TASH TALK Report by Robert Gurney: As If By Magic: The Secrets of Turner's Watercolour Techniques, by Nicola Moorby, April 16th 2026

This was the first of two lectures by Nicola Moorby presented to between The Arts Society Henley (TASH) on its AGM 2026 day.  This lecture, on Turner's watercolour techniques, was eye-opening.  

Although earlier artists had used watercolours, they were mainly used for washes on drawings.  Turner used watercolours to create landscapes themselves.  When he was working, he had to mix many of the paints himself, and his palettes and tools were shown as well as his sketchbooks and finished and preparatory pictures.  

He was inventing many of his own techniques, which are now commonplace, but were not then.  He effectively created the marketplace for watercolour landscapes.  It was fascinating to see how he did this, particularly as he was secretive about his methods so it was a matter of detective work to find the techniques out.

Nicola is curator of British Art 1790-1850 at Tate Britain, and is widely published on art of this period, including a newly-published and very well received book on Turner and Constable.  The Tate has recently staged a knockout exhibition on Turner and Constable, and the two lectures amplified and extended these for TASH members.