Choppy Waters at Beacon Cove

Born in Torquay 1975, Philip Savvas has lived in Devon most of his life. In addition to producing art he has been teaching both in the UK and abroad.

He trained in art at the University of Wolverhampton and undertook art classes  in Cyprus. He finds inspiration in the Devon landscape and also in his travels abroad. As well as landscapes he enjoys  producing portraits and still life using a variety of media. He has held private, group and charity exhibitions in the UK, Cyprus, Greece and Russia.

I love to challenge myself with working from life and often outdoor scenes. Working outdoors enables you to capture the atmosphere of the place. It challenges but enables you to work instinctively. Most importantly it encourages you to harmonise the elements of a picture whilst working in rhythm. Always, I try to capture the time of day and create depth whilst focusing on a particular subject area. Devon, where I live, is magical for an artist with beautiful scenes and lovely light. Watercolour is an ideal medium to capture light because of its fresh transparency. It's great for capturing the atmosphere of a landscape rapidly. However, I find that a finished landscape watercolour requires two hours. After that the light changes. The great English artist Sickert said that if you spend two hours fully concentrating on a painting you have done a full day's work and I totally agree. A complex watercolour scene can leave the artist quite exhausted because you are walking a tight rope between success and failure. Always I use 'Artist' quality paints so that the pictures endure. My aim is to capture the atmosphere and true beauty of the place.

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Live, au plein air, watercolour of the rocks at Beacon Cove

Painted on the spot on a windy September morning. This picture is special because I don't thing I would have the gall to paint from such a precarious position again

Watercolour on Paper

34x41cm

Framed Under Glass