step’.

Forster remarks that: ‘my work has always been influenced by painting moorlands, particularly The North Pennines so tackling Dartmoor was a pleasure and a challenge. As with other subjects in ÜBERBRITAIN, the Dartmoor work discusses the passage of time. The Tors of Dartmoor are many and varied; alike giant waymarkers across an otherwise disorientating landscape. Here the foreground Tor is used almost like an arrow or a sign post pointing us into the composition. I find the Tors very attractive, reminiscent of minature mountains, their sheer oddness and defiance is what makes them such a great subject.

Dartmoor is a national park famously depicted by the Victorian artist and illustrator CE Brittan. The spirit of Dartmoor is captured through his work; typically composed of a trackway or stream in the foreground that lead the eye to the drama of distant hills and tempest-like skies.

Cotswolds

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

The work describes a crisp winter’s day, and the pleasure of returning indoors after the exhilaration of a hike on the Cotswolds Way. The work has a wonderful rhythmical feel to it, as the slalom of the stream weaves determined to the farmhouse in the distance. The palette captures a very definite place and time; that early winter morning, pure of air, the frost reflecting rose and pale blue hues underfoot.

The artist reflects on this scene, stating that ‘with this painting I wanted to focus on the homestead, the country cottage, and use the historic scene of the gable end of a farm house to great effect. As with all Überpainting, the work treads a fine line between representation and a heightened essence of a place. So in this sense this painting takes the literal Über meaning over and is over-painted: it is over the top. It is what we want to see after a long walk on a cold winter’s day; it’s the comfort and security of the home, opposed to the potential threat of a cold snap closing in on us. This is the happy return. The telegraph poles appear like beacons, guiding us in.’

The Cotswolds is one of the quintessentially English and unspoiled regions of the British Isles. The area is officially the largest in England designated as an ‘area of natural beauty’ and broadly speaking stretches from Shakespeare’s Stratford upon Avon, to the beautiful spa city of Bath in the south. The towns that appear throughout the Cotswolds are seamlessly knitted together by the honey-coloured Cotswold stone, a limestone unique to the area.

Borders

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

Forster’s work on the borders charts the geographic meander of a Scottish river. The nonchalant flock of sheep invite the viewer to look across the panorama, noting the sprinkling of trees in the middle distance. In contrast to this peaceful scene, the cloud composition suggests something more wild; the high winds drag the nimbus along, indicating the untamed nature of the Borders’ landscape. The rich heritage of the Borders is brought to life by the famous writer and poet Sir Walter Scott, in his poem ‘The Ride to Melrose’

"O swiftly can speed my dapple-gray steed, Which drinks of the Teviot clear;
Ere break of day,' the warrior 'gan say, 'Again will I be here ".

The Artist’s own impressions of this scene are vivid; ‘I hoped to portray a more gentle landscape; often one of the least well-known and appreciated areas of Great Britain. I had the Tweed in mind while painting this image. A key feature of the work is the cast of the shadow over the painting suggesting a high wind and unsettled weather. Another feature is the oxbow lake, describing the transition over time of the river. These features are essential to Uber landscape; my desire is for the paintings to be seen as something that does reflect the overall effect of the river, from the oxbow lakes to the small floodplains, as well as the heavily eroded foreground banks’.

The Scottish borders are steeped in history; following the twists and turns of the river Tweed will uncover the ancient towns of Kelso, Galashiels, Coldstream, Selkirk and Berwick. There are stunning castles that line the border of Scotland and England; at Kelso, Lauder and Hermitage.

Silver Birch

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

In ‘Birch’, Forster draws the viewer’s eye to the relationship between sunlight and shadow, and how this connection can unlock limitless compositions, bringing even the most simplistic scenes to life. Shapes echo themselves in the languid movement of the stream and the small gentle clouds; this is in stark contrast with the strong vertical lines imposed by the trees. The whole scene is bathed in golden hue of tranquillity.

Forster states that ‘with all of the collection Überpaintings, I find myself addressing subjects that have always been a favourite of mine, that are intrinsically linked to the nature of watercolour, this is after all a main stay in the development and construction of any Überpainting. The Birch tree has become almost a symbol of the medium to me it is my motif and the signature of the beginning of Überpainting.

I have been drawn to birch trees because they are white, and white to a watercolourist is akin to a moth and flame. White is the mirror that we reflect our entire tone and palette from, white is the start and end to every painting. I remember seeing a stand of birch trees in spring with a low cold sun shining on their bark after a rain storm; they contrasted magnificently with the passing of the dark clouds in the background. This was crucial in compounding my development as a watercolourist. To me only watercolour can truly capture the fleeting nature of such a scene. Watercolour lends its self to a snapshot of a moment in the same way an oil painting can reflect the stillness of a figure or a bowl of fruit.

Beech

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Image size 95cm x 145cm (framed size 115cm x 165cm)
Watercolour on Paper
POA

Beech captures one of Britain’s most popular of trees. The translucent nature of watercolour is a perfect medium to capture the brilliant sunlight reflecting around the work and settling on the bark of the tree. The tension between light and shadow play an important role in this work as the eye dances across these two states.

The importance of the beech subject cannot be underestimated for Forster. ‘It has played a fundamental role in the development of Überpainting. I have always enjoyed even revelled in painting trees. It would be difficult to compose a panoramic British landscape painting where trees are entirely absent. These paintings conjure up very deep feelings and associations. I think we all have a strong historic even cultural relationship to our woodlands; to our ancestors these environments are native. Our associations may not be as strong as our recent past but we all know how our senses are heightened when woodland totally surrounds us. The mythology that encompasses the notion of a forest is strong in European and British folklore. The woods are perceived often in a very negative way, somewhere to avoid on your own and at night.’

‘The beech tree is one of our oldest and most splendid native trees and is one of our largest in terms of height and canopy cover. There can be few people who can deny the magic of a mature beech wood, winter or summer. A key aspect of the beech in uberpainting is the form and texture of the trunk; the attachment to the ground; the very tree-ness, if you like, of them. They occupy their own space in a form of splendid isolation, yet the canopy merges into one. The stark contrast in the palette is crucial to this painting, the new foliage and the carpet of last year’s leaf litter. I want the viewer to be able to smell the mushrooms growing on the forest floor, hear the birds in the trees and the gentle rustle of the leaves in the high canopy. I wanted to portray the seasonality and dynamism of the woodland.’

‘In some paintings we delve into an endless woodland, tree after tree in others I have situated the viewer under the protection of the forest edge viewing as it were the outside world from within, the woodland as a sanctuary. I think this is key to my thinking on this subject, the solidity, the sheer physical size and strength of these huge plants their age, permanence and individuality is undoubtedly reassuring.’

South Coast 2009

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Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Yorkshire Dales 2009

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Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Wales 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

South Downs 2009

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Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Cotswolds 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Beech 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Shop | Coming Soon

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Western Isles 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Shipping for Western Isles

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test

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South Downs 2009 (UDOei)

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Watercolour on Paper

36 x 36cm

East Anglia 2009 (UEAbd)

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Watercolour on Paper

20 x 36cm

East Anglia 2009 (UEAh)

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Watercolour on paper

70 x 18cm

Cotswolds 2009 (UCbh)

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Watercolour on Paper

50 x 70cm

Yorkshire Dales 2009 (UYDde)

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Watercolour on paper

70 x 42cm

Yorkshire Dales 2009 (UYDda)

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour on paper

22 x 35cm

Borders 2009 (UBOdd)

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Watercolour on paper

20 x 30cm

Borders 2009 (UBOce)

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Watercolour on Paper

20 x 30cm

Northern Ireland 2009 (UNIcf)

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Watercolour on Paper

62 x 48cm

Northern Ireland 2009 (UNIi)

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Watercolour on paper

50 x 50cm

Highlands 2009 (UHeb)

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Watercolour on paper

70 x 40cm

Highlands 2009 (UHdc)

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour on paper

37 x 23cm

Highlands 2009 (UHdb)

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour on Paper

28 x 28cm

Lake District 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Highlands 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

Dartmoor 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

East Anglia 2009

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Mounted Limited Edition Print

Image size 30 x 45cm (mounted size 50 x 60cm)

East Anglia

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Limited Edition Print

Image Size 30 x 45cm (Mounted and framed size 45 x 60cm)

test product

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This is a product description.

Western Isles (UWIcb)

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Watercolour on paper

60 x 34cm (framed size # x #)

Wales 2009 (UWi)

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour

44 x 46cm (framed size # x #)

Silver Birch 2009 (USBcf)

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Watercolour

70 x 50cm (framed size # x #)

Silver Birch 2009 (USBca)

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Watercolour

70 x 50cm (framed size # x #)

Pine 2009 (UPbd)

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Watercolour

17 x 34cm (framed size # x #)

test

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testing

This is my product.

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test

Wales

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Dimension: 345x276cm

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South Coast

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:06:13 +0100

Silver Birch_old

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Northumberland

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Northern Ireland

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Lake District

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Lakes

Highlands

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East Anglia

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Dartmoor

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Beech

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