GUEST ARTIST: “Watercolour Clarity” by Nicholas Fegan

My name is Nicholas Fegan. I come from a small village on the outskirts of Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. Since a child, I’ve always been fascinated with art and drawing in some shape or form. I was always drawing on the back of my school book copies and journals. My teachers would always have it in for me too! Messing my good homework copybooks.

Art has been with me on and off through my teenage years. I can say at this point, I hit a bump and drawing and painting took a back seat. I went into a slump during my early twenty or thereabouts. However, when I was in my late twenties, it came back… the bug. I signed up to an art & design college course for ‘mature students’. It was specifically a course called: Art & Design Foundation Level 1. When I signed up, little did I know this would be a turning point. I completed this course with ‘flying colours’, so to speak.

Since then, I continued to paint on and off. I found my inspirational artist: Edward Seago. Who was an English master watercolourist. His work gave me incredible strength to keep going forward. Personal interests and finance came a more pressing point for me. I was a young man who needed a new fresh start – I decided to move abroad. England was my next stop, in fact, London. I moved there mid-nineties. I stayed there for some years working in various jobs.

I tried to get into graphic design, which was a big thing then. So I got into a small company working on Apple Macs and getting lots of experience. During this time, painting was still very much in my veins. At weekends, I’d paint along the river Thames, during my day/days off I’d head out to the countryside and be mesmerised by the landscape. I’d set up my cheap easel and get to work. My watercolours were very basic, but I persisted. I had the one quality: desire! I found out soon enough, watercolour was my medium of choice, so I kept persisting and finally I found my style developing, slowly but surely.

When I came back from the U.K., I had enough money saved to purchase new equipment and a studio off the house and settle back and finding my way into society again. I was getting back into going out to galleries and art societies, basically getting my name around town. The internet was just beginning.

I decided to buy a laptop and eventually got a blog site up about my work and my artistic aspirations, etc. Things started to go my way bit by bit. Local, and some national Gallery’s, took a chance on displaying my work. This gave me great encouragement and motivation.

“Dusk Over Avoca Co, Wicklow” – Acrylic

Since all that time that has passed under the bridge, the Internet has sky rocketed, and competition has been fierce and cut throat. The art world is a totally different place. The likes of social media has helped my work get out to a greater audience, as it has many artists. I’m on a few social media platforms like Instagram & Facebook.

“Grand Canal Dublin” – Gouache

Today, I paint mostly when I can and where. I’m an amateur painter. I’m still in full-time employment (self-employed). Of course, I’d love to take the leap, but it’s not viable now. I’d say my style is always changing and evolving. I think I’ll always be learning new techniques and ideas about this beautiful and fascinating medium. I have to admit, I’ve tried many different mediums, but always come back to watercolours.

Grey Rocks, Wicklow – Watercolour Inks

I find them unforgiving and challenging, however, you get the results that no other medium can ever give you…spontaneity and freshness. My favourite watercolours are Winsor & Newton and Acrylic painting it would be: Golden (U.S) company. Watercolour paper of choice would have to be Saunders Waterford. A truly beautiful paper thats very versatile. I try and get out to do plein air (painting out-doors) painting at least every week, if possible.

Nicholas Fegan
Website
Facebook
Instagram

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

See author's posts