I think the first thing to say is that, if youre worried by the and beyond of the title and wondering whether David has gone a bit weird, avant garde or experimental, calm yourself he hasnt. Nor is this the landscape course rehashed. What we have is, quite simply, his best book and something of a personal manifesto informed by a lifetime of experience. In the introduction, he says that he intends to illustrate ways in which to make your watercolours glow with excitement; to offer you new methods of working and new ways of using familiar materials.
Hang onto that familiarity, because were still within the realms of the man we know and love. If there are surprises here, theyre all of delight in exploring the possibilities of a medium David says galleries tend to overlook. Thats perhaps more the view of the professional artist, but as well as filtering down, things can also percolate upwards, so lets champion the grassroots. Yes, the use of plastic food wrap to produce texture or dipping a toe into mixed media are not something weve associated with David in the past, but the results are entirely what you would expect.
A small part of me wishes this had come out as a hardback, which would have given it the heft it deserves, but that would have made it more expensive, perhaps unnecessarily. If youre a fan of David, youll buy it on the spot. If youre in any way serious about watercolour you should, too. Think of it as a new course, one for the dedicated, perhaps advanced, watercolourist from a teacher at the height of his powers. Its a heck of an achievement.
