Errol Étienne
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Errol Herbert Russel Étienne (1941–2011) was an artist in many media including
watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...
,
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
and
acrylic paint Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. Dep ...
ing. His watercolors can be found in museums, travelling exhibitions as well as in private collections. Much of his bright and animated work was inspired by his time living in the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...
. Étienne was born in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland in 1941, but spent most of his childhood in
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
province, Canada. At the age of 27, in 1978, he graduated from the
Art Center College of Design The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California. It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California. He was also elected Senior Academician of the
Royal Canadian Academy The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...
. He has exhibited his work in many cities from around the world including Paris, London, Sydney and New York. His work in
animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
includes design, editing and production of an
IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
production featuring of some of his paintings. He won an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
in Australia for animation. Errol was profiled in the January/February 1980 issue of Communication Arts magazine. The article covered his graphic design work while in Vancouver, B.C. Canada, where he did business under the name of the "Frog and Bison" "Frog" being a reference to his years in Montreal, Quebec, and "Bison" for a former associate in Montana. At that time Errol also operated a studio/gallery, the "Frog and Swan" with artist/calligrapher Robin Arkell. Errol is noted for his no-compromise professionalism, as expressed in this quotation from the Communication Arts magazine: "I don't let people make changes in my work because it's so personal. I know production and what the job needs, and the only thing that's important is the end product. How you get to that is the problem because the only standard is that it must be excellent. There is really is no excuse for a mediocre final product." While he worked in numerous mediums, his work as a water colorist was considered world-class. During the last 20 years of his life, his technique never varied. Subject matter was drawn primarily from his visual interpretation of nature (fish, flowers and panoramas) using bold colors. Watercolors were created exclusively on two papers: ''Arches'' moldmade in France and ''Khadi'' handmade in India. He believed those two papers best displayed the positive optimism of his subject matter. He would initially draw his subject with one of two instruments: a Mout Blanc pen given to him by his father as a teenager or a common wide pencil employed in the construction industry. Once subject matter was drawn he would hand mix the colors he thought appropriate for an individual work. The technique that made his work most distinctive was the exclusive use of hand made Windsor Newton squirrel hair brushes which he would curl at the end to create different size strokes with the same brush. He also believed that a single stroke of color was the truest reflection of the artist. None of his watercolors have the overlapping use of color. He coined the phrase "singlelapping" to describe his unique technique. While impossible to estimate precisely, by the artists own estimate he created over 8,000 works of original art.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etienne, Errol Scottish artists 1941 births 2011 deaths Artists from Edinburgh