about siân
What Sian paints
Siân Dudley is an artist whose favourite medium is watercolour, although she is happy to create images in many other media including graphite, acrylic, and oil.
Siân has a love of flowers, and has become known for her bright, fresh floral paintings. Having mastered a wide range of painterly techniques she is able to describe the personality and character of a flower, sometimes drawing the viewer in to discover details they may otherwise have missed, sometimes expressing the delight that flowers bring to so many.
Siân finds a painting wedding bouquets a great pleasure, finding it a privilege to combine her favourite subject matter with sharing memories of such a special day.
Siân also enjoys the challenge of painting portraits in watercolour; a medium with a life of its own seems to her wholly appropriate for capturing a living person.
More recently, and with a growing interest in water-mixable oils, Siân is drawn to painting landscapes, and is currently working on a series of landscape paintings.
Her fascination with the way a medium works is as important to her as the chosen subject matter for an image, and is a constant source of inspiration to experiment and discover new techniques. Siân is particularly excited by colour which elicits a physical response in her : watching colours blend wet-in-wet still makes her go weak at the knees!
Detail from a Bridal Bouquet, a painting by Siân Dudley
Viewing siân's work
A few years ago Sian was showing in a number of local galleries, but with her teaching and family commitments was finding it difficult to supply galleries with the required number of works. Life has moved on, and she is now building a new portfolio before exploring the gallery scene again.
In the meantime she is will show her work to anyone who is willing to look at it at her studio in Ivybridge, Devon. If you are lucky you may be offered a cup of tea and some Welsh cakes... or a piece of her delicious chocolate cake, if Rob hasn't got there first.
When not in the studio…
She teaches. Over the years she has gathered a wealth of watercolour knowledge, knowledge that she freely shares in her art tuition videos, numerous articles for the Artist and Illustrators Magazine and in her books 'Painting Flowers, A Creative Approach' and ‘Painting Trees’ (the latter being co-written with Rob).
Siân is always keen to share her knowledge of painting with others through local classes, online tutoring and art holidays.
Vicky’s Garden NFS
EDUCATION
Despite her artistic ability being spotted at a very early age, somehow Sian's fascination for detail led her to a degree in Microbiology at University College Swansea, in 1981. She is still not quite sure how this happened.
From there she went on gain a Postgradute certificate in Education at Rolle College (University of Exeter) in 1982. That was a significant year. She met Rob, and it was spotted that she was by nature an artist, not a scientist.
She spent all her free time that year in the art department, playing with clay and soaking up everything she could
about drawing, painting and ceramics. (The time spent with clay was very useful, given that she was about to marry a man with a passion for mud).
With some art training, a process based on scientific experimental principles, and being married to Rob, Siân has no official qualification in art, but she cannot say she is entirely self -taught.
But she knows for certain that no-one who has bought one of her paintings has been more interested in her qualifications than the image they are choosing to live with.
habitat
Siân was born and brought up in Wales, and is extremely proud to be Welsh. She emigrated to England in 1982, when she married Rob. They moved to Ivybridge in 1985, and have worked and exhibited in this area ever since. The lanes in Devon are a constant source of inspiration, especially in Spring, when they are overflowing with flowers.
During Siân's youth she spent much time on the beaches in West Wales. As a student she spent much time on the beaches of the Gower Peninsula (rather less in the lab). Nothing much has changed. As an adult she has spent much time on the beaches of South Devon. She likes beaches.
Siân
Her name, Siân , is very popular in Wales, but causes some consternation in England, where people make embarrassed attempts to pronounce it, especially during phone calls. Do not be embarrassed. Siân is well aware of such difficulties when dealing with a foreign tongue. How does one pronounce "Chiswick', 'Ugborough' or 'Hawick'? If you phone Siân will be kind, but just to help you along the way the English spelling might be Sharn; it rhymes with barn.