Royal Wedding Day 2011

Wedding Day

 

 The Most Beautiful of Brides 

Today is a very special day as a Royal Wedding is about to take place . For me yesterday was very special as I celebrated  my own wedding anniversary and it was  wonderful. I looked back over the years of an amazing life living all over the world with the man I have always loved and always will. We have celebrated our anniversaries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

I remember the morning  I prepared for my wedding and the dress I had waited to wear. I remember the feeling of  excitement as the moment drew nearer to looking into my future husbands eyes when we made the vows to love each other for the rest of our lives. Little did I realise then how strong my love would grow over the years and I know I am very blessed.

So as the wedding takes place today I am wishing HR Prince William and Kate the longest and happiest of marriages. I wish a certain mother could have been here to watch the occasion but somehow I feel she will be looking down with pride at a young man who has won the heart of a beautiful young lady and a nation by his charming and genuine personality.

Congratulations to the happy couple and may the years ahead be  full of the happiest of memories.

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Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire Two Day Watercolour Retreat

Four Seasons Hotel

"Painted Escapes"

This evening I will be at the wonderful Four Seasons Hotel to greet guests who are attending the first of my Two Day Watercolour retreats. The weather is wonderful and the Hampshire  countryside  respendant with the colours of Spring.

The exclusive sessions will be looking at the magic of watercolour as a medium, a wide variety of subjects and techniques showing how to capture them in completely unique ways .The seminars are aimed at being based on a personal level to give as much one to one  guidance as possible. I really am looking forward to the next two days in such beautiful surroundings.

I know the effect will be that I too will be racing for my brushes with  even more new fresh ideas for my next book.

Four Seasons Hotel  is now taking bookings fo rthe Autumn Painted Escapes but places are strictly limited to ensure the personal seminars can be fully enjoyed by all who attend.The goal is for everyone to leave the watercolour retreats feeling inspired,refreshed and motivated to paint.

Please book early through the hotel to avoid disappointment

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

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I am receiving so many requests for updates on my future workshops especially for this Autumn. For now I only have seminars planned at Four Seasons Hotel and places there are limited. So please book in advance if you would like to join me there. Expect full days of painting and be aware that each session can lead to a serious addiction  to working in watercolour as my enthusiasm for the medium is rather contagious!

Please watch my blog for new updates and contact me on jeanhaines@hotmail.com if you wish to have your name added to the workshop list for future sessions and 2012 news.

Watercolours With Life Exhibition 2011 Wey Gallery

Private Preview

Private Preview at the Wey Gallery

All paintings on the left wall are sold.

Time as always if flying by and I have hardly had a minute to add news to my blog. Last Sunday saw the Private Preview of my "Watercolours With Life" Exhibition at the Wey Gallery in Godalming. No one ever really knows how a preview is going to be until the moment arrives when the doors open. You may think you can guess how many people will be there and you can also try and guess which will be the first painting to sell. This was a memorable and wonderful occasion.

This is the first time I have held a solo at the Wey Gallery in Godalming. I had been invited to exhibit there during a conversation with the owners last year and agreed to a Spring event This allowed me time to prepare the collection as well as cover my other projects. I wanted to  showcase a wide variety of subjects. I am now becoming well known for cockerels and my collectible horse racing scenes. Paintings of sheep have also been very popular.  The delivery in advance before the show and the promotion was all perfectly in place when last Sunday finally arrived.

As I walked through the door my initial reaction was one of delight as my paintings had been hung perfectly. Spaced out beautifully so that they could be enjoyed indiviudally. As guests arrived it was obvious everyone had come to view the art. On a gorgeous sunny day the room felt full of colour and energy. The mood was cheerful and light.

Greeting guests during the show.

Red dots immediately were placed on favourite paintings that were sold. Due to the distance some guests had travelled  a few paintings were taken on the preview which is unusual but it seemed to add to the day. Watching one huge painting be taken from the wall created smiles all around and a reason to add a red dot quickly if you wanted a particular piece. Several paintings created so much interest had they been in triplicate they could have sold three times over.I don't sell prints as I prefer all work to be uniquely original.

Charles Bone RI and Victor Ambrus RI at the Private Preview.

Beautiful life sized sheep sculpture were in the  gallery and looked amazing. To me they are still very tempting as I can just imagine them in our garden and they would be so easy to  look after. They added to the collection of incredible art  for sale during the exhibition.

The Wey Gallery is in the heart of Godalming which is a really pretty town to visit with  fabulous countryside nearby. The show runs until  2nd May 2011 and my collection can be viewed  via this link.

http://www.theweygallery.com/artists/jeanhaines.swa.htm

The Wey Gallery Opening Times

 

 

The Wey Gallery 

"Watercolours With Life" 

Exhibition Opening Times 

I have been asked when the Wey Gallery will be open over the Easter break so here is the times that the gallery can be visited. The gallery will open by appointment only on public holidays so if you wish to see my work on these days please contact via the telephone number provided as the owner  will be happy to open.

 

 

Wednesday 20th  open 9.30am - 5pm
Thursday     21st       "      "         "
Good Friday 22nd CLOSED  (open by appointment only)
Saturday      23rd  open 9.30am - 5pm
Easter Sunday 24th      CLOSED
Bank Holiday Monday 25th CLOSED
Tuesday 26th - Thursday 28th 9.30am - 5pm
Bank Holiday Friday 29th (Royal Wedding) open by appointment only

Gallery number 01483 418013  mobile 07545 034454

 

 

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You can view the collection online via this link 

http://www.theweygallery.com/artists/jeanhaines.swa.htm

Glorious Morning

Glorious Morning

Proud Gent

Original Watercolour from my "Watercolours With Life" Solo Exhibition at the

Wey Gallery.Godalming.

£595

Waking to sunshine streaming through your window is a joyous sensation. On days like these in my mind I can already see vibrant colours arranged on my palette and I am eager to race to my studio to paint. I will take the warmth of the sun and aim to capture it in each of my pieces.  This is exactly what happened when I painted "Proud Gent" the  above watercolour of a gorgeous cockerel. I had been to a local farm and watched this incredible beauty proudly strutting his stuff  in brilliant sunshine.Where the sun rays hit his golden feathers he seemed to appear absolutely  radiant in colours which could be a challenge to keep that feeling of positive energy within him. His beady eye watched me as I took his photograph so I kept this wonderful moment in the finished peice. He made me smile,the painting still makes me smile and I am delighted to have it as part of my watercolour collection at the Wey Gallery  for my "Watercolours With Life" solo exhibition.

I'm going to enjoy the sunshine today,walk my wonderful Bearded Collie Bailey and then paint with  brilliantly hot colours. A perfect day!

"Proud Gent" waiting to be delivered to the Wey Gallery.

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All the paintings from my solo exhibition at the Wey Gallery can be viewed or purchased via this link.

http://www.theweygallery.com/artists/jeanhaines.swa.htm

Watercolours With Life Exhibition Preview

Watercolours With Life Exhibition 2011

Private Preview

"Watercolours With Life" , my solo exhibition at the Wey Gallery in Godalming,Surrey had its' Private Preview yesterday and officially opens this morning. It was an absolutely wonderful occasion.The minute I walked through the door of the gallery and saw the gorgeous window display I knew it was going to be a fabulous opening. My colourful  paintings were hung superbly and gave a vibrant display that was alive and bursting with energy. I love that everyone who came loved each painting which were varied in subject.

The attendance was wonderful with many visitors genuinely interested in seeing  my art and meeting me. I was thrilled with the positive feedback and wonderful comments on my work. Two wonderful artists in their own right who visited the preview were Charles Bone RI and Victor Ambrus RI, of Time Team Fame, with his gorgeous wife Glenys. To recieve feedback and discuss my style with these great names in art was a wonderful bonus on top of meeting wonderful artists and  art collectors during the event.

There was a superb buzz and of course red dots appearing during the two hour preview.One of the first piece to sell was the painting from the gallery invitation which proved to be very popular raising a lot of interest and admiration. However the red dot went very swiftly on the title card to confirm the sale. 

One very large painting had to leave the show on the day of the preview as the buyer was unable to come back to collect it. My winning cockerels " Head to Head" from my private collection also sold and will now be going to a new home. I have loved this piece in my own home so much but, having met the buyers, I am happy it will be as appreciated as it was here by all who saw it.This was one of the paintings that gained me my SWA ,Society for Women Artists full membership and was part of the winning  body of work presented with the Anthony J Lester Art Critic Award.

Market Colours

Wey Gallery Exhibition 2010

SOLD

During the opening I also accepted several extra large commissions which I will be working on over the coming months. I rarely take on commissions because as a free spirit I enjoy working from my heart and soul rather than for a deadline but each client is prepared to wait for their unique painting to be complete.

The show will run until 2nd May 2011. For those who can't make it to the gallery some of the collection can be viewed online via this link

http://www.theweygallery.com/artonthewey.htm

 

Now I really am all fired up to paint quietly in my studio but it is quite hard settling after such a fabulous weekend!

"Watercolours With Life" Exhibition Opens Today in Surrey

WATERCOLOURS WITH LIFE EXHIBITION

THE WEY GALLERY 

GODALMING

Surrey UK

http://www.theweygallery.com/

Opening today from 1.0 p.m -3.0 p.m

Everyone Welcome

After all the hard work of painting and  putting the collection together for my " Watercolours With Life" Exhibition at theWey Gallery in Godalming,Surrey the day had finally arrived for the opening.

The gallery have been a delight to work with due to their professional attitude. Months previously the collection was discussed follwing the initial invitation from last year for me to show in 2011. Planning ahead in detail down to invitations,subjects to be in the exhibition and promotion for the event has been an ongoing and enjoyable process.

I  visited the gallery on Friday of this week just to check everything was  in place  so that there wouldn't be any last minute glitches and there were none. Together as an artist I have worked with the gallery so that  today will be one to enjoy and I cannot wait for the moment when I walk through the doors for the opening.

 I would highly recommend a visit to the Wey Gallery. They showcase a wonderful  variety of art and are located in the heart of  Godalming, a really quaint town in Surrey , UK.

"As an independent gallery we strive to offer an exciting mix of Paintings, Original limited edition prints, Sculpture and Ceramics by new up and coming talent along with modern masters, including Craigie Aitchison CBE, RA, Sir Peter Blake RA, Sir Terry Frost and John Hoyland RA."

If you are there this afternoon from one to three I look forward to meeting you. All the art in my show will be online to view from the opening of the preview. 

 http://www.theweygallery.com/

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Alton Art Society Workshop 2011

Alton Art Society Workshop 2011

Field Mouse Appearing in a First Wash with a cute beady eye.
Alton Art Society Demonstration

Yesterday I drove through amazing English countryside to the village of Four Marksin Hampshire UK  where I had been invited to hold a Watercolour Workshop by Alton Art Society. The country lanes were lined by glorious yellow fields of rapeseed against a clear blue sky and the hills in the distance were blanketed with clusters of primroses. By the time I arrived at my location I was very eager to move my brushes!

The room quickly filled with society members who had come for the day. It certainly was a full room with eighteen artists attending. The session had been fully booked for a while with a few extra places allowed to give  more members a chance to come.

 I started with an introduction and discussion on art events in my life.It is only when I say out loud what I am doing that it really hits me how  very busy I am in my art career! I opened the days demonstrations with exciting washes followed by various approaches to working in a loose style. Everyone followed my step by steps with their own interpretations of my style on their choice of subject. After the small break for lunch I gave individual attention in the room and also demonstrated further to the group and to individuals on how to start their  paintings.

There were some wonderful questions,highlights of the day and brilliant enthusaism which is really fantastic to feel as the demonstrating artist. I am sat here realizing I painted zebra, a dog, various flowers, berries, a landscape, a hare,a robin and many more fascinating subjects. 

The day took me back to my time teaching at the Dubai International Art Centre.There the rooms would be full of artists of all levels wanting to paint a very varied range of subjects. Because the classes were popular and so large in number I would often demonstrate at the beginning of every session but then sit side by side with each individual giving them personal ideas on how to work with what they had chosen. It was such a fantastic way to teach and to this day I am still in touch with students and art colleagues from my time in Dubai. This way of teaching highlights the advantage of my technique being adaptable enough to jump from any subject all in one day at any moment in time duirng these lessons. I have leapt from painting faces to camels to landscapes and architecture all in one morning or afternoon session. This was great training for my workshops today which are alway full of surprises because even I don't know exactly what is going to happen as I never know just what I am going to be asked to paint when it comes to the free choice of subject.Its exciting and has helped me grwo  in my own creative process.  I have been told many times,you need to be brave to teach as I do but I love it!.

Which in turn reminds me of the workshop I once held on skies.I was walking around a very quiet room where all the students were supposed to be creating gorgeous clear blue skies. Aiming at soft clouds, hints of a breeze moving the clouds to bring life to the results. I am often asked questions during these moments and many were about the colours being used.Which blues were best,how much water to use. Out of the blue one arm raised and I took the question. " Please Jean how do you paint a giraffe?" I was a little taken abaack as that hadn't been a part of the demonstration! The lady in question wanted to paint a giraffe and place it in her "sky". There was a small titter of giggles that started quietly from everyone else in the room. Shoulders were shaking from those desperately trying hard not to laugh out loud. But eventually the giggles turned into gales of laughter including from myself and the lady who had asked the question. Days like this are heaven .No one else in the room had thought of painting anything but clear blue skies but I co operated and demo'd a small giraffe.

At the end of the day we lined up all the gorgeosu sky paintings. By now some had cottages in the foreground or flowers.They looked wonderful and we were all very happy. Standing out among the more peaceful landscapes was a single painting of a  blue sky with a giraffe almost flying through it. It made all of us smile at the time but interestingly that is the painting I remember. Because it was unique. It did stand out from the crowd and it created a reaction of happy smiles and even discussions on seeing giraffes.

I adore teaching and these very special memories. I have teaching qualifications and structure my workshops so that everyone coming has a glorious day leaving on a high and eager to paint. I love sharing my passion for watercolour and meeting new  friends who stay in touch for years to come. I am a very lucky lady as I love life and life  is good to me.

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Painted Escapes

26/27/28th April

My first watercolour retreats and two day seminars are at Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire UK. These are  very exclusive art breaks with  focus on personmal attention to each person attending.Time I don't always have as in yesterdays session. You will leave feeling all fired up and eager to paint after a colour experience of a lifetime.

There are a few places available for April 2011 and bookings are now being taken for Autumn.

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

For full information on the Two Day Seminars at Four Seasons Hotel please contact me directly on

jeanhaines@hotmail.com

"Missing Ewe"

"Missing Ewe"

Yesterday I arranged delivery of my watercolour collection for the Wey Gallery in Godalming then later visited the gallery to oversee the body of work to discuss the final catalogue of paintings for sale.  I also arranged delivery for work to go to London by courier. After so long painting and the collections together it felt strange to see the huge gap in my studio where all my work had been waiting to leave for the exhibitions. I have another four paintings to be delivered to another gallery next week and from here will be working on a large charity painting for a very special charity event which I have been working on behind the scenes.And of course I am continually working on the exciting collection of large paintings for my book.

I held individual workshops this week covering how to paint cats and held a lovely day on how to paint spring flowers. Before that I had a one day session for my Watercolours With Life workshop earlier this week. It is amazing how far people will come to visit my sessions as one lady had travelled all the way from Canada. 

Sherry if you are reading this it was absolutely wonderful to meet you !

This morning I am leaving  to give a demonstration and workshop to Alton Art Society which has been booked for quite some time now.

Tomorrow I will be at the Preview of my " Watercolours With Life" exhibition in Godalming and everyone is welcome to join me.

But I am missing my studio and my brushes.And my garden where I sit and paint. But very long dog walks when I start and end each day keep my mind very fresh on what I wish to work on next.

It has been a very incredible week and at times like this my blog and facebook page will fall quiet. Sometimes I regret not having the moments to reply to  lovely messages that come my way. I wish I had more free time to communicate online. But there once was a time I actually was online far too much.

The computer now has a smaller place in my life. But having talked to some wonderful friends this week I can sit back and understand how it can also become a very addictive way of living.

So  my artists tip for today is, if you are spending more time typing than moving your brushes try to reverse the situation.

Your art and art life could become far richer. 

There is a healthy balance in how we use our time. Make every second a good one in your life, one that you can look back on and think,wow I loved that! Let's face it,you will never have the chance to relive the minutes you lost or wasted daily. So each morning set a goal and go for it. No matter what that goal may be.

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"Painted Esacpes "  Watercolour retreats take place at Four Seasons Hotel,Hampshire  on 26/27/28th April and a few places are still available. Please book early to avoid disappointment on these exclusive and more personalised art sessions to find the artist within you and look ahead to planning your own art journey.

Contact jeanhaines@hotmail.com for further information

Purrfect Cats Watercolour Workshop 2011

How to Paint Cats in a Loose Style Watercolour Workshop

  The beginning of a beautiful blue cats eye from  one of yesterdays demonstrations.

It has been a full week with individual workshops taking place on one day sessions.These were all mainly fully booked  from as far back as last year and well attended with artists of all levels walking through the door each morning. I seem to always have wonderful people in my classes and this week was no exception. The themes changed daily as yesterday saw the " How to Paint Cats in a Loose Style" Workshop take place.  It was magical in every sense of the word. There was even one complete beginner in watercolour who created the most beautiful work as the day passed by, they absorbed every single new piece of advise or tip  so readily

 Well done Natalie!

As always pencils are never used in my classes as we worked only with colour to guide our brushmarks. We started by looking at how to capture light and life in an animals eyes. Everyone had been asked to bring a selection of their favourite moggie photographs and there were some beauties in the room. Gorgeous Siamese,Burmese, British Blues and colourful tabbies to make your heart skip a beat as an artist as their markings were so  divine!

I choose to have smaller groups of  my animal painting days so that everyone can have personal attention and this works so well. Unfortunately this effects getting places on my sessions which I know is very difficult and there are often long waiting lists to come. But the wait is well worth it when we have a day like yesterday.The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The concentration level was high as well as a sense of  passion at each working station that was almost tangible. We were all at one in that "zone", the quiet painting frame of mind you have to be in for successful results. 

I am still blown away by the work of one particular lady who came in very nervously at the start of a session having never been on a workshop before or even tried her hand at watercolour very much.When she left she was a very different person. This was quite an emotional experience to witness because they are a natural artist and had no idea how gifted they were.

Margaret, I am talking about you.Please continue to shine.

I closed with a demonstration of a black and white cat and  sweet kittens.I had to keep looking behind me to make sure everyone was still awake as there was  such a silence in the room at this point. I faced smiles and that was yet another wonderful moment. As was the fact no one wanted the day to end.

As everyone started to leave there were hugs, warm farewells and questions of " When are your next workshops?"

I came home feeling absolutely on a high and I have already sat looking into my green eyed cats face  this morning imagining how I would paint them. I know from my DVD " Amazing Ways With Watercolour"  demonstration many  paintings of cockerels are flying around at the moment  so I have feeling cats and dogs may be next!

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I don't have any one day workshop placess available but I do have exciting two day seminars which are wonderfully personalised  with time to spend individually with  those attending. These are new, exclusive and very inspirational retreats. They include demonstrations that are initially very simple to follow building up through out the sessions to  heighten enthusiasm and excitement in results.The two day seminars are available for Spring and Autumn so please contact Four Seasons Hotel if you would like a place and yes,you can still book for April at the moment. I will be meeting you the evening before the first seminar take place to welcome you and the aim is to make this an experience of a lifetime. The  first seminar takes place on 28/27/28th April and everyone is welcome.

Bookings are available from

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

 

 

Spring Flowers 2011

 Whispers Of Spring

 Original Watercolour

(Sold)

This week saw me as always visiting a florist before my annual Spring Flower Watercolour Workshop.Its  atime of year when we have to be really quick as artist to capture the fresh beauty of spring and all it has to offer in the way of beautiful new life in flora and fauna.

My annual spring flowerswatercolour workshop this week saw many daffodils being painted and I was completely impressed with so many stunning clean watercolours appearing during the session.

The introduction to the day was aimed at  the description of what we were all aiming to achieve which was unusual watercolours that were far more than simply a painting. We were all aiming at capturing a sense of life and movement in our results. All of which were unique to the individuals in the room regardless of everyone following the same demonstrations that I gave throughout the day.

For me  workshops are not about showing how talented the demonstrating artist is. They are more  importantly about bringing the very best out of everyone attending. I aim to ensure everyone has a fabulous time, leaving with many ideas to take home along with inspirational motivation to keep brushes moving and enthusiasm high.

It was a full, fun day packed with many tips and ideas into exploration of techniques. I genuinely was over the moon with so many wonderful results and Sue, if you are reading my blog  I have shared the photograph I took of your  brilliant daffodils study. There is so much energy in your brushstrokes and the life in this is  absolutely superb.

Daffodils painted by Sue Bradley in my workshop against one of my own demonstration pieces.

I honestly cannot wait for   next week when I can sit quitely inmy garden and paint all the flowers that are calling my brushes.Bluebells are just beginning to appear so I guess I may be moving from yellow blooms soon as primroses and daffodils have been taking over my studo recently

!

Painted Escapes,Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire

 Watercolours in Spring

Grape Hyacinth in Salt Experiment

It has been a really busy week with  fully booked watercolour workshops taking place which is why my blog has been so quiet. The three individual sessions were

Watercolours With Life

 Spring Flowers

Purrfect Cats

Each day flew by so fast as the end of each days workshop drew near far too quickly. No sooner were  the doors opening  to welcome everyone than it was time to say goodbye again.Which is why I am now holding new two day seminars twice a year.

On each session this week as always  I have met the most amazing artists of all levels. There have been some very special moments that have been completely magcial and each day has left me yearning to  paint even more.Which really is the aim of each session.To turn on artistic buttons and have everyone racing not only for their paintbrushes when they leave but eager to try new techniques on a large number of subjects.

The hardest part of each workshop is explaining that I have no further one day workshops planned at the moment. My Autumn schedule is yet to be decided depending on my exhibitions and ongoing projects.

At this moment in time there are places available at Four Seasons Hotel for my new two day seminars which include a welcome evening  at the hotel and four indivdual seminars capturing the essence of subjects in a wide range of exciting techniques.These personalised sessions aim to allow time to work individually with everyone attending. They take place on 26/27/28th April 2011 and are in the most beautiful of relaxing locations.Which is why they are called " Painting Escapes".

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

It has been a truly memorbale week and I thank everyone for  not only attending my workshops but for making each one very memorable and incredibly rewarding. I think 2011 really is going to be a year full of  amazing paintings and successful results.

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Watercolours With Life Exhibition 2011 Wey Gallery

Watercolours With Life Exhibition

The Wey Gallery

Godalming

Opening on Sunday 17th April

"Watercolours With Life" the exhibition opens next week  on Sunday 17th April at the Wey Gallery in Godalming. This will be my first solo in Surrey, Hampshire and I really am looking forward to seeing the collection on the gallery walls.

I have been a regular artist with the Wey Gallery since 2010 . In this show I have  a wide  variety of subjects from landscapes of Venice, colourful sheep, my popular horse racing scenes ,cockerels of course including favourites from my personal collection, and a few surprises.

The collection will be online and available to purchase as soon as the preview opens.The gallery have already recieved several early requests regarding certain pieces but will not be releasing art for sale until the exhibition launch.

I really am looking forward to meeting everyone at the preview. Invitations are available from the gallery.Everyone is welcome to come and I look forward to meeting you there!

For full details please contact the gallery directly.

http://www.theweygallery.com/watercolourswithlife.htm

 

 

 

Mam Maa!

£595

From "Watercolours With Life" Exhibition

Wey Gallery

Celebrate Spring Exhibition 2011,Frame Gallery, Odiham,UK

 Celebrate Spring Exhibition

 The opening of " Celebrate Spring" at The Frame Gallery in Hampshire was wonderful with over seventy people attending. The wine flowed and it was terrific to meet old friends and new. The feedback was wonderful and it's at times like this as an artist that you grow. I take every comment on board but as the years pass by listening to how others have watched me grow is really touching. My journey in watercolour seems to have moved to ultra fast speed into a career of one amazing exhibition, event,project or demonstration location after another. I am also constantly meeting incredible artists and art lovers from all over the world.

What does saddens me is that with my ever increasingly busy schedule my free time is far less.  My email and online time is very limited these days. For this reason I am really grateful for owning a blog because without it I wouldn't be able to update my friends and those who like my art with my latest news.

"Celebrate Spring"  runs until the end of April.Paintings purchased can  be taken immediately rather than being exhibited for the duration so the  display will change as the month passes.

 

Spring Fever 2011

Hints of Spring

 Primroses Emerging from a soft wash of spring colours

The weather this weekend has been glorious. Flowers are now covering our garden with splashes of stunning Spring colours.Tulips line pathways and primroses form  small clusters of pale yellow around the woodland sections. Purple violets are showing their dainty heads and golden celandines are vibrantly shouting loud colour against the softer blues of grape hyacinth.

 The sense of new life surrounds me which ever way I turn from millions of baby fish and tadpoles in our two ponds to the tiny ducklings nesting  on banks near the waters edge of our lawn. It is bliss to wake to sunshine and know looking out of a window will give me instant inspiration to pick up my brushes.

With an enthusiastic young dog by my side constantly eager for a new walk I know I will be seeing even more to motivate my compositions.

There has never been a better time to be an artist!

 

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Artists tip for the day: Get out and really open your eyes to beauty  around you. Find inspiration in the spring light and use it to make  all your paintings sing with fresh exciting colour combinations.

Don't waste the day as you only have this one once! 

 

 

Celebrate Spring Exhibition: Opens Tonight

Beauty of Spring 

Celebrate Spring Exhibition

Original Watercolour

Last night I visited The Frame Gallery in Odiham Hampshire to deliver books for signing tonight as they had sold out. I also delivered new cards including "Mothers Love" ,  a Mother and Baby elephant.

The gallery  is full of the spirit of Spring and Easter and tonight at  five thirty there will be a gallery party with   wine flowing  to launch the exhibition.

 Everyone is welcome to the event so if you are near  please drop by and say Hello. In case you wish to make a night of it there are many wonderful country pubs and resturants near by. As the weather was so wonderful last night we all sat oustide the George opposite the gallery last night to unwind after the day and enjoy the early evening sunshine. It felt as though I was back living in France sitting  outside watching the world go by. I think tonight the weather is going to be just as fabulous.

It looks as though its going to be a superb evening!

For full details please contact thegallery directly

 www.theframeodiham.co.uk/

Mam Maaaaaaaaa!

Spring is here.

"Mam Maaaaa!"

Original Watercolour

50 x 60 cms  

£595

Spring is definitely here and the first of the new born lambs this year are in the fields surrounding our cottage. Driving along the country lanes has never been so beautiful as the banks are all dotted with Spring flowers. The sounds the lambs make as they gambol is really heart warming,and the sunshine hitting their backs gives their soft wolly new coats a wonderful glow for the artist to capture in watercolour.

This painting will be part of my collection on show at the Wey Gallery opening on 17th April

For full details of the show,paintings available and the collection please contact the gallery directly

http://www.theweygallery.com/

Painted Escapes,Four Seasons Hotel,Hampshire

 Painted Escapes
The list of creative luminaries inspired by the English countryside is as infinite as the horizon that stretches over its rolling hills — from writers (hello, Jane Austen) to composers and of course, landscape painters like J.M.W. Turner and Thomas Gainsborough, who’ve immortalized its lush landscape.

Now, thanks to a tranquil new retreat at Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, you can add your own name to this artistic roll call.

This spring and fall, the historic Hotel is hosting exclusive watercolour painting seminars with Jean Haines, an acclaimed artist and author of How to Paint: Colour & Light in Watercolour. Taking seasonal inspiration from the surrounding countryside and picturesque village of Dogmersfield Park, Haines will give you one-on-one instruction in her unique technique: using colour, shadows and light without first touching pencil to paper.

Your “Painted Escape” getaway includes four watercolour seminar sessions and two nights’ bed and breakfast at the restored Georgian manor. The spring session takes place from April 26 to 28 and the fall session begins November 1.

So pack your paintbrushes and palette, and get ready to unleash your inner artist at Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire.

For more information, please contact:
Suzanna Mitchell
Public Relations Manager
Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire
Phone: +44 (0) 1252 853011

New Card Designs Spring 2011

New Card Designs Spring 2011

 Beauty Of Spring

I have just placed my order for 2011 Spring card designs. These will be available from mid April including spring flowers and mad hares shown in galleries where the originals are exhibited. Previous designs have all but sold out as each is a limited edition. Framed they make wonderful gifts and are lasting memories of workshops attended where I display latest collections.

Beauty Of Spring is definitely one of my favourite ever paintings of primroses which is why it is on my blog so often!

"Beauty of Spring" will be availbable as a card from The Frame Gallery,Odiham  later this month.

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Celebrate Spring at The Frame

The "Meet the Artist " event opens at The Frame Gallery in Odiham this Friday at 5.30 p.m.

Everyone is welcome to celebrate spring and  the new collection  of watercolours there.

Contact www.theframeodiham.co.uk for further details.

See you there!