Nick Poullis - Featured Artist

Nick Poullis was born in Henley-on-Thames in 1974 and brought up in Amersham and now lives in France. After studying at the University of East Anglia, Cambridge Campus, gaining a B.A. Hons in Illustration he went on to illustrate books including the award winning The Voyage of the Arctic Tern by Hugh Montgomery published by Candlewick Press U.S.A. and Walker Books U.K. to critical acclaim.

His watercolours have been exhibited regularly at the Royal Watercolour Society, where he won The Baker Tilly Award. He has also exhibited with the Royal Society of British Artists, Sunday Times Singer and Friedlander Exhibition, the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours. He has exhibited at Art Galleries in London, Bristol, Reigate, Amersham and Rochester. He was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1994.

Abrivado

Belargo Tractor

Work by Nick Poullis is in the collections of the Royal Air Force, St. John’s College, Cambridge, the Yorkshire Building Society and Baker Tilly Chartered Accountants and many private collections.

Beziers Shop Corner

Tour de France 2002

He has written numerous articles for The Artist and The Artists and Illustrators Magazine and has previously been featured in the International Artists Magazine.

Rome Market

Mored Boats

This is an extract from 'The Art of Nick Poullis' out March 2009. Introduced by Lynn Parr, the book contains over 90 images of the artist's watercolours.

The book launch and accompanying exhibition will take place in March at The Barry Keene Gallery, 12 Thameside, Henley- on –Thames, OXON, RG9 1BH Tel 01491 577 119 e-mail enquiries@barrykeenegallery.co.uk
For further details and to reserve a copy of the special first limited edition signed by the artist contact the gallery.

The book will be available through Amazon and book shops from April 2009.

"Watercolour painting is like playing a single beautiful instrument.....
Nick Poullis has tuned his instrument to express the beauty of nature to a rare degree." Professor Ken Howard RA

“Watercolours painted with vigour and skilful use of reflected light”    Trevor Chamberlain ROI RSMA

"You will never think of watercolour in the same way"
Lynn Parr A&I

Beaucaire, Abrivado, July 2004
My visit to the Abrivado, at Beaucaire in July of 2004 served as a vivid reminder of the value placed on bravery in the gladiatorial sports of ancient Rome. Protective barriers and a growing tension among the spectators gathering behind them suggested that what was about to unfold could prove to be a challenge to paint.
How do I find the best position to see the event without the risk of being skewered by a bull?

I need to be in front of the barriers to see well enough but will I be able to retreat through the barrier bars in an emergency?

With a huge bang, a gun announces the start. A bull released a hundred metres away, hurtles down the track and big men with large wooden boards help to funnel it to the point of capture where eight or more people jump on it; two grab the tail and two get to work on its head. The bull has different ideas and throws them into the air and charges off. As the bulls are released even the bravest of Pastis drinkers look scared.

One bull swerves towards the crowd. Spectators swiftly slide to safety between the bars, knocking women and children out of the way. The bulls are released sometimes one by one and sometimes in groups of around ten. A smallish bull picks up its head and lifts up a large man fuelled with Pastis, the bull then hurtles off dragging another man with its tail.

In this family event, children get involved by teasing the bulls and slapping them as they run past. Now and again guardians on horseback gallop the bulls into position. All this is merely a preliminary to the main event, the release of one hundred bulls.

The atmosphere changes as even the big guys are getting out of the way some can't fit through the gaps in the barriers and so run for it, others just drink more Pastis. There is a noise and a cloud of dust as the guardians on horseback move out of the way. There is a rumbling from a distance and then the stampede arrives. One hundred bulls at a gallop make the ground shake as they pass a couple of metres in front of me. Then quickly, it's all over. The bulls have reached the arena where they will stay for the next week or so before arriving on a local menu.

For further information and to join Nicks mailing list visit http://www.nickpoullis.com/

Nicks watercolours can be found at these galleries:

The Barry Keene Gallery,
12 Thameside,
Henley-on-Thames,
RG9 1BH,
Tel: 01491 577 119.
http://www.barrykeenegallery.com/

The Bourne Gallery,
31-33 Lesbourne Road
Reigate
Surrey
RH2 7JS.
Tel: 01737 241614.
http://www.bournegallery.com/

Endorsements for Winsor & Newton's paint and brushes

"In watercolour, the quality of paint is crucial to the success of the painting. I need paint to be of consistently high quality and I have found W&N paint to be the best"

"It is crucial, when learning to paint in watercolour, to use a consistently high quality of paint, I have found W&N paint is the best"

"Watercolour is never easy so you have to give yourself the best advantage possible by using paint of the highest quality, W&N paint has allowed me to produce some of my best work"

"Natural fibres make the best brushes as they hold the water better and it is easier to control the release while painting small areas. I have found W&N series 7 Kolinsky Sable to be the superior brush"

"The quality and range of W&N pigments available allows the artist a crucial choice and therefore freedom when committing their vision to paper"