Meet Abigail McDougall

Bristol-based artist Abigail McDougall, whose work is represented by Bristol Contemporary Art, is fast becoming an Affordable Art Fair favourite. Working in watercolour or oil paints on paper she takes inspiration from both the natural world and oriental drawings to create her exquisitely observed and enchantingly lit paintings.

Equally at home in the studio as she is working in the open air, we’ve caught up with Abigail to hear about her latest body of work inspired by her travels to exotic landscapes and gardens, and to get a behind the scenes glimpse into the day-to-day practice of a professional artist …

“Painting outdoors is an important part of my practice – I try to do this as much as possible. It really helps me to develop a spontaneity in my work, which is hard to get when solely working in a studio. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to be taking research trips to exotic locations – my latest works are inspired by trips to Morocco and Vienna – but I’m equally excited to work, for instance, at Kew Gardens or other botanical gardens in the UK.

“Painting outdoors is an important part of my practice – I try to do this as much as possible.”

“When I’m painting outdoors locally I usually travel to my destination by bike. This is important for me, not only out of a concern for the natural environment, but also to make sure I’ve seen and absorbed as much as I can along the journey. I painted a series last year based on the reflections in the River Frome – it was winter, so some mornings were really crisp and bright, others were quite misty and moody – travelling to and from my location by bike really helped me experience this.

“I’ve had to hone my outdoor painting technique over the years, as well as the equipment I use. I used to paint on a picnic blanket on the ground … but after one piece got trampled by a very muddy dog(!) I had to invest in a special light-weight easel that I use flat, to suit my water-based technique.

“Later on in 2016 I’ll be travelling to Mexico and the borders of Guatemala and Belize to study and discover the luscious rainforest vegetation and lagoons, and the startlingly clear blue waters of the Caribbean. In much of my work I focus on reflections – often only painting the essence of a landscape as reflected in a body of water, to show the viewer a kind of alternate reality. I’m really excited about the opportunities these trips will give me to develop my work!

“When I’m not out and about, I’m working in my studio; it’s a big old building in the centre of Bristol called Jamaica Street Artists Studios with about 40 artists working there. It has huge windows, plenty of light and an amazing view of the city (which can be quite distracting!).

“I do four to six hours a day of intense painting whilst listening to audio books and podcasts, or sometimes music, to help me concentrate. I take regular tea breaks between each hour of painting to refocus and share ideas with other artists in my studio.

“When the graft of painting is done, there is always more to be finished – from the priming of new boards to varnishing completed pieces. There is also experimentation to fit in too, with different media and techniques. This is how I was able to come up with my new technique of layering gesso and watercolour primer on board to create a really smooth finish.

“Sometimes when I’m feeling creative I experiment in my studio with more abstract pieces, pouring and splattering different kinds of paint. These help me to loosen up for creating my main pieces, but they’ve also become artworks in their own right.”