The stunning painting by Nigel Wade
A chance conversation in June 2022 led to a Kent artist painting one of the largest ‘hyperrealism’ watercolours ever commissioned.
When artist Nigel Wade met entrepreneur Kanagaratnam Rajaseelan (universally known as Seelan), owner of the Best Western Premier Dover Marina Hotel and Spa, at a curry evening in Farnborough, north Kent, the conversation quickly turned to Nigel’s remarkable paintings.
Before the evening was out, Seelan had commissioned the talented artist, who specialises in highly detailed images with a strong emphasis on light and colour, to paint his building, which occupies a commanding site overlooking the seafront at Dover.
Seelan had recently bought the adjoining premises to the east of the existing hotel and wanted the whole of the building painted in the intricate style for which Nigel is famed – and he wanted a big painting.
In the event, the work, unveiled at a celebration evening that also marked the Dover Marina being awarded ‘Best Western Premier’ status, came in at a remarkable 65 inches by 50 inches when framed.
The sheer size of the work gave the artist a significant headache. Nigel had to get hold of the largest watercolour paper available in the UK and then think about how his framer, Colin Hales, from Westerham in Kent, would be able to handle such a large piece.
Moving it between Colin’s workshop, the artist’s home and the hotel meant hiring a van, as the finished work weighed 70lbs, while scanning it for prints and postcards presented another headache, this time for the Sussex studio of Rich Clark. Finally, the finished painting was mounted in the bar area of the hotel, where it was unveiled by Chairman of Dover District Council Cllr Gordon Cowan.
The painting captures every aspect of the magnificent Victorian building that has stood since 1841 and is steeped in history. Sir Winston Churchill once stayed in the hotel, which miraculously survived the bombing during the Second World War. Reference photographs for the photographic level of detail needed were supplied by the Dover Media Group.
Nigel has specialised in hyperrealism in watercolour since studying History of Art and Architecture at Reading University, but he chose a career in retail rather than art. In 2015 he picked up his (tiny) brushes full time, since when he has become prolific, painting many scenes from his home county of Kent, where he has lived for 40 years.
It took Nigel 14 months to paint what is his largest work to date. He originally planned to include Dover Castle, but it became clear that the detailed study of the hotel meant there would not be space for an extra building. As well as the sheer scale of the challenge, much of which involved a tiny paintbrush, the process was delayed by life events, including the arrival of Nigel’s first grandchild in August 2022.
The final work includes every last piece of Victorian architectural detail, along with all 160 of the hotel’s windows.
“I tend to be asked two main questions about the work,” Nigel said. “How long did it take?” and “Is it a photograph?” The answers are: “About 800 hours” and: “No, although hyperrealism is a technique that aims to capture reality in minute, high fidelity detail.
“In my case I aim to enhance that reality with colour and light to produce an idealised version of reality while ensuring you can still tell it’s a painting – just!”
Nigel’s work can be seen at https://nigelwadeart.com/