Watercolours With Emotion

Buster coming to life in watercolour

I paint from life as often as possible which often sees half finished paintings of animals evolving like the one of Buster above. Looking at how light plays on colouring, his pose, the texture and softness of his fur has taught me so much about painting cats.

Instead of racing to complete a painting I have taken time to enjoy every brushstroke and consider how it could be improved. Whilst painting sleeping cats has become a pastime capturing beautiful eyes has become more of a passion.

My model Buster has given me six years of lessons in how to paint cats and for that and his affection I am so very grateful. Sadly yesterday we learned our fluffy monster of a cat has Cancer. The prognosis is only two months to a year to live.The vet has been so kind  as they are aware we lost our elderly dog Taffy before Christmas of last year so they wanted to do everything they could to help but there is no treatment.Nothing can be done to help my four legged teddy bear of a cat.

I have cried and my spirit has dropped because the joy I feel  being with this companion who sneaks behind my table easel to sleep daily is precious. He snores peculiarly through one side of his nose only so when I hear a squeaking noise I become aware he is in the room.

Knowing me I will find a way to paint my emotions into a new piece and  also try to help the Cancer Research Fund. For now my studio is quiet with the news we will be losing a four legged companion,friend,model and loved pet so very unexpectedly.

Muscari in Watercolour 2011

Spring 2011

Muscari 2011

Two minute garden study

I have been eagerly looking forward to painting in my garden in sunshine.We moved  to this cottage last year and planned ahead by planting spring flowers last autumn. I far prefer to work from life as much as possible because the feeling of light  is far greater especially when painting outside.The  beautiful fresh colours add a touch of life to art when you can observe directly from nature as often as possible.

The very first of the Muscari ( Grape Hyacinth ) are beginning to blossom so while I was painting in the garden this afternoon I quickly made a small study of the colours for future refernce.

Muscari 2011

 I always demonstrate these little flowers in my Spring workshops and they seem to have become a firm favourite with artists who attend. The shapes are so simple to capture and their delicate colour is fascinating.

Spring Workshop Demonstration Soft Colour

 Spring Workshop Demonstration Stronger Colour

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I often share photographs of the flowers and subjects  I am working from on my cottage blog in case anyone is interested in seeing more photographs there.

cottagehaven.blogspot.com

Observing Magic

Magical colour effects in watercolour

Daniel Smith Products

 

 

It doesn't matter how often I paint  there is never a time when I don't feel in awe of the magic that watercolour can create as a medium. This week I experimented for my new book which will be published in 2012. I have  new techniques and colour interactions which I am really excited about sharing. My research into what is already "out there" versus what could be uniquely new is a fabulous excuse to spend hours and literally days working on  different approaches to a variety of subjects. Looking at how to capture them with  fabulous unusual results.

My favourite effect this week has to be the above mixture of colour which really does highlight the incredible beauty of watercolour. This pattern is not created by the artist. The magic is in what the medium can do. Nothing in the art world compares to watercolour. I adore oil and pastel. Acrylics come into the arena in their own way but in my mind I still see them as a stop gap between using pure oil or as a replacement for working in true watercolour which has a reputation for being the most difficult medium to use. Many acrylic artists I know tell me they prefer  them purely because they are easier to master. And there is a myth that watercolours aren't as vibrant. The sense of achievement when working with a medium that isn't easy to handle is euphoric whilst the vibrant claim flies out of the window at times when brilliant colour combinations sing in compositions full of life.

I am working with Daniel Smith watercolours,experimenting and really enjoying what is happening when their colours combine.

I doubt I will ever have enough hours in a day to achieve all I wish to achieve in experimentation but the sheer pleasure of working  every single minute that I can is  bliss!

On My Easel

 New Collection for the Watercolours With Life Exhibition at

The Wey Gallery,Godalming in April 2011

" Definitely a Winner!"

New Watercolour

I have  some really exciting pieces in my studio at the moment.Two  particular pieces I am racing to paint each morning are horse racing scenes. Both have an incredible sense of light and movement. I feel this is more than justthe  passion for painting I carry in my soul. I truly am a watercolour addict. I can't wait to see how new colour combinations or water effects turn out each day. I will have a fabulous favourite painting, start a new piece and find that the next painting becomes my new favourite.

Life is wonderful.The colours I use to set my mood from years of training really lift my spirits or calm my soul depending on what I need most of all. Which is why I am  taking the two day seminar at Four Seasons Hotel in April. " Painting Escapes" not only looks at ways to work in watercolour but also how working with the medium as I do can  de stress and change your life in many positive ways.

I have to keep this  blog entry very short as I desperately want to get back to painting!

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"Painting Escapes", two day retreats are being held at Four Seasons Hotel in Dogmersfield , Hampshire UK. To book a place for an experience of a lifetime please contact the hotel directly.

"Watercolours with Life" the exhibition will take place at the Wey Gallery  in Godalming, Surrey. For further information please contact the gallery directly who will be able to advise on the Private Preview and arrange invitations. Everyone is welcome.

David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year 2011 Exhibition

David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year Exhibition 2011

Mall Galleries, London

6th-11th June

"Almost There" 

From my book"How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour" by Search Press

Selected for the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year Exhibition 2011

This afternoon I  heard the wonderful news that I have been selected as a finalist in the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year 2011 Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London which will be held in June of this year.

I was selected in 2010 with another painting of an elephant. The experience is one I will always remember. I admire work by professional wildlife artists, I always have. I  am often left speechless at the stunning detail and atmosphere caught in their work which is so very different to my style. So much so that when I first heard about the WAY exhibition I hesitated at  submitting a painting. But then a thought hit me that this was not about purely being in an exhibition. It was about raising funds and awareness for beautiful creatures who need help desperately to survive.

I have a favourite painting from my first book " How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour"  which I was going to keep as this piece means so much to me.

It is called " Almost There" because I believe many animals are only just surviving and could disappear without our help. We need to step in and  make sure our grandchildrens children have the beauty in the animal world to enjoy that we often take for granted.

I could get very emotional decsribing how I feel but there is a far better way to show how much we can do and that is for me to direct you to the David Shepherd web site where you can read all the details of activities and events taking place to make a difference in this world. 

http://www.davidshepherd.org/

You will also be able to read the full details of the exhibition. 

Last year it was incredible so please don't miss it!

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Racing Against Time

 Invitation for The Wey Gallery

"Watercolours With Life" Exhibition

Which opens in April 2011

I can't believe how much is happening at the moment and definitely feel as though I am constantly racing from one project to the next. I have two exhibitions in April, "Painting Escapes" my two day retreats begin with the first Spring event taking place at Four Seasons Hotel in April. I also have two main art society demonstrations to give. Apart from that I am writing a feature for an art magazine and working on my second book. There is also another wonderful project in the pipelines that is under wraps at the moment but is very exciting and I am looking at my 2012 schedule which also needs confirming.

As an artist I desperately just want to paint in my studio and was really into a new watercolour yesterday when the phone rang from a contact that needed images for a feature and possible cover of a magazine. These interruptions occur on a regular basis.I have learned that life as a professional artist isn't about painting as much as being able to communicate at all levels with many different sources. At any time!

But today the sun is shining and I am going to paint because I have the most amazing first wash of a horse racing scene on my easel which is completely new in design, structure and colour combination. It is so exciting that even typing about it is getting my artistic heart beat racing. It is one of those paintings that gets right into your soul and you can't leave it alone for a second. If you are not working on it you find it is still there in your mind constantly begging you to continue with the next additions of colour. I feel about this piece like many masters must have felt about their famous work in the past. I can imagine Van Gogh or Monet desperately trying to portray in their paintings the emotions and feelings they carried in their heart and minds about the subjects they saw and conveyed.

It's definitely time to leave the computer and  get to the colour  and brushstrokes, I can't wait any longer!

It is going to be a fantastic day!

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Painting For a Reason

Yesterdays Book Signing in London

Raising Funds for Special Children

 Looking tired after a full weekend.

Yesterday I  attended a charity function in London to raise funds for special children in need.The day was wonderful held at a fabulous venue. The Royal Garden Hotel  in Kensington.

There were several celebrities in the ballroom including stars from stage and television. I sat with  the President of the SWA Barbara Penketh Simpshon along with fellow guests Christine and Neil Hamilton. Christine was the guest speaker and was signing copies of her own book  along side mine in the foyer of the hotel. Joan Morecombe, wife of the wonderful late Eric Morecombe was also on our table.

Before the auction of the event took place guests watched a film of all the children who have been helped previously. However what really touched my heart most of all was a short talk by the head mistress of a centre for  youngsters who are dependant on the centre. She shared a short film showing the poor state the school was in. Plaster was falling off the walls in places, there was a neglected garden that they hope to turn into a sensory area which can be used to benefit all in their care. Sensory equipment can bring so much joy to faces of youngsters like this. The centre desperately needs help. The school didn't even own a mini bus for helping to  bring the chlidren to and from the centre.

When the lot of my painting came up for auction I was pleased when it sold to the winning bid for such a worthy cause.

When many of us have so much  in our lives giving in any way possible can do so much to help. Offers of donations come flooding in for auction prizes but it is the donation of actual money that can really have the most effect. I found my own arm going into the air for one of the prizes purely because I wanted to make sure this school and all the children in it have all they need for their lives to be happier and complete.

I looked around the room and thought of my friends who love shopping.  Giving up that new pair of shoes or dress which you don't really need, or donating the money from a night out and staying in to watch TV just once instead, looking at any way to help others by making one small sacrifice in our lives could make such a dramatic difference in others lives.

I have another event where I will be donating a painting in July but this will be rather a special piece painted from the heart to raise as much as possible because I desperately want a mini bus at that school. And I want sensory equipment there. 

But in the meantime I am going to do all I can to help raise funds for children who ask nothing more in this life than to be loved. And we all have the power to make that happen.

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A friend has been staying for the weekend as they wished to visit a close friend  with Cancer. She lost her battle in the early  hours of this morning. We all knew each other years ago and she is far too young to have left this world  so soon.  In my life there are times when I quietly reflect how  lucky we are ,how we should never take a single day for granted, how every single thing we see from the smallest of  flowers to the most magnificent of buildings.Nothing is a given and no tomorrow is guaranteed.  I believe by one persons actions anothers life can be changed. From a smile, kind word or simply by being there. Whatever you are doing today I hope at some moment in it you effect some one elses life.With a smile, kind word or by being there when needed. And if you are the one that needs all three I hope reading this will let you know  someone on the other side of this screen really cares about you.

For anyone wishing to help Cancer Research please see this link.

http://supportus.cancerresearchuk.org/

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Lady Taverners Auction

Lady Taverners Spring Auction

London 2011

"The Herb Picker"

 From my book

" How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour "

Last week I organised the delivery of books to be signed along with cards of the above painting "The Herb Picker" from my first book " How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour" to the head office of the Lady Taverners in preparation for the Spring Lunch event in London today. The original painting was also collected and taken for the auction.

The lunch will take place at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington attended by guests and Lady Taverners from all over UK as today is the National  General Meeting of the charity organisation. I will be attending with the President of the SWA, Society of Women  Artists, Barbara Penketh Simpson.

The ballroom will be beautifully decorated as always for these occasions and  I will be signing books before the lunch takes place

This particular painting has been a firm favourite of mine ever since the day it was first painted. As an example of watercolour it has become a terrific teaching aid as it covers so much in technique when studied. It has sections left to the imagination, enough detail to tell the story but not too much to create fuss.There are effects from splattering contrasting with directional  brushwork and the composition is pleasing. It also has a very light feel to it and invites the viewer to consider the story behind the piece.Where is the lady looking and why.

Parting with paintings is often difficult. I could never have sold this one in a gallery as several people wanted it. To donate it along with cards printed of the same design to help raise funds for special children via the Lady Taverners of which I am a full member to me is a far more rewarding way  of saying goodbye to a favourite piece.

Having sent all the books,cards and this painting up to London in time to be displayed well in advance all I need to do now is decide what to wear. I had best get off my computer!

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Painting Cats Watercolour Workshop 2011

Purrfect Cats Workshop 2011

 Siamese Kitten Sleeping

Next month I have a watercolour workshops on how to paint cats in a loose style. It will be a fun day filled with information on how to capture eyes,poses,character and emotion in each painting.

At the moment  many photographs of cats are flooding in by email for a variety of reasons and it is fun looking through the possible subjects not just for the workshop session but also for ideas for my next book.

What I really would like to come across is a pure white cat but I think my artistsic imagination is just going to have to create one!

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"Purrfect Cats" , How to Paint Cats in a Loose Style Workshop will be held on 14th April, 2011 in Hampshire, U.K.

There is one cancellation  if  anyone is interested in the place. If so please contact me on jeanhaines@hotmail.com

Amazing Ways With Watercolour DVD on You Tube!

"Amazing Ways With Watercolour"

DVD

 I am still abolsutely overwhelmed by the popularity of my new DVD "Amazing Ways With Watercolour".

Stunned is probably a more appropriate word! Orders are still coming in from all over the world. It really is amazing.

When Town House Films contacted me last year and first invited me to create a film I looked at their list of artists immediately recognising names I admire such as Shirley Trevena and Charles Reid. I questioned my standing and ability  against these incredible role models in the art world. But I knew in my heart I desperately wanted to share my passion for watercolour and encourage everyone who  is curious or already loves the medium to try my style. I work in a very relaxed manner making the most of the pigments as they flow with water. Subjects often seem to magically appear and there is truly something incredible going on while the creation process takes place. Not just on paper because this way of working really does seem to effect ones way of life also.

This week has been astounding as news of  orders from all over the world continued to come in. I am taken aback,thrilled and in many ways lost for words. Thank heavens I was not speechless on the DVD as I truly am aiming to take the fear out of working in waterolour and instead redirect the focus to the fantastic results one can gain from working with what must be the worlds most beautiful medium.

If you would like to see a preview of my DVD there is now a trailer on you tube. Here is the link and I hope you like it. By covering a variety of subjects and different ways to approach painting I hope this shows the versatility of my style.Nothing is out of bounds as a subject and you don't need a pencil!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7baqbUio18

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" Amazing Ways With Watercolour" can be purcahsed from Town House Films who will send the DVD anywhere in the world .

http://www.townhousefilms.co.uk/

" How To Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour" my first book gives step by step demonstrations along with tips on how I work  from  choosing a subject, the materials I use and my technqiues which is a great  way to absorb working in a loose style along with the DVD.

Available from Amazon.com, Search Press,  SAA Society for All Artists

Watercolours With Life Exhibition 2011

THE WEY GALLERY

 "Watercolours With Life"

The Exhibition

Wey Gallery

Godalming,Surrey, U.K

This week I visited the Wey Gallery in Godalming to discuss my  "WatercoloursWith Life"  Exhibition that will open on 17th April. It really is amazing how much happens behind the opening of an exhibition, details that are vital and decisions that take time away from  the brushes and painting that I love so much.

I was invited to show at the Wey Gallery last year after successful sales of my work which included subjects such as my sheep and also horse racing watercolours.  The Wey Gallery as a venue can showcase my larger paintings which I so love working on as they give me the freedom to completely express myself through colour.

Whilst I adore painting in watercolour on a daily basis the pieces that leave my studio and make it to frames in galleries are always the ones I would keep in my home.The favourites that I find very hard to part with. And this exhibition will be containing not just new work but paintings from my private collection that I had decided to keep as part of my journey in watercolour.

All will be for sale and I must admit I am looking forward to seeing the collection all together and hung in this beautiful  location.

If you are free on Sunday, 17th April I would love to meet you at the gallery. It promises to be a very special day.

Work will be online to view and purchase once the preview has taken place.  If you would like further details please contact the gallery directly on

01483 418013

You can read more about the gallery on

http://www.theweygallery.com/

 

 

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Record Breaking DVD " Amazing Ways With Watercolour"

I am absolutely thrilled! After a full day preparing for two exhibitions I returned home from a meeting to  even more wonderful news regarding my new DVD "Amazing Ways With Watercolour". You can read why I am so happy from this link to Town House Films blog.

http://www.townhousefilms.blogspot.com/

Quote "We can scarcely keep up with the torrent of Jean Haines fans from around the world who are racing to place their pre-orders for her new DVD which is released this week. Orders prior to release have broken all our sales records!"

Apparently there are orders coming in from all over the world!

From USA, France, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Japan, Belgium and the Phillipines to name just a few countries.

It is incredible and such exciting news.

I am over the moon, really excited and a little lost for words! All I have ever wanted to do is share my passion for watercolour so that everyone can love it as much as I do. It looks  as though my dream of doing just that  is really coming true!

Thank you to everyone who is buying a copy!

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Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire Two Day Watercolour Retreat

  

Four Seasons Hotel

Hampshire, UK

"Painting Escapes"

April 2011

April 26, 27 and 28th

Welcome evening  to meet the artist and fellow guests on 26th April at the Hotel.

Until now I have only taken one day workshops on  a number of subjects to allow more artists places to come to my ever growing  in popularity sessions. Over the last twelve months I have been inundated with requests to hold two day seminars so that artists can enjoy building up a painting, study technique and relax without the concern of a joruney for a one day event.

I am also discovering many artists are coming to me for the experience in loosening up their style or searching for new ideas with colour combinations and  that extra  sense of excitement in their results.

Among those coming to me are those who are simply curious about watercolour as a medium.

Whatever the reason I know from feedback that everyone leaves my sessions on a high and are eager to paint when they get home.

Relaxing through colour and enjoying what watercolour as a medium can do is such an amazing experience. In many ways it can be life changing.

This April I will be taking a unique two day retreat " Painting Escapes" at Four Seasons Hotel in Dogmersfield,Hampshire.  

This will be a wonderful opporunity to escape into a world of colour surrounded by the most wonderful countryside of Jane Austens time. Nearby there are wonderful places to visit such as Chawton where Jane Austen lived. The local churches and villages are a delight to visit and the colours at this time of year will make the experience even more  memorable. There are also many activities for non painting partners such as golf, horse riding, clay shooting and fishing.

As always places  are strictly limited and these are my only sessions available in 2011 at the moment which makes it even more vital to book early.

If you are interested please contact the hotel directly for a place and I look forward to greeting you on the welcome evening.

Tel. 44 1252 853000

For further details please visit this web site

http://www.fourseasons.com/hampshire/

"Purrfect Cat" Watercolour Workshop 14 April 2011

Workshop Places

Two places are available on my How to Paint Cats in a Loose Style Workshop this Spring

Early stages of a Cat Painting, not mine

My Grand daughters.

I recently had a very special art student staying with me  for a week to learn the behind the scene  life of a professional artist for a work experience connected with a school project. Cassie is my grand daughter and a very talented young artist. Over the course of the week apart from working on my schedule which involves writing, exhibiting and teaching there was free time to paint.

I was working on some paintings of cats and showed Cassie how to build up a painting and study the subject closely in the process of movement with a brush. You can see the result in the above painting. There is no preliminary sketch but a lot of vibrance in the  cat that is beginning to come to life.

This beautiful  start of a painting of a cat came about purely becuase Cassie is an open book.She absorbs all information readily and enthusiastically recreates it on paper in her own way.

Maybe artists who are older have pre concieved ideas of how their results will turn out. Often assuming everything will be a "disaster". But letting go of these negative thoughts and having fun while working makes such a huge difference. 

I have a watercolour workshop coming up in April that now has two places available due to unforeseen circumstances of cancellations. If anyone would like to cease this opportunity and come to a one day session painting a number of beautiful cats please contact me on

jeanhaines@hotmail.com

It promises to be a day to remember!

The workshop takes place in Hampshire,UK next to an inn with accomodation available. Please contact me early if you are interested.

 Cat about to wash

First stages of a painting in watercolour

As always minus the use of a preliminary sketch.

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"I believe everyone can paint, the only thing stopping an artist from being amazing is the artist themselves."  Jean Haines

Celebrate Spring Exhibition in Odiham,UK

CELEBRATE SPRING in HAMPSHIRE, UK

EXHIBITION

Yesterday I visited THE FRAME GALLERY in Odiham, Hampshire to see the collection of watercolours that will be in my " Celebrate Spring " show. 

 This selection of paintings includes primroses and daffodils along with favourite subjects such as horse racing and cockerels. But as always there will be a few surprises.  

The opening will take place on 8th April 2011 at 5.30 p.m. where everyone is invited to join the celebration with a welcome evening where there is always a warm and fun atmosphere. For further information and details on how to get to the gallery please contact Jan on 01256 701082 or visit

www.theframeodiham.com

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You can read an update of my news on the SWA Society of Women Artists web site also including details of my new DVD " Amazing Ways With Watercolour " and book " How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour"

http://www.society-women-artists.org.uk/Society_News.html

Here artists will also  find details on the submission dates and how to become a member of the SWA,Society for Women Artists this year.

The Colour Of Life

Pure Pigment "Singing"  Together to Create a Great Song

 Watercolour creating amazing effects naturally

The week ahead is another full one as I prepare for two  exhibitions in April and apart from working on my second book I have been invited to write a feature for an established and  favourite art magazine.

 My studio time is often eaten away by other aspects  from life as an artist. I will be  working with galleries for the promotion of two events, preparing for a charity event that will be held in London a week today where I will be signing books and donating a painting for auction. Today I have a meeting regarding a Spring collection and my heart simply yearns to paint and paint only!

I am loving  capturing spring colours so at the moment everywhere I go I feast my eyes on a variety of  vibrant subjects which in turn I aim to paint in more interesting than ordinary ways. If I haven't a brush in my hand at least I can take more time  to look and observe all around me

Not a minute is wasted as every where I look I always see new paintings.

The colour of life can be rich if we turn every aspect of our daily routine into something positive and look at every minute as a glorious opportunity to  discover something new.

Spring Fever 2011: Daffodils in Watercolour

SPRING FEVER 2011

 

 Daffodil coming to life in pure watercolour

It hits me every year. Spring Fever! I find my enthusiasm for colour and light reaches an all time high when I am surrounded by beautiful flowers all bursting to life lining banks beside rivers and filling gardens. It is absolutely magical watching heads of daffodils swaying in the breeze. At this time of year the sense of movement I so yearn for in my work is even greater. I want a feeling of life in every single brush stroke.

Yesterday I noticed one flower in my garden had been  knocked over either by my over enthusaistic pup Bailey or thewind. Either way I tenderly carried it into my studio, placed the single flower in water and studied its form. I didn't race to paint it. I thought long and hard about the colours I would use and what I wanted from my finished pieces.

I started painting a solitary flower and enjoyed working on the gorgeous centre.

Daffodil Centre

As always this single flower and study led me to further compositions. When you are in love with a subject painting it  becomes far easier and much more enjoyable. I only ever  paint daffodils in Spring time as I prefer to paint them from life. These new paintings will be in two spring exhibitions I have coming up and then it will be a year before any of my daffodil paintings are available again. 

Unless I can actually see them in reality I cannot gain the life I want in my finished work. It is necessary for me to form an emotional attachment with every single subject I aim to capture in my beloved medium.

Watercolour.

 A beautiful group of daffodils begins to emerge  for a painting which will be in my next exhibition.

 One simple flower has led me to a million ideas for further exciting compositions. One moment in time led me to a session in my studio that has been so rewarding, rejuventaing my artists soul and guiding me into new areas to explore in vibrant colour combinations. Along with new technique ideas for my second book which will be published next year.

Waiting for exciting brushstrokes,this painting of daffodils will soon spring to life.

I cannot wait to pick up my brushes this morning which is how I want to feel every day. This is the reason why I am sharing my style and techniques in my book and DVDs. Hopefully so that everyone  who wishes to paint feels continually inspired and excited about working in watercolour. As I do!

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AMAZING WAYS WITH WATERCOLOUR DVD

"Amazing Ways With Watercolour" my new DVD is available from Town House Films and will be launched on March 18th. Orders are being taken now from all over the world with free delivery. Please place your order early to ensure a copy via this link as the demand has been incredibly high and unexpected.

http://www.townhousefilms.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=49&osCsid=4493cbbb0e38e4e01176d9beb2da7df8

" How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour" my first book is available from Amazon.com,SAA,Society for All Artists, Ken Bromley and Search Press

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Light-Water-How-Paint/dp/1844484882

 

 

What is Watercolour?

What is Watercolour?

 What is Watercolour?

What exactly is watercolour? I am constantly asked questions about the medium I adore and find the discussions that often follow absolutely  fascinating. In fact there are now so many products on the market that are classed as "watercolour" that I can understand the confusion and the need to  look into what this medium really is.

Formulations

 Watercolours are created by mixing pigment with water.  But what exactly can be classed as watercolour? Anything you add water to? That does seem to be the modern consensus and way of thinking which is why manufacturers have fun creating a vast  number of products with additions to the formulation to make the artist who wishes to work in this mediums life far easier.

Natural Pigment

I studied watercolour in Asia where my mentor used to ask me to create my own colour by grinding natural stones and then mixing them with water to create the most magical of shades.This was time consuming for a young artist who was eager to paint! This was the way years ago artists created their work and the results were incredible. Patience was needed but the rewards were high.

Now we simply order online or buy in a shop and we are ready to paint with colour instantly at hand. But what are we using compared to our ancestors?

Changing History

 Over the years as man learned that watercolour was difficult to handle they typically looked for an easier option rather than enjoy the already existing beauty. Other ingredients were added to the natural pigments for a vast number of reasons. To improve the granulation, slow down or speed up the flow or even speed up the drying process on paper which can then make the water colour products easier to control.

Water Based Products

Whichever way you look at it by changing the formulation to make the artists life easier is affecting the purity of the medium and results when using it. Which is why I don't see acrylics as watercolour or water based oils.  I see these products as an easier alternative to learning how to use a beautiful medium that creates astonishing results in its own right.

Watercolour Versus Water Colour

I admire the artist that paints in pure transparent watercolour and gains the insight into how the medium works. I admire artists who work in all mediums but wish  there was a clear definition into what watercolour really is. Can it honestly simply be a product manufactured to be mixed with water and then claim the name? I don't think so. Acrylics are acrylics, it's as simple as that!

This week has been so interesting and I have loved many conversations in it. One that made me laugh was that we add water to orange squash so if we painted with it  the result could be interesting. Would that make it " watercolour"?.  Anything that stains paper when water is added could be classed as "water colour" .

Only One Watercolour!

But for me there is only one product that genuinely can be classed as "watercolour". It comes in tubes or pans and on the product this word will be seen very clearly. It won't be defined as acrylic or any other description. It will be magical and admired for what it is and can do in the right hands. 

"Watercolour" is watercolour.

 Watercolour working on paper as only watercolour can!

And I love it!