"The Barle 5" - Original Exmoor Watercolour Painting By

Leo’s watercolour and mixed media works are painted on Arches cold pressed watercolour paper. In a not particularly conventional fashion Leo works from dark to light applying a waterproof black Indian ink in a variety of dilutions to get a number of tones. Watercolour paint is then applied, sometimes wet on wet but more often than not Leo aids the drying process using a hair dryer.

Applying watercolour in many layers creates a vibrancy that can’t be achieved with wet on wet. Leo will often finish a painting with a stroke of coloured pencil and splashes of white acrylic mixed with various watercolour hues with brushes of various sizes and conditions providing a rich array of mark making and a varied surface. 

The frames for Leo’s works on paper are handmade in West Somerset for each individual piece. Often in Oak, sometimes with a hand painted finished but always with an off white very slightly textured mount.