Celebrated artist and local resident David Bellamy is preparing to release his latest book, Watercolour and Beyond, next week.

Bellamy, whose work has taken him to some of the most remote and challenging corners of the globe, is well known for his adventurous spirit and creative approach to watercolour painting. His teaching style, often laced with humour and dramatic storytelling, has inspired generations of artists and resulted in a string of 23 successful books.

The new book builds on Bellamy’s decades of experience, offering artists practical techniques while encouraging experimentation. It begins with core watercolour skills and then explores more unusual methods using everyday items - from string to bits of discarded household materials - to add texture and originality to paintings.

True to form, the book also reflects Bellamy’s love for painting in unusual settings. It features scenes such as a murmuration of 50,000 starlings, a Cape buffalo encounter in the forests of Mount Kenya, and a stormy Arctic voyage near the glaciers of Spitzbergen. One composition draws on local inspiration with a dramatic battle exercise set in the Eppynt mountains.

Painting people ‘in-character’ is important in Bellamy’s work, rather than the ‘stylise the figure in the form of the carrot method’ which is often advocated in practical guides.

The book includes projects on bringing local or family history to life, perhaps through prominent family members such as his grandfather with his amazing adventures in the Boer War as one example explains, or for instance long-lost railway stations with their steam trains, as well as creative ideas for those who wish to create a visual record for their family history, communities, or various organisations.

David Bellamy’s Watercolour and Beyond is set for release on May 13 through Search Press, an art and craft publisher based in Kent.