An early Watercolour by Jan Gordon
Jan Gordon left a rich legacy of art works , in oils, gouache, watercolour and etchings. He wrote about the practicalities of these techniques in his book ' A Stepladder to Painting ' and its American edition, ' Painting for Beginners '. One painting (a gift from my cousin Mags) is a mystery, showing an overcast scene in a location experiencing strong winds, with some swamp-like water bodies and two devices, one approximately square and the other a triangle, suggesting warning signs. There are traces of an earlier placement of the triangle with curved supporting pole to the left of the eventual representation of this feature. The colours, mainly greens and browns with patches of yellow and blue, are subdued, giving the appearance of an autumn or winter day. Small branches, bare of leaves, make reflections in the standing body of water. The painting is signed "Gordon" in blue paint, the last colour added to the picture, on the shadow side of the plants in the l...