Joe Francis Dowden painted his first landscape in watercolour at the age of six, with tuition from his father, himself a painter. He trained at Epsom School of Art and Design and Teesside Polytechnic. He was brought up in the rural backwoods of Southern England where he now lives and works. He travels whenever he can to gather source material for his paintings, sketching on site rapidly and prolifically. Joe is an accomplished watercolour painter with an international reputation.

His work has sold in many galleries and is sought by collectors worldwide. He has written many books, produced many DVDs/TV Programmes and writes regularly for art magazines including the SAA. He has demonstrated many leading manufacturers products including DaVinci, Hahnemuhle and Schmincke.

He is passionate about painting and the British countryside as he sees it. He loves painting water including everything from a muddy puddle in a lane to beautiful reflections on a lake. He likes to capture light bouncing off different surfaces and uses many different techniques to achieve this. He works hard to make students feel at ease and is enthusiastic about teaching people at all levels always wanting to encourage people to achieve their goals whether a beginner, a discouraged painter or an advanced artist.

www.joedowden.net

Charles Evans was born in Yorkshire in 1953 and he had the privilege of a childhood spent playing in the countryside for which he had an inbred appreciation. He had always drawn and was always striving to improve his drawings. His heroes were Turner, Flint and Constable. He would wonder at the magic, mood and atmosphere that Turner managed to get into his skies, and marvelled how Constable managed to get the effect of his trees.

He studied at Lincoln College of Art and finally turned to the medium of watercolour. Watercolour is the traditional English medium because, as many artists have discovered, it captures the beautiful sense of atmosphere, haziness, dampness and watery skies of the British landscape. He had his first one-man exhibition in Leeds in 1983 which was featured on Yorkshire Television which led onto other exhibitions. He has produced many Programmes for Tyne Tees Television and Discovery Real Time. He has also released many DVDs and books on painting and is a demonstrator for Winsor-Newton.

www.charlesevansart.com

Tim Fisher is one of Leicestershire's rising stars in the world of fine art and a popular art tutor. Born in Leicestershire, Tim became a professional artist in 2000, following a successful career in research for an international US company. Within this environment, Tim was viewed as a highly creative person and currently holds two worldwide patents.

Since the launch of his new career, Tim has won numerous art awards. He was short listed from 12,000 entrants for the first Daily Mail Not the Turner Prize competition. His pastel entitled "Pink Hydrangeas" has subsequently been displayed at the Mall Galleries, London and now is on loan to Leicester University. Approaching his paintings like a researcher, Tim works with the heart of a purist and the mind of a realist. Whenever possible he collects his own reference material by observation, field sketches and taking photographs.

www.timfisherartist.co.uk

Jeremy Ford lives in Ackworth near Pontefract in West Yorkshire. He studied Graphic Design at Southport College of Art (1972-5), Illustration at Harrow College of Art, London (1975-8) and has been a professional Artist and Illustrator since then, illustrating in the advertising, publishing, and greeting card industry. Jeremy is a versatile painter with thirty years experience working in all mediums and is a fully qualified teacher.

Jeremy demonstrates painting at many popular art events, teaches step-by-step workshops to art groups and undertakes work to commission. He regularly features on the Painting and Drawing Channel. Jeremy is a Professional Associate and the current President of the SAA. Jeremy is a demonstrator for St Cuthbert's Paper Mill in Somerset, the makers of Bockingford and Saunders Waterford watercolour papers, and is Senior Tutor and Principal UK Demonstrator for the Michael Wilcox School of Colour and has a particular interest in the study of colour, pigments and colour-mixing. He has made several DVDs on painting in watercolour and contributed to numerous art books.

www.jeremyford.co.uk

Sue Ford's work has been exhibited for The Marine Society, The Women's Society, Mall Galleries, London and in many galleries and private collections. She has also had solo exhibitions. Sue has written several painting articles for Leisure Painter and The Paint Magazines. She teaches weekly art classes for Further Education, weekend workshops and residential holidays in the UK and abroad, plus demonstrations and workshops for Art Societies.

www.sueford.co.uk or www.saa.co.uk/art/sford

Jayne Good is a certified instructor in the Bob Ross Wet-on-Wet Oil Painting Technique. For some years now she has painted, dabbling in all types of painting techniques and her favourite was always watercolours, mainly because of the instant results you achieve.

There came a time when she needed some stimulation and she decided to look for a new style to paint in.

She then discovered the Bob Ross painting technique and she has never looked back as she felt it was the most exciting technique around.

The title "Joy of Painting" couldn't have described it better. In November 2002 she qualified as a Certified Bob Ross Instructor and her mission is to introduce as many people as possible to "The Joy of Painting" as it is so achievable for all abilities.

www.paintwithjayne.co.uk

Robin Gray was fortunate to be able to study at one of London's best remembered art schools, the Beckenham School of Art. He has divided a long and active career in art between teaching and exhibiting. He has held in excess of fifty 'one man' exhibitions. He was originally known as a colourist and his organic abstract paintings of the sixties and seventies are still very popular. He moved to the West Country in 1978 and his work changed to a more figurative style being in a more rural tradition. He has held numerous teaching posts which include being head of several art and design departments in comprehensive schools including teaching at Sussex University. He was director of the Meare Arts Centre where he taught all aspects of painting. He is currently Director of Art at Shapwick School.

Robin is a founder member and chairman of the International Society for Spelaeological Art (Painting Caves!), a member of Bath Society of Artists and a regular contributor to Art in Action and Artist & Illustrator magazine.

He is enthusiastic about the outdoors and appreciates good scenery whether in a gorge, on a river bank, up a hill or underground!

Steve Hall grew up on the outskirts of Bath and drew from an early age but art was considered a low priority until 40 years later when he started watercolour painting. His background is that of teaching architecture and construction which helped him with his drawing skills. 

In 1994 he was able to take early retirement and once more escape into the world of watercolour and he has always had a love of the English landscape and a desire to capture its ever changing moods and seasons on paper. As a result he returned to his childhood aspirations and in 1996 he started to paint in earnest.

Like all artists he struggled to find his own style and was always buying the latest book or video, the result being that he was failing to recognise the basics of good watercolour and losing himself in the myriad of gimmicks and gismos that were being offered by the commercial art world.

At about the time of the millennium his efforts took a dramatic turn for the better when he first became aware of the work of Edward Wesson, someone who had managed to put aside all the verbal clutter about the medium of watercolour and put down on paper what he observed in as simple and honest fashion as was possible. Other artists have also influenced his style including Edward Seago, Jack Merriott, James Fletcher-Watson and lately John Yardley.

www.stevehallartist.co.uk

Andrew Pitt has been painting landscapes since he was eleven. He has had fifteen one-man exhibitions and has been teaching and demonstrating painting techniques for over thirty years. Andrew is particularly well known for his simple, direct teaching methods and the clarity of his explanations. Not only does he show students how to paint but, more importantly, he clearly explains what he is doing as he demonstrates.

He has written many articles on watercolour, pen and wash, and oil painting for the Leisure Painter Magazine and his work is included in 'The Encyclopaedia of Watercolour Landscapes'. Andrew's pictures are in many private collections in Britain, as well as Canada, Holland, North America, New Zealand, Slovakia and Australia.

www.andrewpitt.co.uk

Becky Samuelson has been painting professionally for nineteen years and she works from her studio in St Helens on the Isle of Wight where she specialises in marine, landscape and architectural painting in watercolour, acrylic and pastel. Much of her inspiration comes from the amazing island countryside with its huge diversity and great natural light providing her with constant inspiration.

She particularly loves the use of colour and the effect of light and tries to seek out new and innovative ways of interpreting her subject. She spends as much time as possible sketching, with her preferred method as pen and wash, mainly for its immediacy and the impressionistic style that she can achieve with this. She is equally at home painting the various classes of sailing boats in the Solent as she is with beach and landscape scenes. For those who want their boats painted, she has found it essential to have knowledge of rigging and design for accuracy. Her work has been exhibited in major galleries both on and off the Island. She teaches for the Adult Education Service at the Isle of Wight College and runs private outdoor summer classes and tuition.

www.beckysamuelsonfinearts.co.uk

Michael Sanders was born in 1950 in Plymouth and has spent most of his life living in the South West of England. He has also lived in the South East and in the South of France. He now lives in the charming village of Calstock, nestled in the Tamar Valley on the border between Cornwall and Devon. He studied graphics at Plymouth College of Art and ceramics at Bristol. He worked as a graphic artist, signwriter and potter before becoming a professional artist and tutor. Michael is a regular contributor to various painting magazines, has written books and produced many instructional DVDs.

He demonstrates for art retailers and art societies and runs painting holidays using all media. He brings a wealth of experience and insight into his workshops, demonstrations and paintings. He is a superb teacher, a gifted artist and writer.

www.michaelsanders.co.uk

Colin is a self-taught artist painting in watercolour using traditional materials and techniques. He has studied watercolour all his adult life and has been teaching and exhibiting paintings for over eighteen years, turning professional in 1998 after spending 22 years in engineering. His love of the countryside comes from his childhood days in rural Essex. Landscapes are his passion and he loves to paint and teach outdoors as well as in the studio. He has paintings in collections in this country and abroad and is a regular contributor to 'Leisure Painter' magazine.

Joanne Boon Thomas is an accomplished gifted artist who specialises in watercolours. Not only is she a respected artist but she is also a highly professional tutor with many years of teaching experience. Joanne tutors many watercolour workshops, runs painting holidays, demonstrates watercolour techniques for various Art Societies and she also writes and demonstrates for Leisure Painter magazine. 'I have always loved to paint, draw and create. I feel the need to paint every day'. She was encouraged at an early age by a teacher who recognised her love of drawing and since that time creativity has always played an important role throughout her life. For her the qualities she is looking for in a great piece of work are pleasing composition, harmonious colour, interesting textures and a quality of light.

www.artbyboon.co.uk or www.saa.co.uk/art/artbyboon