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Thursday 25 February 2016

Interview with artist
Atanas Matsoureff






Atanas Matsoureff is an artist renowned for his realist watercolours. He is a self-taught artist based in Bulgaria, and is an Ambassador for St Cuthberts Mill.

"Watercolour is a painting technique which offers an infinite scope of possibilities for artistic expression, highly demanding on the part of the artist concentration combined with passion. The beauty of watercolour painting lies in the white of the paper, the lightness, the movement, the transparency, the vibrant colours.I paint from nature and I bow before the beauty and the forces of the Nature and the simple,ordinary things around us. I try to catch the spirit of each material and to touch the thing beyond reality." Atanas Matsoureff.



'At the end of the day' 2015
by Atanas Matsoureff



Interview with Atanas Matsoureff - Feb 12th 2016
Tell me about when you decided to go “pro”. When did you decide to dedicate yourself to your art. Give us an example of what that meant to you. (What pushed your artwork from amateur level to professional?)
Soon after I had started to paint only watercolour and to explore it's potential I decided to dedicate my whole life to it. The process of becoming “pro” is slow and invisible. To become a good watercolorist you need to dedicate years to figuring out the medium. To observe, to be patient, to constantly think about it, to work a lot, out of love. I think the moment when I realised that things just started to happen and happen beautifully, and was much more interesting than hard to work with the medium was a step to professional level.

Please state which St Cuthberts Mill papers you use and why?
I like very much St. Cuthberts Mill papers because of their quality. I like to experiment with different papers  – mould made, handmade, rag, not cotton, vintage papers. Can say that St. Cuthberts Mill papers are one of the best nowadays, they are somehow ultimate. I know I can paint everything on them without any doubts or fears about their behaviour as I know what to expect and what paper can give me.
Mainly I use:
  • Saunders Waterford (NOT), 300, 425 gr. (both natural and high white),
  • Saunders Waterford (ROUGH), 300 gr.,
  • Millford.

How does the use of these papers enhance your work?  
I think watercolour paper makes 80% of the work. That's why it's necessary to know the  papers. It's important to me to paint different subjects on different kind of paper. There is always a feeling of discovery, never boring. And for me as an artist painting in different genres it was always a pleasure that I could find appropriate papers from St. Cuthberts Mill.

'June Night' 2013
by Atanas Matsoureff

Is there an artist you admire, did they inspire you to be an artist yourself?
There are many of them, but the most inspiring is the greatest American artist Andrew Wyeth.

Do you remember the first painting you did that you were really proud of?
It was a small sketch of a floating boat, painted many years ago.

What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Frequently get responses from the people that my paintings remind them of some moments of their own stories which they want to keep.


And I do believe that this is what the art should do – touch the souls.

What are you working on right now?
Currently I'm in Moscow, Russia and paint some old buildings in the centre of the city using Waterford.


What’s the one painting you’ve painted that you will always keep?
The first portrait in sepia of a grand mother series.

'Grandmother' 2007
by Atanas Matsoureff

What advice would you give to yourself, the artist you were 10 years ago?
Work more, explore more, don't be afraid.


Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?
I love to touch the surface of the paper before to start paint on it. I want to feel it, to understand it and then it's not just a paper anymore...


We'd like to thank Atanas Matsoureff for doing this interview with us - To view more of Atanas' incredible work head over to his website!


For more info about Saunders Waterford paper:






Monday 22 February 2016

St Cuthberts Mill 
mentioned in the book 'Somerset Voices'


Opening bales of esparto grass from North Africa at St Cuthberts Mill, Wookey, 1935.
Sometimes snakes were found!


“When I started, the main ingredient for paper was esparto grass and that mainly came from South Africa and North Africa, hundreds of tons and that used to come in by boat to Bristol. It looked like straw, the same colour, but it was rough, coarse grass and that was the main ingredient of paper in those days. We used to make all kinds of paper from Basildon Bond writing paper to paper for office uses. Different companies had their own watermarks. In the 1960’s it became very competitive and we could not compete in that type of paper. At that stage esparto grass was phased out and wood pulps from all over the world took over. One of the first industrial papers that we started making was for the Formica table-tops, which had to be strong and absorbent to absorb the resins that was added.”


Eddie Stubbins (b.1927) was employed at St Cuthberts Mill and Wookey Hole Mill on the edge of the Mendips. He worked in various departments making both hand-made and industrial paper.



Somerset Voices: A Celebration of Memories
Book by Liz Snelgrove and Louise F. Clapp






Friday 12 February 2016

Interview with artist Daniel Marshall









Daniel Marshall is an award winning tattooer who has been tattooing for over 20 years. In the fall of 2011 he became completely obsessed with painting in watercolor. Painting en plein air nearly everyday and studying under renowned watercolor artist Joseph Zbukvic, Dan's technique developed rapidly. He has quickly developed a confident style, with his paintings being accepted into many juried exhibitions and winning awards.  In 2016, Dan was granted signature status with the American Watercolor Society. Dan's style brings a sense of space and atmosphere with a quiet sophistication. Through his careful compositions and use of tone, his works have a poetic narrative, each piece telling a unique story. Daniel Marshall is an Ambassador for St Cuthberts Mill.


                'Northfork pumpkin picking' by Daniel Marshall 

Juried into the American Watercolor Society 147th international exhibition

Watercolour on Saunders Waterford Rough paper



Interview with Daniel Marshall - Feb 11, 2016
Tell me about when you decided to go “pro”. When did you decide to dedicate yourself to your art. Give us an example of what that meant to you. (What pushed your artwork from amateur level to professional?)
Finally realising I had to live my life as an “artist” is what pushed me from amateur to professional. I have been a professional tattoo artist and painter for almost 20 years but I was not “living” as an artist. In 2012 I became obsessed with painting in watercolor. Already an accomplished artist but my beginning attempts were less than amateur. I began living as an “artist “ at that point. Absorbed in studying artists I admired, art history of the periods of art that spoke to me, and keeping a constant sketchbook. What I mean by this is if I have a free moment, I am drawing from life in my sketchbook taking visual notes and training my eye to better see proportions and values. Every artist I have ever admired kept a daily sketchbook. When I started this habit my drawing and painting abilities grew by leaps and bounds. To become a professional artist, don't pretend to be an artist, Do the work! Act like an artist, always seeing, creating, utilising down time being creative instead of wasting it with the other distractions of modern life.

Please state which St Cuthberts Mill papers you use and why?
I use single sheets of St Cuthberts Mill Saunders Waterford Rough 300 g/m(140b) and Saunders Waterford rough 356 g/m(260lb) exclusively. The quality to others is beyond compare, this is truly an exquisite paper. There is a softness to the paper that other brands lack, allowing the pigment to mix wonderfully on the surface and ideal for wet on wet watercolour techniques. There is also no need to “stretch” this paper, the sizing does its job perfectly and paintings always dry flat.

How does the use of these papers enhance your work?  
Saunders Waterford paper allows me to work in the way that I want to work with absolutely no restrictions or inhibitions due to performance. EVERY sheet I’ve ever used has been consistent in its quality. When I pull out a new sheet and tape it to my board I know Exactly what to expect. High performance painting luxury!

'NYC Hustle' by Daniel Marshall
Watercolour on Saunders Waterford Rough paper

Is there an artist you admire, did they inspire you to be an artist yourself?
My first artistic inspiration was my Father. A pastor and very talented and creative. Of course John Singer Sergent, Sorolla, Whistler, George Bellows, Monet, Renoir, Sisley and Impressionists. Australian Tonalists Arthur Streeton. Current artists Joseph Zbukvic, Richard Schmid, Jeremy Mann, Casey Baugh, Robert Hernandez. I find inspiration in a variety of painters and all mediums. There is so much to learn from artists not only in your chosen medium.

Do you remember the first painting you did that you were really proud of?
The first painting I was really proud of was my first piece accepted into the American Watercolor Society’s annual exhibition a few years ago. It is titled North Fork Pumpkin Pickers. I was very careful in planning the composition and tones and everything came together just right.

What memorable responses have you had to your work?
I work painting outside en plein air almost everyday and meeting people first hand and hearing their comments while a work is in progress is always so motivating and inspiring to me. I have been working in watercolour a relatively short time and to be accepted and recognised by the artists I look up to is a all the response I need.

What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on a few different themes. Some figurative themes with Barbers, Vintage moto riders and racers. Cityscapes of New York City, beach and winery scenes of California and landscapes of Wyoming.

'Racer' by Daniel Marshall
Watercolour on Saunders Waterford Rough paper


What’s the one painting you’ve painted that you will always keep?
I won my first painting award in a juried show that was awarded by juror Stephen Quiller. The painting is “The Cows of Rhinebeck”. It is so meaningful to me to have been awarded by someone I admire so much. I have this painting hanging in my studio to as motivation to not be lazy and aim higher than you think possible.

What advice would you give to yourself, the artist you were 10 years ago?
Draw more! Sketch everything, all the time and don't be lazy! Same advice I try to use everyday.

Anything else you'd like to mention that I didn't ask?
Thanks again for inviting me to do this interview!



We'd like to thank Dan for doing this interview with us - To view more of Dan's amazing work head over to his website! 

For more info about Saunders Waterford paper:


Wednesday 3 February 2016

Paperworld/Creativeworld 2016

St Cuthberts Mill
Hall 4.1 K48


We had a fantastic time at Creativeworld/ Paperworld - Lots of positive discussions and feedback. 
Big thanks to everyone who came to see us!



Tuesday 2 February 2016

Paperworld/Creativeworld 2016

St Cuthberts Mill
Hall 4.1 K48


Artist Anders Anderson demonstrating on our 
stand using Saunders Waterford 190gsm paper.





Monday 1 February 2016

Paperworld/Creativeworld 2016

St Cuthberts Mill
Hall 4.1 K48


Some photo's from our stand!