A London-based artist created this magical time-lapse of a hyper-realistic watercolour painting of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan.

In the video, captured on March 19, Yorkshire-born Matthew Phinn paints a pretty winter scene of Shirakawago, a village of 150 old thatched farm buildings in northern Gifu Prefecture.

The time-lapse video shows the progress from blank canvas to the finished work of art.

"This painting demonstrates a traditional transparent watercolour technique, using English paints and paper with both English and Japanese brushes," explains Phinn. "After the initial pencil, I use masking fluid to mask out the lightest areas then apply the paint, finishing with a fixative to protect the surface.

"Various effects can be achieved through painting onto wet paper, dragging a large dry brush across the paper and varying the type of brush and gesture," he adds.

Since 2011, Phinn has been a permanent member of Japanese Watercolour Society, with which he exhibits annually. He lives in west London and regularly visits Japan to paint, teach and exhibit.

"Shirakawago has often been recommended to me during my time painting and exhibiting in Japan," he explains. "The remote mountain village of traditional thatched houses is blanketed in snow through the winter and is also a popular beauty spot during the autumn. I’ve always been drawn to painting snow scenes, particularly with water so I found the perfect place here!"

Matthew was born in Yorkshire and studied Fine Art at the University of Leeds and the University of California. He went on to spend six years as an artist in residence in Japan and Bermuda. Matthew has exhibited with The Royal Society of Marine Artists, The Royal Institute of Oil Painters and The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, where he has won the Matt Bruce Memorial Prize and the Anthony J Lester Art Critic Award. In 2012 he won the prestigious Bath Prize and since 2011 Matthew has been a permanent member of Japanese Watercolour Society, with which he exhibits annually. He lives in London and regularly visits Japan to paint, teach and exhibit.

Shirakawago is a world heritage site situated in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. I visited during the winter and fell in love with the place and have since painted many snowscenes here.

In terms of technique, I employ a traditional watercolour method, layering transparent colours from light to dark and leaving white areas rather than using white paint. In some case I use masking fluid. Various effects can be achieved through painting onto wet paper, dragging a large dry brush across the paper and varying the type of brush and gesture.

Music: Windswept Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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