The Affordable Art Fair – inspired by Bristol artists

“Buy what you love” is the advice of Bristol artist Abigail McDougall when it comes to investing in original artworks, like those she paints in her studio in Jamaica Street, Bristol. In the run up to the Affordable Art Fair that supports Bristol artists, I spent the morning with Abigail who specialises in colourful watercolours, often of Bristol scenes or the places she travels and is especially inspired by water and reflections.

Abigail showed me some of the Bristol scenes that she has been working on for the forthcoming Affordable Art Fair, which are popular with local people and have led to commissions and solo shows in the city.

“People from Bristol are so fond of the city; it has so much interest with the hills and layers of buildings, the colourful houses, the harbour and the water reflections. It’s a very green city as well. I think people are very proud of Bristol, they tend to move away and then come back again, it’s a city that pulls you back”

Inspirations of a Bristol Artists at the Affordable Art Fair

Travels abroad have also inspired Abigail’s work and earlier this year she spent a few weeks travelling around Mexico. Around the studio I could also see watercolour sketches from trips to Marrakech, where she loved the patterns and colours of pottery, collecting scarves that incorporated colour combination she found inspiring.

“I do put a lot of colour into my work and I think that’s partly inspired by the time I spent in Italy as a child. When you travel you get to see a whole new colour palate. In Africa and Morocco, the colours are a lot warmer than they are here, with more red and yellow. Even the blues in the sky are warmer, so you get to discover a completely new colour palate. In Morocco you see things in a new light.”

Over the years of painting in Bristol, Abigail has found herself drawn more and more to the water and reflections of the harbourside and rivers Avon and Frome. Sometimes she will be found cycling along the towpath at dusk, when the light is getting low, making in-the-moment watercolour sketches of the shadows and reflections on the water. From this love of water, a new more abstract style is developing, taking a close up view of lilies in a botanic garden or mangrove roots reflected in the water of cenotes of Mexico.

How does a Bristol Artist prepare for Affordable Art Fair

I asked Abigail how she prepared for a big show like the Affordable Art Fair, since she has to create a whole new collection of original artworks to show at the fair. She told me that she will think back to the type of paintings that have been popular at previous shows but then challenges herself to experiment and push the theme forward. Now she is trying to develop the medium of watercolour, creating bigger pieces on specially prepared board which takes the colour in a way that is more intense and textured.

“People are interested in the story behind your work, so if you push yourself and keep experimenting, then you always have a story to tell about the work. There are not a lot of people working in watercolour these days and I try to do something modern and contemporary with it. “

Advice from a Bristol Artist at the Affordable Art Fair

For those looking to buy original artworks, Abigail’s advice is to look for something that you love and not something you think is a good investment. If you fall in love with an artist who becomes famous that’s a bonus, but you need to have something on your wall that you can live with.

I wanted to understand how Abigail would approach a new painting, so she got out her brushes and showed me how she would take a photograph of a boat on the mudflat and create a watercolour image from it. She explained how she would first consider the colours to use, to reflect the subdued tones of the photo with contrasts of light and dark, perhaps adding some contrasting colours to lead the eye around the picture.

Deftly mixing colours from the blobs of paint around the rim of a plate, the tip of her Chinese brush traced the outline of the painting. Next the thickness of the brush was used to wash colour over the sky and water, building up and blending diifferent colours together. From time to time an old hair dryer came out to dry the paint before she could add the detail of the boats and the fine lines of their masts.

Small dots of red added the contrast of buoys and different soft shades the ripples of water and mud reflecting light. Abigail told me how she also likes to work outdoors, making quick watercolour paintings like this on the spot, as the result can be more free when you have to work quickly from real life.

It was fun to see the world in a creative way through an artist’s eyes and I came away feeling inspired and energised by the colour in Abigail’s work. Catch her at the Affordable Art Fair in Bristol, at galleries around Bristol or on her Bristol Contemporary Art online gallery.

The Affordable Art Fair in Bristol

You can buy original paintings by Abigail McDougall and other artists within Bristol Contemporary Art at the Affordable Art Fair. The fair will feature original contemporary artworks from 500 exceptional artists, designed to be affordably priced between £50 and £5,000. Many of the galleries allow you to pay for your artwork over a number of months through the Own Art scheme. Abigail’s original watercolours start from around £370.

The Bristol fair includes kid’s activities, live painting by the artists in residence and a cafe by Friska. If you can’t make it to Bristol, check out the other fairs in London or in other cities worldwide. More details on the Affordable Art Fair Website.

This article was sponsored* by the Affordable Art Fair 

* More info on my policies page

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