A watercolour a day is art teacher’s lockdown therapy
AN ART teacher is using his two hours of permitted exercise a day to find inspiration for his challenge of completing a watercolour painting every day for a year.
Every day, Rob Sweeney is painting a new watercolour scene inspired by beautiful Guernsey.
He first had the idea in 1999 as a millennium project and repeated the challenge in 2010.
Ten years on he thought he would give it another go, taking a photograph every day and then sitting down to paint it.
‘During the current lockdown I have managed to continue the project by taking photographs either on our allowed exercise time or when I have been out for essential shopping or collecting prescriptions,’ he said.
In 1997, Mr Sweeney started out teaching at Les Beaucamps High School for a period of six months for maternity cover.
He then became an art teacher there until 2001, when he moved to become head of art at St Peter Port School.
After its closure in 2009, Mr Sweeney returned to Les Beaucamps, where he was delighted to take the position of head of art, which he still is.
‘I have used – and still do use – oils and acrylics in my painting but am constantly amazed at the variety of ways in which you can use watercolours to create different moods and effects,’ he said.
‘I think being creative in any way is fun and can certainly be therapeutic.’
All of the watercolours that he is producing are on sale for £30 each and will be on display at an exhibition at the Coach House Gallery in December next year.
Some of his favourites include an atmospheric scene of the QE2 ship off Guernsey and a robin perched on a plant pot in the back yard of his daughter’s university accommodation.
n To see and find out more about Mr Sweeney’s Guernsey-inspired art, visit https://bit.ly/3dW46nW.
He has also been posting on his Rob Sweeney Facebook page and @bob_the-brush instagram page.
