Watercolours With Life: 2018 The Excitement Begins!

Tuesday 20 March 2018

2018 The Excitement Begins!

Study and first wash for an elephant painting in watercolour

The excitement begins! After a day spent on administration, yesterday, filling cancellation spaces on my UK workshops today was the day I could literally throw myself into my studio painting time experimenting and literally having a blast. When I away am on tour as I have been recently I give my all, in fact I do in every single workshop but I will openly confess there is a point during each workshop day where I feel very envious. I will have worked so hard to get everyone in the class as highly motivated,excited and inspired as possible but while inspiring others my own artists soul is leaping and desperately wanting to paint too. When I am in a room teaching I believe I belong to the room so I put my personal painting time aside and spend every second teaching. This leads me to times like now where I have the luxury of experimenting, building on ideas to ensure my next workshops are really fascinating. I just can't sit still with ideas. And after this last tour I came home with lots of colour ideas and great new products to try.

So today whilst painting a quick warm up wash I could easily see it would turn into an elephant and it did. I was actually cleaning my palette and the mucky collection of colours placed in a line across a large old piece of paper made the best starting point ever for an elephant to appear. Which it did as seen below. But this warm up led me to a colour great wash experiment.

Getting to know my subject before painting a large composition

At the moment I am thrilled with my warm up washes, as seen at the opening of each of my workshops but now, oh boy how they have changed. The break up of pigment is greater and the patterns forming are far more thrilling. As seen below. This first wash has been created deliberately as a base for a painting of a group of elephants. I have a solo show later this year and I'm working on a few ideas that will add to my collection in unexpected ways.

The exciting first wash inspired by my study of an elephant in watercolour

Anyone who attended my workshops on my recent USA tour will instantly recognise the use of Daniel Smiths' Australian Red Gold, a shade I now adore but here it plays with Daniel Smith Amethyst Genuine creating unusual patterns and pigment formations.

I always advise on my workshops that if you create a magical first wash that you love, paint another as close as possible to the original straight away whilst the colours you used are still clearly in your mind. Which is exactly what I am going to do right now!

This year is off to a great start. Do look out for my new book, even though the theme is flowers the techniques inside are inspiring my new work and pushing me in a fabulous direction art wise. I hope it makes you feel the same way too. Excited about painting!

I am!

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I must add that all cancellation places on my UK 2018 workshops have been filled, and once payment is made each place will be confirmed but I am keeping a wait list in case further cancellations arise so now is a good time to get in touch if you wish to be on that list!

jeanhaines@hotmail.com

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2 comments:

Bright Road said...: I love that elephants came to your studio! What a magical place, my favorite Wizard Haines! Love your student, Muggle Tiffany Grey; 20 March 2018 at 15:14
Unknown said...: These warm up washes are chances to see how pigments interact right? When you do them, do you have a subject in mind? or are you just putting brush to paper and letting things dance...?; 21 March 2018 at 10:02

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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."