Rowland Alston

Rowland Alston spent his working life at the Post Office, but his real love was painting the South Downs at dusk. He kept a small set of watercolours and a hat at his desk so he could dash out after shifts to catch the light on the fields. The 1932 watercolour “Amberley” shows a single farm building glowing amber against a violet sky—so quiet you can almost hear the sheep. Slide over to the British watercolour gallery and look for the light on that farmhouse wall; it’s the best place to start with Alston.