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Welcome to our Interviews and Insights page, where we share conversations with artists and creative thinkers. Explore what we have to offer and how we can contribute to your artistic journey of discovery…
This month’s interview is with Reg and Emma Allan, more familiarly known to painters and designers in watercolour as ArtScribe. They are based in the small Devon town of North Tawton, which is nestled in the classic red Devon earth and green fields, on the edge of Dartmoor. North Tawton is famed for being the home of poets, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.
This month’s interview is with...
ArtScribe watercolour paint makers. Desperately needing sustainable artists’ watercolours, I discovered them in the first lockdown, in that treasure trove for artists, their works, and wares - Instagram. Since then they have become my sole suppliers of paint and I’m delighted to introduce them here!
Whilst they are up to their necks in pigments, Emma answers my questions with patience and apparent enjoyment…
Your work is all about pigments. Has it always been so and what started you along these lines?
”We've both been drawn to pigments and colour throughout our artistic career.
Reg studied classical artists and their processes. He taught himself to make oil paints before applying to art college, and has always valued traditional processes and the connection between materials and the artist. As an artist and painter, Reg has developed his knowledge and expertise, and has an incredibly high level of expectation…yes, you could say perfectionism!
As for myself (says Emma), one of my most memorable encounters was as a young fine art student in Barcelona and wandering into a small shop in the Gothic quarter. The walls were floor to ceiling with pigment and I was in awe. Consequently, my luggage on the return flight was mostly bags of ochres, umbers, sienna, and graphite dust.
These pigments featured in my paintings and sketches for many years after in a raw and basic form”.
Have you a favourite artist/tutor/mentor who encouraged you?
”Our biggest encouragement with regards to our paint making is talking with the artists, restorers and designers who use and appreciate the watercolours we make.
What motivates us most is connecting with those who recognise what we are trying to achieve, the attention to detail we put in to create a beautiful and useful product.”
[Ed.]Well you have certainly achieved that! How often are you able to be in your workspace? I imagine it to be a bit like a wizard’s den, but guess it is actually more like a science lab. Which is it? And do you get time to make your own art?
” It’s an artist’s studio and quite multi-functional.
Although it isn’t very big, a lot happens there! There are shelves of coloured pigments as well as tubes of Reg’s oil paints. On the easel and walls hang the work that Reg is currently working on. You will also find various natural objects that we have picked up along a walk or on the beach, through a wood or across the moor.
The artwork and colour mixing charts, which feature strongly alongside the watercolour paints, are painted by me on a table in an upstairs bedroom turned study. It’s where I have my jars of brushes, sketchbooks, and reference books as well as, of course, trays of tiny pans of watercolour paints.
However we both hold down jobs and, in truth, it’s hard for both of us to carve out creative time for ourselves and ArtScribe.”
[Ed.]Your website. http://artscribe.elementor.cloud(lovely handle!) is full of info for artists, eg I never realised that the brilliance of your colours is achieved by never adding fillers or artificial preservatives. Not only does it contain a stack of information, it is a visual delight in its own right!
”Most commercial brands of watercolour will add fillers and brighteners that make them look good in the pan, but these additives will actually dull the colour on the paper.So no, we will never use those tricks.
Whatmakes ArtScrbe colours so vibrant is down to the traditional way we make the paint by hand and how we are able to tweak the process according to the pigment we are mulling. Also, how we dry and hand pour our paint has a significant bearing on the high pigment levels our watercolour has. The curing of a small batch will take 8 weeks, but in that time the water content of the binder evaporates and what remains is as much pure pigment as can possibly be!
The How do you find working together? Are you each in charge of a different phase/part of the paint-making, or do you mull it over together? [sorry - couldn’t resist!]
And how much time do you have on your beautiful wild Dartmoor? I imagine it’s a restorative place to come home to after your market/fair days.
“Reg is the chief muller and it’s his methodical and intuitive approach that makes the paints so alive and to such a high standard. We come together to work on new colours and feed off each other’s inspiration to create a set of colours. Our mutual love is colour, art and the creative process and so we enjoy creating and discovering together.
We are so lucky to have Dartmoor on our doorstep, as well as the North Devon coast. And we also enjoy the simple, grounding pleasure of sitting in our wild and woody garden after the bustle of a craft fair. All these places are restorative and grounding for us. They each generate inspiration and feed our creative journey.”
It is often suggested we need to plan strategically as artists/makers. What have you in mind for the next 6 months or more, going forward? Will you ever consider selling further north?
”We are looking to branch beyond the SouthWest and have been applying to craft fairs further afield, so fingers x’d we will make it one day and reach a new audience.
ArtScribe has been growing steadily and organically since2019. But with that, so have authentic connections with artists such as yourself, Mary!”
[Ed.]That’s really exciting news that we might find you at craft fairs further north, so we can look forward to meeting up with you one day, across a crowded field! Thanks so much being your own authentic selves, both as makers and also as friends.
To find ArtScribe and see their luscious products, you can find them on Instagram and at their website address: https://artscribe.elementor.cloud/