Retired graphic designer and amateur painter, Melvyn Flint can only describe his experiences on the popular Sunday evening programme, The Big Painting Challenge, as a real adventure. The memories of filming, the camaraderie of the group and their subsequent friendships, and the critiques of two eminent British painters have all helped him grow as an artist. He has spent the past year since the filming of the series polishing and refining his watercolour style.

Many people were surprised by the disappearance of the only watercolourist on the programme so early in the proceedings. Melvyn felt choosing watercolour left him in a distinct minority, when all the other contestants were happier using acrylic or oil. But he only has praise for the programme, the judges and his fellow contestants.

“When I read about the programme,” he says, “I felt it was a huge opportunity for me, one I couldn’t miss.” He had no idea that from the moment he sent in his application on 11 March last year, he would be filming three months later. “After I sent my application, I promptly forgot about it. Then on 17 March I received a telephone call to say I was in the final 300, which would be honed down by telephone. I went through the interview, which was more about what I was like as an artist and what inspired me, then forgot about it again. Finally, I was told that I was in the final 100 entrants and went to the film studios in White City on 13 April for a day-long audition.”

Melvyn received a telephone call on 6 May to confirm his place on the show, and started filming the programme on 16 June. “I enjoyed the filming. It was a real adventure and everyone at the BBC made the time for us as smooth as they could. The group built up camaraderie and we all got on very well. We have also stuck together as a group subsequent to filming.” He says it was particularly beneficial to rub shoulders with the other artists, all from different backgrounds and with different styles of painting. “It was all very interesting.”

Broad Street, Sutton Valence, oil on board, (27x36cm)
This oil painting is a view of the Kentish village where I live. I tend to take a longer time when I paint with oils.
The tight detailed look represents a good example of my style before I took part in the BBC’s The Big Painting Challenge

Strengths and weaknesses

With an art school background in the early 1960s, Melyvn is confident with his painting skills, and fundamentally, he says, he is a sound draughtsman. He found the second challenge of the first episode, drawing flowers from life using coloured pencils, difficult, but the third project was a dream for this experienced plein-air painter. “Given free choice with this challenge, I chose to paint the landscape at Alnwick Castle in watercolour. It is a beautiful medium; it has a life of its own.” He admits that painting with watercolour is difficult, but says its qualities vastly outweigh the problems. “On retirement, I tried painting with acrylic and oil, but watercolour captured my heart. It is so expressive.”

Melvyn studied art at Maidstone College of Art from 1959 to 1962. He was 16 years old when he took up his place and believes that art schools today miss out on capturing a variety of creative people, because they simply ask for too many academic qualifications. From art school he worked in advertising agencies for 20 years, which he left in 1983 as creative director to set up his own graphics design business. This he ran for close to 30 years, primarily designing food packaging.
 

Dunn’s River Falls, Jamaica, acrylic on canvas, (33x26cm)
This was painted from a plein-air sketch and a reference photograph taken on holiday in Jamaica. “I am happy with the free colourful style and I think it makes good use of the medium.”

Throughout his working life, Melvyn was a dedicated hobby painter. His painting style, influenced by his years in graphic design, focused on sharp edges, blocks of colours and a tight, neat painting style. However, that’s all changed since his experiences on the programme.

“I’m moving away from the tightness now. I remember a teacher once told me to be more ‘sploshy’ with the paint, to loosen up. Painting is a continuing process of refinement, a constant look at what and how you handle things.”

Retired for three years, he admits that the early days took a lot of getting used to, but which saw him emerge as a painter. “It was difficult adjusting from a busy life in advertising and running my own business. There was nothing to do. So I coped by turning back to painting.

“I am lucky to live in the Kent village of Sutton Valence, which is surrounded by beautiful countryside. I love painting plein air when the weather allows, and landscape is my favourite subject.”

Castle Coch, Wales, watercolour on paper, (28x38cm)
“This plein air painting was completed in a three-hour session. I am happy with its looseness and atmosphere. Luckily I stopped before the temptation to overwork the picture took hold of me.”

New horizons

The judges’ criticism was constructive, Melvyn says. They had a difficult job, confronted by ten different artists and their work, and they had to make quick judgements. Despite this, judging was fair.

“If you want to be part of this sort of programme,” he maintains, “you have to take criticism on the chin.”

Melvyn is now working through what Daphne Todd and Lachlan Goudie had to say about his work. “I have benefited from their advice. I need to be less representational and more conceptual, and I’ve started to build more freedom into the way I treat my subjects. I also used this looser approach when painting a still life in oils recently, something I wouldn’t have done before. This whole experience has opened up new horizons for me.”

And what of the future? Melvyn is now looking for gallery representation and to continue developing his style.
 

Safe Harbour, watercolour on paper, (37x26cm)
“The impressionistic, but representational style of the painting represents my change of direction.”