Amberley Castle 1946

Martin Hardie made this watercolour painting of Amberley Castle, but we don’t know when. It’s all soft washes and delicate marks, and it's kind of like watching someone think through a scene. You can almost feel the dampness in the stone and the gentle breeze in the trees. I find the way he layers the colours so interesting; the greens and browns of the landscape bleed into the greys of the castle wall, which also seeps into the pale blue of the sky. See how the surface of the wall is implied rather than described? Check out the tiny figure in the lower right too, just a dab of red. That small mark adds scale and depth to the entire composition. Hardie’s approach reminds me a little bit of John Singer Sargent, especially in the way he captures light and atmosphere with such economy. It's like he’s having a quiet conversation with the landscape. Isn't that neat?