What You Need to Know

Important information about Watercolour Skies

We hope you will continue to enjoy the Watercolour Skies experience. It will be continually updated so please keep visiting us! However, we are a small family business which has developed into a labour of love rather than commercial gain. This is important to know since we appreciate your interest in Alan's work and we are working hard to ensure that his work can continue to be enjoyed, appreciated and acquired.

About this Web Site

About this Website

This web site is the offical website of Alan E. Ingham. It is still in working progress and will continually be added to and changed due the enormous information we have at our disposal. First and foremost it is for your enjoyment.

 

The images which have been used are from several sources and so image quality and colour fidelity will vary. This is due to several factors, the scanners or digital cameras which have captured the image and more importantly your viewing device, e.g. computer monitor, smart device and so on. However we hope that for most of your stay on the web site it will be enjoyable. If you have any hints or suggestions for improvements, please drop us a line.

 

(Hopefully it will be an inspiration to aspiring artists of all abilities and as a reference for watercolour technique. It is also a portal where Alan’s work can be found, researched, purchased or sold. From a simple web-site established in 2008, there have been many enquiries from across the world regarding his work. From the signed limited editions prints still available through the family, we have sent a variety to customers as far afield as Canada and Central Asia. Many owners of his original work have been kind to let us know which painting is where and many owners of his prints just want to know the particulars of a print they have purchased or acquired. Therefore Watercolour Skies is a recognition of thanks to his followers who have appreciated his work over the years and which has made his success a possibility.).

 

Web Browser Compatibility

Watercolour Skies is best experienced with Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Windows Explorer web browsers. You are able to access the site with Google Chrome or Safari, but

some of the functionality of the site will be limited. Whilst Adobe Flash would offer a superb way of showing the Galleries, it is not supported for Apple  iPad and iPhone devices.

The Archive

The archive contains a dossier of every painting, recorded detail and information. Whilst it is presented on this website in a relatively rough format, you are able to browse the complete entry of paintings from 1972 - 2002. In his legacy are 650 professional transparencies of his paintings, and a further 270 but not in the family's possession, each catalogued and numbered against the archive. Some images are accompanied by a caption; Alan's thought, his commentary or description of the time and place.

 

On behalf of the Ingham family, thank your for visiting Watercolour Skies and if you have enjoyed the experience or you think how it might be improved, please let us know.



Behind the Scenes

Nick Mole is the founder of Watercolour Skies. Related to the Inghams (his mother was Alan's cousin) he has known Alan and Rose since he was a 'bairn'.  Nick is a trained technical illustrator amd started his career at the Airbus Industrie technical information centre in Hamburg. While an unconvincing artist himself, Nick studied art history and so has an ingrained appreciation of good and honest art preferring the work of the Dutch masters and impressionists than to abstract (not suggesting abstract isn't good or indeed honest!). While heavy industry beckoned Nick, his artistic contemporaries faired better- Nick Park the Oscar winning 'Wallace and Gromit' animator and Mick Jackson wildlife artist and master of Trompe l'Oeil. Alan and Mick  were both promoted by the same publisher in the 90's -Washington-Green.

 

In the 80's, Nick fell into what was the beginning of a great affair with digital imaging and reprographic technology working with inventors and industry entrepreneurs. Linked to computer technology and the internet, image publishing has today made global access immediate to creativity, talent and enjoyment but it has taken considerable time. While giclee printing is recognised as the highest quality of print achievable now, Nick was already playing around with wide format inkjet printing and high resolution full-colour scanning technology in the late 80's.

 

Twenty years later and In 2008, a conversation with Rose, Alan's wife suddenly exposed 3 volumes of 650 high quality transparencies, an overwhelming database of his work, his memoires, three volumes of captions, his book scripts and much, much more. By this time, his publisher Washington-Green had rightfully moved on and Alan's work was destined to the anals of history. But Nick has had other ideas and so aimed to combine talents and establish Watercolour Skies.

 

Is this a sentimental journey? Not a bit of it! and Alan wouldn't want it either!  You don't achieve acclaim simply. It is because you have a following of people who appreciate talent and what you do! Should Alan's death simply stop the appreciation of and access to his work? So here we are with a secure place where Alan's very existence and incredible efforts can be accessed and appreciated, hopefully managed by gatekeepers who are able to ensure his work will be maintained in a way Alan and Rose would be proud of.

Giclee - High Fidelity, High Quality Digital Colour Printing

Traditional lithographic printing uses 4 colours in the reproduction process, transferring the image from a printing plate to the paper. The image is made up of an array of 4 colour, various sized dots visible under a magnifying glass, but small enough not to be detected by the eye. This process has limitations in reproducing colour faithfully, but until the last decade was the norm.  Alan’s previous publications were reproduced by this method

 

The giclee process is not disimilar to desktop inkjet printing, and operates by spraying millions of pigment particles onto the surface of the substrate (in this case paper). The amount of ink is determined by the digital technology controlled by a technician able to optimise colour accuracy and final output consistency and quality. Using up to 14 separate pigments, giclee is ideal for reproducing watercolours and other fine artwork. It offers far better colour fidelity control than standard 4 colour lithography, able to achieve the nuances and shades of paint pigment with far greater accuracy.

 

The type and quality of paper also plays an important role. Whilst giclee allows printing on any surface (including wood, fabrics and glass), great care has to be taken since the surface quality and colour plays a dominant role in achieving the highest quality of reproduction. The balance of whiteness, texture, absorption and pH level being the critical factors. The process, inks and paper which have been chosen in the reproduction process are an optimum combination for reproducing Alan Ingham’s faithfully.

 

Giclee negates the need to print the entire edition at the same time and so each reproduction can be made to order. This means that each print is fresh and specific to your time of purchase. This classifies each print as an ‘original reproduction’.

By owning an Alan Ingham giclee reproduction, you will be in possession of a valued, high quality, hand crafted product limited to 195 and with care will last many, many generations.

Caring For Your Print

Taking care of your print might be obvious, but here are a few tips how to ensure the product lasts and is kept in good condition.Your framer will advise you, but for your information:

  • Before your print is framed, minimise handling and do not attempt to completely straighten the natural curvature of the paper. Your framer will do this for you
  • Make sure the print is encapsulated within acid free mounting board, not just the mount itself, but also behind the print too. This will protect the high quality Torchon paper
  • Always frame behind glass
  • Choose a good quality frame which will not bend or bow especially for the larger sizes

most importantly:

  • Keep out of moist areas such as bathrooms as this may promote mould
  • Avoid hanging your print in direct sunlight or naturally light areas during the day. The inks are lightfast for 70+ years, but over or aggressive exposure will eventually promote fading.
  • Ensure that a sufficient number of hooks are chosen to take the weight of the picture. The larger sizes will be fairly heavy objects

 

The Commemorative Limited Edition Certificate

The certificate is your proof of authenticity and number of the edition of 195. It is provided seperately and is designed to be either attached to the back of the picture or to be kept in a safe place.

Reproduction and Copyright Policy

Copyright of all Alan Ingham work is held by his wife Rose. Therefore it is forbidden to and a legal offence to reproduce, copy or aim to recreate work from any of Alan Ingham's works for commercial gain. Supported by the Ingham family, Watercolours Skies has a policy of openness and access to Alan's work.

 

Watercolourskies will continue to offer works for sale as high quality giclee commemorative limited editions. The editions are limited to 195 and will not be reproduced again in the same format, quality and in its entirety once the sale of the edition is complete. However, Watercolourskies reserves the right to use segments (call-outs) of the works to offer less quality, smaller reproductions in the form of greeting cards, ocassional stationery and books.

Legal Disclaimer

Watercolour skies is a private enterprise and as yet is not a registered company. Information is correct at the time of publishing to the web.The brand Watercolour Skies is aptly taken from Alan's 1996 publication 'Under a Watercolour Sky'. However, it is not a registered trade mark or brand. If conflicting with a similar business, this is purely coincidental.

 

It is not the intention to misrepresent the work of Alan Ingham or to show his work in a lesser standard than he would, or his audience would expect. We will be pleased to receive comments and respond to them should there any part of the web site be erroneous or deficient.

 

All sales transactions are undertaken in the best possible faith and with the greatest intention to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Products may be returned if not 100% satisfied as long they remain in the same condition. We ask for returnables to be be received within 14 days of receipt.