Watercolours With Life: Summer Days

Monday 1 August 2011

Summer Days

Making the Most of Natural Summer Light

Echinacea

Painted in this afternoons summer sunshine.

I couldn't bear to be on my computer today so I am behind with emails, messages and the August Watercolour challenge. Instead of typing I made the most of every second of sunshine today and worked on paintings for my next book.

With whispery soft touches I began to bring an Echinacea flower to life. As its petals appeared softly with the sun shining on my shoulders I felt an inner happiness that is so hard to explain. Sometimes solitude can be a wonderful thing.

My day started with a family of swans arriving at our cottage.Three young cygnets eagerly fed from me and the proud parent watched with almost a smile on their face. Make that beak!

Thsi afternoon I took a lovely walk with Bailey through a nearby field that is full of wild flowers which created an incredible riot of colour. What fascinated me is that nature placed every single colour you could imagine together in this field. Forget everything you have ever been taught about choosing colours that harmonise for a painting. Because not one of these colours did in the field. And yet it looked exciting and fabulous. As soon as I came home I tried to paint the feeling of light and happiness that was in my heart.

Maybe that is another secret to achieving a good painting.Your mood and how you allow it to flow into your results. Mine is light and carefree,and I hope that will show in my finished piece!

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I will add the August challenge soon!

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The Artist Magazine : Book Review

Jean Haines' Atmospheric Watercolours

"The book is nothing less than a paean to the wet in wet technique. If that's your thing, prepare to be amazed. Jean Haines credits Jean Louis Morelle, and in many ways this book is the sequel to Morelle's remarkable, but very technical work, showing the wealth of creative possibilities the technique offers. A lot of the images are barely recognisable and yet you instinctively know what they are. I wish I knew how, because this is impressionism taken to its logical conclusion and reminiscent of some of the later work by JMW Turner. You will have to take it from me that "First signs of a face appearing magically from a first wash of watercolour" is pure alchemy. This is an extraordinary book."

"Amazing Ways With Watercolour:" Fastest Selling DVD!

"Amazing Ways With Watercolour" from Town House Films is the fastest selling DVD with the company to date! Record breaking pre-orders for this much awaited film saw requests for copies flooding in from all over the world. A wonderful introduction into working with watercolour minus the use of a preliminary sketch this DVD removes the fear, stress or pressure from worry about how to use watercolour. Instead the focus is on having fun, enjoying vibrant colour combinations and allowing the medium to create the subjects with just a little help from the artist. A really exciting new DVD to own. Whilst the DVD sold out in the first few months since its' release due to popularity it is now in stock and available directly from Town House Films.

http://www.townhousefilms.co.uk

How To Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour

"How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour" Jeans first book was launched at the Mall Galleries in 2010 at the SWA Society for Women Artists Annual Exhibition. Many copies have been sold world wide. It is available on Amazon.com, Search Press, SAA Society for All Artists and Ken Bromley.

"This book is a wonderful introduction into Jeans' way of working and gives an insight into her way of thinking and approach to a large variety of subjects. All painted minus the use of a preliminary sketch."