About Us
Rob and Sharon Wigham are a husband and wife team producing original watercolours and fine giclee* prints from the originals from their home and studio in Mosstodloch, near Fochabers in Moray. Rob's artist biography is below - please just scroll down to find it.
Rob paints the originals, taking his inspiration mainly from the beautiful countryside and coastline of the north of Scotland. He also paints mainly military aircraft, normally placing them in a landscape setting of their own! His work is impressionistic in nature, which fits well as he enjoys emphasising colour and tone to create a beautiful and eye-catching painting.
Sharon has about 180 of Rob’s paintings in print. All the prints are created using archival materials and our giclee printer – which prints in paint, rather than ink, making the prints light-fast and fade free. The prints are also mounted in archival-grade mount board, which will not discolour with age. When Sharon isn’t in her printing studio or cutting mounts she enjoys knitting, patchwork, tapestry and other crafts.
* 'Giclee' is a french word used to describe printing which is done at a very high resolution and using pigment-based inks, rather than the cheaper and more common dye-based inks. Pigment-based inks are effectively like paint and are lightfast (for over 100 years), unlike dye-based ones which will fade quite rapidly in normal light conditions.
Rob paints the originals, taking his inspiration mainly from the beautiful countryside and coastline of the north of Scotland. He also paints mainly military aircraft, normally placing them in a landscape setting of their own! His work is impressionistic in nature, which fits well as he enjoys emphasising colour and tone to create a beautiful and eye-catching painting.
Sharon has about 180 of Rob’s paintings in print. All the prints are created using archival materials and our giclee printer – which prints in paint, rather than ink, making the prints light-fast and fade free. The prints are also mounted in archival-grade mount board, which will not discolour with age. When Sharon isn’t in her printing studio or cutting mounts she enjoys knitting, patchwork, tapestry and other crafts.
* 'Giclee' is a french word used to describe printing which is done at a very high resolution and using pigment-based inks, rather than the cheaper and more common dye-based inks. Pigment-based inks are effectively like paint and are lightfast (for over 100 years), unlike dye-based ones which will fade quite rapidly in normal light conditions.
Rob's Bio
I have always loved painting and drawing. After a career as a military pilot lasting almost 25 years, on retirement I found myself free to return full-time to my first love: capturing the fleeting beauty of light in watercolour. I am self-taught, having studied the works of many of the watercolour masters in depth, but really for me watercolour has become a compelling journey as I discovered new ways of conveying the way nature casts her light. What's really fun is that there are no rules - if it works, it's good!
My key motivations are Nature (She deserves the capitalization, by the way!), and the fall of light on any subject. I try to ensure that rather than simply painting my subject, I try to paint the light that defines it; if the light isn't fascinating, it isn't interesting!
Watercolour is a beautiful, luminous and glowing medium which has a power like no other to capture the colours of Nature. I love working in it: a single stroke can capture exactly what you want to say but by the same token the same stroke can completely destroy a painting! I also enjoy the spontaneity of the medium: there are few second chances and you are often forced to work quickly, which I find gives life and sparkle to the work. And sometimes when the paint doesn't quite do what you intended it can produce fascinating effects which you can then use to your advantage. Each painting starts as a sheet of white paper, and I love the rush I get from that first brush stroke and not knowing 100% what is going to happen!
My key motivations are Nature (She deserves the capitalization, by the way!), and the fall of light on any subject. I try to ensure that rather than simply painting my subject, I try to paint the light that defines it; if the light isn't fascinating, it isn't interesting!
Watercolour is a beautiful, luminous and glowing medium which has a power like no other to capture the colours of Nature. I love working in it: a single stroke can capture exactly what you want to say but by the same token the same stroke can completely destroy a painting! I also enjoy the spontaneity of the medium: there are few second chances and you are often forced to work quickly, which I find gives life and sparkle to the work. And sometimes when the paint doesn't quite do what you intended it can produce fascinating effects which you can then use to your advantage. Each painting starts as a sheet of white paper, and I love the rush I get from that first brush stroke and not knowing 100% what is going to happen!
Rob's Work
I start almost all of my work on site, sketching and drawing from life. This is my favourite way to create a work, allowing me to really 'feel' a piece, having been there and really observed the scene closely. I also make notes to myself about colours and the fall of light and shade. I then do most of my painting back at the studio, which is much more comfortable! It also makes for more precision and detail. Sometimes I prepare with pencil sketches and small studies to develop the colours and tones; sometimes I just start painting and go where the painting takes me. Although I paint in my studio, I always make sure that my work is informed by my observations of nature in my outside work. In this way, I believe my paintings have honesty, life and integrity. I hope you like them!
My works, both original paintings and limited edition fine prints, are in private collections across the world.
My works, both original paintings and limited edition fine prints, are in private collections across the world.