Spring 2018: Daffodils " Showers of Flowers"

Spring Showers

Showers of "Flowers" that is!

Oh my! Well I am truly back in UK . Back to grey skies showers. Rain has been falling non stop today but thank heavens I can paint my own sunshine in the form of cheery daffodils which are blooming in my garden brightening up the landscape.

When I am home, I start every Monday in my studio catching up with admin and because I have been on tour for so long there is so much to do!

Firstly, I am working on my next tours. My Fall USA tour is now all organised and there are places currently available in two locations in Florida. I will share this information in another blog post. I am also working on my 2019 Spring tour when I will be in Boston and two locations in California.

My UK 2018 workshops are fully booked but I have had a few unexpected cancellations so if your name is on my wait list you may be hearing from me. If you would like to be added to my wait list please email me as soon as possible.

jeanhaines@hotmail.com

I am in an exhibition which opens on 24th March so I have been arranging collection of my art. 

And I badly want to spring clean my studio. I do every year but right now it needs a really good clear out!

Whatever you are doing I hope you have a great week ahead and if its' raining where you are how about painting your own sunshine too!

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Vintage Flow : Learning from my new book

 "Vintage Flow"

I woke early to bird song and sunshine. The urge to race to my studio was too hard to resist so here I worked in silence while the world slept and it was heaven. In this "bubble" of  my own private world there is no politics, no hurricanes, no disasters, in fact no negatives in life at all. In my world there is only happiness and peace. Calm found in my soul via painting. Which is why I wrote my last book "Paint Yourself Calm" . I have needed to heed the words in my own book this year, as there have been times when tears have fallen through a problem that is completely out of my control. And I feel for anyone going through such agony. But such is life. No one, not even me has the completely perfect life. 

But this morning I raced to my studio and here was heaven waiting for me. I looked at my easel and the work there. Horse racing scenes full of excitement were removed from where they had been placed and moved to a floor space. Once my easel was bare I just stood and thought about what colour I felt like painting. Not subject. Just colour.

I have been working on my new book and as I looked through the paintings to be included in it , I thought about a piece that had daffodils flowing through the composition. In my heart that painting sang so sweetly and I returned to it with a sense of inner excitement. I felt a thrill run through me as I made changes to what was already a lovely piece.

I felt connection, harmony and vibrancy as new colours were added to strengthen the sense of direction.

As I worked I looked at what was happening in front of my eyes and this painting gave me food for thought. There are sections left to the imagination. These imaginary flowers, seemingly fading into the distance represent lifes' problems . They need to be put into an area where they don't take over. Even if it is a temporary decision it is good to stand back from them. 

 Flowers , like problems fading into the distance.

 In a really good composition there is always an area for the main focal point. The place where in my eyes beauty shines. It is here that I place detail. Here that I place my main attention. Nothing else matters.  In life I think we need to think in the same way. Look for the beauty in life and  try to avoid negativity. Not so easy in some situations that are out of our control. But whatever is happening, we always need to focus on what is good around us. I love the saying when a tragedy happens

"Look for the helpers"

And there are always helpers. Good people who go out of their way to help others who are in need.

 Positive Energy, where beauty of what is important is shining. The focal point and area within the composition.

 I worked quietly on this piece then stopped to place it on my easel. I will take my time adding tiny touches now and then all week until I feel this painting is complete. It isn't quite finished. Nothing that is truly beautiful ever is. Beauty awaits us each and every day if we have the eyes to see it and will to look for it.

You can see the whole painting as it is so far below.

Beautiful Flow

 But there is something very different about the way I am painting now. I will confess this art journey improved after my time teaching in New Orleans earlier this year. Above an art store that stocked so many products that were new to me. The place ignited my artists soul and I can't stop experimenting now. I am so thrilled to be returning next year as I want to keep this bubble of energy going. By the way you can join me there as an extra workshop had to be added due to the popularity of the location and courses. Just email me on jeanhaines@hotmail.com for details. 

But it isn't just the workshops. By writing my new book I have had to look at why I paint the way I do and consider what I want to improve in my style. I have pushed myself so hard. This morning everything just clicked and magic seemed to happen So much so that I want to share this new knowledge in my next publication so others who paint can enjoy their own journey too. Stretching themselves and loving creating in watercolour because it is a fabulous medium.

My life would be so very different without my art or ability to escape through it. 

To a place where nothing else but joy exists.

"Vintage Flow"

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My heart today reaches out to all my USA friends who may be hit by Hurricane Irma. My thoughts are constantly with you and I can't imagine having to leave my home. Know you are loved  and cared about , and I hope you all stay safe.

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The First

"The First Bee"

I have not yet been home  for a week since my recent tour of USA but I am already wandering around my cottage garden enjoying the first of the Spring flowers and seeing the first bee of the year as I have done so.

I love Spring. There's a magical energy about it. And I adore Spring flowers. I pick daffodils daily that have been blown or knocked over.These find their way into my home or my studio where I paint them. I must confess I am reluctant to pick flowers from my garden as I enjoy seeing them there. But nature seems to give me a nudge now and then and make me pick up the ones that have fallen over. I shared this daily routine the other day and someone mentioned they would pick their blown over flowers in honour of me. Well Gayle, this blog  post is in honour of you doing so!

I believe nature is the best art teacher and unless we get off our computers or away from our brushes from time to time we miss out on so much that is beautiful in life. So my artist tip of the day is to get out and find yourself something beautiful to paint, search for something that inspires you and draw that great connection into your work via your brushstrokes.

I wonder what I will be inspired by tomorrow? 

Who knows but it will be something that is terrific that's for sure!

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Spring Bouquet : WIP 2016

 Spring Bouquet

I am having such a happy time working on this Spring Bouquet. This painting started by my picking flowers that had been knocked down by a storm, from my garden. We have planted a variety of daffodils over time, so each year there is great joy in seeing them bloom adding instant sunshine to our lives regardless of the weather.

I placed these forlorn flowers in my studio and began painting them.

 The original flowers I picked after the storm hit our cottage garden

As time passed I threw away the dead flowers from the vase and added new ones. So the composition I was looking at changed daily keeping m eon my toes and keeping my observation skills very much alive. 

I have painted this piece a little bit like creating a jigsaw puzzle. Adding parts where I knew they would fit and leaving the missing sections until later. I started with painting the centres of flowers that caught my eye. Next I placed a few side view blooms at the edges of the composition, replicating what I could see in the vase in front of me. Once this was complete I began adding colour to the central section.

Starting with a few confident details. The centres and  side view blooms.

Now I can add little details daily until I am satisfied it is complete as a painting. Its a slow work in progress giving me time to learn and improve my art from it.

I am loving this piece. Its' a joy to work on. Its' made me stop and think about how I paint too which I will share in another blog post.

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Welcome Home : Daffodils

 Daffodil Wash : March 2016

Gorgeous spring flowers starting to appear in the early stages of a new painting of daffodils.

I have been away so long from my blog and have so much exciting news to share but this morning I couldn't wait to simply paint. So please excuse me from catching up with fabulous news as I truly had the urge to move my brushes rather than type today!

I woke to gorgeous sunshine and a beautiful variety of daffodils are blooming in my cottage garden. After my recent trip to Daniel Smith Art Store where I was teaching workshops I have fantastic new colours to try out, and of course share here.

I eagerly picked a few daffodils that had been knocked down by heavy rain and winds , bringing them into my studio to work from as inspiration.

 

Daffodil selection from my garden

Next I lay a few tubes of Daniel Smith colours out next to the real flowers and chose which worked best for me. I wanted to gain a strong feeling of sunshine and the season. Spring is a time of new life and energy so this is important to capture in my finished piece. The colours I choose will lift spirits and cheer me on future rainy days which in UK are many!

Here are the shades I chose.

 

 Five Daniel Smith shades which are great for painting daffodils!

Permanent Orange . Great for the glowing flower centres.

Azo Yellow. Stunning for the  yellow petals.

Cadmium Yellow Deep Hue. Perfect for adding glow as a glaze or simply deep petals sections.

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Genuine : For the petal tips and  for the foliage

Pthalo Yellow Green. Perfect for Spring foliage and this shade truly glows!

I have many new shades from my recent tour of Canada and USA to share . And lots of new ideas too.

But for now its time for me to get painting again but I hope to add to my blog very soon!

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Ready For Spring 2016

"Spring Medley"

Copyright Jean Haines

Spring Flowers in Watercolour

We have had daffodils flowering in our garden since early December last year. In fact many spring flowers have impatiently bloomed here during the winter months including primroses and cowslips. There is so much talk about climate change as the seasons roll into one another.

For me , I see each new year as a wonderful, huge, white piece of paper that is waiting to be painted. Just like those spring flowers far too eager to wait for better weather to arrive I too am eager for the year ahead. I have taken time out to enjoy being with my family over Christmas and I also needed some quiet time to recharge my own batteries after all the hard work I had put into my workshops, writing and exhibitions in 2015. Before I leapt into action in 2016 I wanted some time to reflect on what I want to achieve over the next twelve months. I actually thought I did know but I have been reading incredibly touching emails from artists who have either read my books on watercolour or attended my watercolour workshops. Each kind and inspirational comment has made me want to give more at a time when I felt I should sit back to paint on my own.

As much as I adore teaching I have to confess, as any teaching artist knows, it takes valuable time away from our own personal art journey which I have been putting on hold for some time. For example, it is now three years since I submitted to any Art Society Annual Show due to lack of time. Beautiful paintings I have created have been in my solo gallery shows, which to me is important as they represent me throughout the whole year. And wonderfully so with collectors now buying my art from all over the world.

And so I juggle my time between painting, exhibiting, writing and teaching. I made a personal decision to work this year on workshops but next year I will take more free time for myself to pursue experimenting and to enjoy studio time. Without travelling or teaching so much. But if this year is anything to go by I know I will change my mind by 2017!

My 2016 UK watercolour workshops are fully booked but the good news is the wait lists are currently still open in case of cancellations so if you aren't on my UK workshop list please contact me urgently. My 2016 USA workshops are also fully booked but a new course has opened in Lake Tahoe and this is the only location that still has places thanks to the wonderful organiser who tempted me to add an extra session due to their popularity.

But right now I am going to paint up a storm and share on my blog, hopefully inspiring  and sharing smiles because it is so good to smile!

Roll on Spring and roll on all those gorgeous new subjects to paint too!

Happy painting

Jean

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New Collection at The Frame Gallery, Hampshire

 "Snowfall"

 Today I visited the Frame Gallery in Odiham, Hampshire and was delighted to see my new work on display. With so many snowdrops in flower it is a delight to see my above painting entitled "Snowfall"  attractively welcoming visitors. This painting is from my new art greeting card collection for Spring 2015

Greeting cards are also available of Spring Sunshine, below, to brighten any grey days that may still be lurking around the corner from Winter, as it gradually leaves us for yet another year.

I sell original art in established galleries and they often stock my card designs for each new season. Available in galleries that represent me, not for sale on line.

This afternoon I have been working on a new collection of watercolours and I am going to really enjoy sharing them on my blog when they are finished.

Happy painting!

"Spring Sunshine"

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Daffodils Galore 2015

"All In a Row"

Yes, I am still painting daffodils. Its' as though I am addicted to painting in yellow at the moment but they feel so great to work on each day. Very spirit lifting.

This afternoon I started a new painting. I used my "Working from a starting point" technique as described in a previous blog post. Initially I created a row of beautiful daffodil centres and then gradually started adding petals around each one.

I have a fabulous tip to share. I always paint a few small studies prior to working on large paintings. These enable me to "warm up" and get to know  my subject well before I commence painting on my large fresh new piece of paper.

I also, sometimes, have a small piece of scrap paper by the side of my  work in progress. If ever I am in doubt of which colours to add next or which detail, I paint on the small scrap study first. Especially if I am working on something very beautiful. As seen in the image below. I used the scrap of paper to experiment with daffodil centres and petals before working on my main painting. 

The scrap however is beginning to look so nice I may turn it into a painting in its own right!

 

Large painting next to experimental "scrap paper" painting.

This is a brilliant way of working for those who are new to painting without the aid of a preliminary sketch. You can test colour  combinations, discover which detail is fine and which is too much, how dark your new colour applications should be with each brush stroke. And of course you can see if you are capturing the correct shape and proportions of your subjects.

Have fun painting and make the most of each seasons has to bring!

For me, its Spring daffodils!

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Positive Beginnings

Spring Easel 2015

It was so wonderful to walk into my studio this morning and be greeted by the glorious yellow paintings of daffodils from this weeks painting sessions. I had added final details to my loose daffodil watercolour painted in my garden on Sunday and placed more tiny brushwork detail to the long composition that I created yesterday. Leaving both on my easel  as a warming welcome this morning has given me such a fabulous boost to start my days' painting today.

Overnight, I had imagined working on a few wildlife subjects for a change but having seen these completed paintings I may just work on more daffodils while I am in the "Spring Fever" mood!

By the way, I have been asked about the paper I use for my floral work.

I highly recommend Bockingford 140lbs  where you are leaving backgrounds white and for more Botanical studies. I am in love with Saunders Waterford High White and often use Saunders Waterford 300lbs for my gallery pieces, rough surface mostly!

I hope this helps.

Saunders Waterford paper makes a stunning surface to work on for my watercolours.

Spring Fever Strikes Again!

Double Daffodil Inspiration

Spring Fever has well and truly hit me. I cannot stop painting daffodils!

I am wandering around my garden looking for each new exciting clump of flowers that create magical inspiration for me. Some blooms are all facing forward neatly in a row. One group has flowers facing three different directions which is fascinating to work on as a composition.

I thought it would be fun and interesting for my blog followers to see how I work.

Firstly I obviously choose my subjects and observe colour, shadows and how light plays a part in the effect I would most like to achieve. To get to this point  as an artist you really do have to learn to sit still patiently and just look, minus a brush in your hand! We are all far too impatient in life. Learning "to see" is so important and a skill many of us don't realise we need to practise more.

Then I have two options on how to start a painting.

1) I can go straight in with a wash of the colours that I see. I aim to capture a " ghost" of the subject in this initial wash. As I never use a preliminary sketch beforehand or pencil lines to guide me, my imagination is free to add colour where I wish. A whispery hint of the subject is aimed for, minus detail which can be added later in the next stages of the painting process. I try to "breath life" into my work at this stage, and it is such a magical feeling when it actually happens in that you can see the subject long before any definition has been added.

 A daffodil " ghost" wash. The subject is mysteriously there minus any detail, But like this, the work is far too abstract to call a complete painting. It needs further brushstrokes.

Or my next option.

 2) I can paint one flower quite seriously and use it as a starting point to add " ghost" flowers around it. As in the painting below.

A more detailed flower on my easel. Painted as a starting point with more expressive " ghost" half finished flowers surrounding it.

I am having such a fantastic time. In fact, I am loving working on these floral paintings so much I have almost forgotten I am suffering from a bad head cold!

I now cannot wait until morning to work further on my Spring collection!

Artist tip for the day? Paint in cheerful colours to lift your spirits and brighten your mood. It works!

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Echoes of Spring

Echoes Of Spring

2015

I started my painting career as a Botanical artist. That was a time when every single detail in every painting was  extremely important to me. I would laboriously spend hours adding each tiny piece of information to create to perfection.  There are times when I work now that the " botanical monster" inside of me demands to be unleashed. And I often don't notice it happening. But it did on this daffodil painting. I almost got happily carried away with delight as each new intricate brush stroke touched the paper with colour.

The loose, free, impressionistic daffodils of yesterdays painting session played on my mind this morning and so I returned to the Spring subject. But the sunshine from my previous painting time was missing and the light was very different. I chose a clump of a different variety of daffodils to paint that were smaller and less yellow. As I worked I became fascinated by the trumpets of each bloom rather than the sense of movement in yesterdays spontaneous composition. And before I knew it detail started to appear around petal edges, and of course on  the glorious trumpets that my attention rarely strayed from.

Mood effects our work so often too. Interestingly as Monday is my admin day I was giving more focus to detail. Monday is a day set aside for planning, working on tours and book signing events for the year ahead. It is also always a busy day replying to many emails, often accepting or discussing date options for requested bookings. But no matter what, I always make time to paint because otherwise I just cannot settle!

Close up section from

Echoes of Spring

The shadow under the central petal plays a part in adding drama to this simple flower portrait. A shadow I would have missed had I not been painting from life and observing my chosen subject.

I'm wondering how many daffodil paintings will appear before I tire of capturing them in watercolour!

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St Davids Day 2015 : Daffodils in Watercolour

Painted in my garden

Spring 2015

The sun shone yesterday morning and I couldn't resist sitting quietly in my garden to paint the first of this years daffodils. As it was St Davids day this really was an appropriate subject!

Daffodils are the national flower of Wales. As a child I would wear the Welsh national costume on this day to go to school and I would be carrying a bunch of golden daffodils. Singing Welsh songs was a wonderful way to celebrate the occasion. Every year I always have a bouquet of these pretty flowers in our cottage on March 1st, St Davids Day.

This year, however, the sun was shining brightly and even though I am fighting off a cold I dressed up warmly and braved the cool winds to paint flowers that are growing in one of my cottage flower beds. They are leaning forward slightly as if their heads are bowing in prayer.

I could have, of  course, simply taken a photo and painted from that. But we miss so much as artists when we don't paint from life. Exciting new compositions and colour combinations face us daily as light changes on each new fabulous subject that we see.

I loved listening to bird song as I painted. Time flew by and I was really happy with my  capture of the glorious golds in front of me. Now of course I want to paint a larger composition and I can from the study I enjoyed working on this morning.

Artist tip for the day? Be observant, paint from life and forget working from photographs all the time. Be a unique artist and look for something fantastic to paint every day!

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Glorious Spring : Feeling Alive

 Watercolour florals adorning my easel as works in progress

It feels so good to paint. I feel alive when there is a brush in my hand. Its' a feeling that I have grown to accept as part of my daily life. With the start of a new year I have taken time out to organise my studio, catch up on admin and planning plus paint.  But at the moment, I am painting just for me. These pieces are not intended to be in an exhibition or book. They are purely "me", me walking into my studio and painting for the sheer joy of painting and I am expressing the pleasure of doing so by leaping from one Spring floral to the next. Heaven!

I started this year with various experimental washes, then moved to small studies as a warm up to my larger work.  Today was a terrific feeling as I know I have finally caught up on some future tour management and emails. Leaving me some fabulous time to just move my brushes freely.

A friend is poorly so this  small bouquet is a " Get Well Soon" painting carrying a hopeful message for a speedy recovery. This was inspired by a small spring bouquet I created recently from a tiny bouquet of narcissus and hyacinth. This painting started life as a soft wash and the flowers were encouraged to "appear" in it.

 "Hope"

  But I find working on small size paintings really restricting. It is only when I am stood at my easel, almost dancing to music that my paintings really take on a sense of life. In the lovely large painting  below daffodil heads are literally dancing in the breeze, which should be the painting title. I  am discovering where to put each new brush stroke by listening to what the painting tells me. Rather than racing to complete the composition in one go. I usually have a range of paintings from three to ten on the go at any one time. I have written about this way of working and why in my new book which will be launched later this year.

"Dancing in the Breeze"

 Free and Expressive, working on large paintings allows me to bring a sense of life into my work. Life that can be lost on smaller paintings.

So I am closing my studio today with that fabulous sense of " I can't wait to start painting tomorrow"

And what could be better than that. Having a whole new day of painting to look forward to!

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Learning From Life

Daffodils from my garden

On my return from Australia last year I really thought I must have been jet lagged when our car first  arrived at our cottage. It was the first week in December and  by the side of the path leading to our front door were clumps of daffodils in flower. The next day I still felt tired from the long flight home but raced out to check I hadn't imagined what I had seen the day before. Sure enough, there were daffodils lining the pathways. I was amazed as this is the earliest I have ever seen them bloom. The next surprise , when wandering around our garden, was to see pale wild primroses blossoming too.

Unbelievable as it sounds the first clumps of daffodils are already way past their best. So I have started to paint them as they appear because by the time Spring arrives all my own garden flowers may have disappeared, and the Summer flowers will be on display.

But it is cold to paint outside and the frosty wind plays havoc with my determination to paint from life. But I have to. Why? I have become fascinated with working out which paintings of other artists are created from photographs and which have been painted from imagination or life. Sometimes we see similar things painted in similar ways. By painting from life I always have new colour combinations and  compositions.

For example, the group of flowers above had one bud facing  in the opposite direction to the three flowers facing me which were posing nicely for my composition. Several of the petals of one flower had been nibbled by wildlife. So in this piece, this isn't just me leaving areas to the imagination of the viewer. The sections left out  genuinely weren't there to paint. Nature actually aids my loose style more than anyone ever truly realises!

In the composition below a row of daffodils are swaying in the breeze. But I learnt a lesson from this scene. I have always found it visually pleasing to paint the heads of the daffodils all facing one way in the past, but of course they don't grow  this perfectly. The daffodil flower directions vary, buds appear amongst the clumps as the flower in a group blossom at varying times.

 

 "Spring Garden"

Work in Progress

  

I am still working on this glorious yellow collection and having so much fun because painting to me is sheer joy. It enriches my life. It isn't work or a chore. Its something I adore doing. And it is this passion that keeps me so very much alive and energetic.

But for now I want to get back to painting.

In yellow!

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Glowing with Life

 

Life And Times

Daffodils from my garden, coming to life in an almost abstract watercolour

WIP. Work in Progress

Its' cold. The temperature outside has dropped and frost covers the fields nearby each morning. I quite enjoy taking my Bearded Collie, Bailey, for a walk in this weather as it certainly awakens my senses. I always come back to my studio with a face glowing from the wintry wind. It is a time when using yellow or golds to welcome me as I enter my painting "haven" is a sheer delight.

Along the driveway to our cottage the first of the Spring daffodils are bravely making an appearance and, as always, I wish to paint them. But my style is changing each year. I find I much prefer the more loose interpretation I am leaning towards these days than the more botanical approach I have used in the past.

 A contrast of style on my easel. Daffodils painted with more precise detail on the left compared to my abstract way of working on the right, where flowers are discovered in a loose abstract background wash.

I love that there isn't a right or wrong way to paint. There is just " your" way. Whatever makes you happy when you are creating.

I am definitely very much still on an adventurous journey. Learning from my previous paintings and leaping ahead into the new. Yearning to discover new ways to paint, new colours and new subjects at every opportunity.

A host of golden daffodils

Paintings I will look forward to walking in to see in my studio tomorrow morning.

Life is good and I look forward to so many painting tomorrows! 

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Beautiful and Free

 Beautiful and Free

Spring flowers coming to life on my easel

Its' started. That wonderful feeling of absolutely nothing being more important than holding a brush in my hand. In a new year that is full of promise with high expectations from my world where watercolour is my passion. Thrilling me with  brilliant new subjects and old favourites to return to, like seasonal florals.

I have already purchased my first spring bouquet of 2015 and it has been on display in my cottage.the scent from the blue hyacinth is heavenly filling our home with sweet perfume. I have daffodils blooming in my own garden but I am loathe to pick them as they brighten each grey day with their stunning golden yellow hues. They have,  however made me yearn to paint florals and my easel is now displaying the beauty of Spring in a variety of loose, free, expressive paintings.

 A display of beautiful spring flowers coming to life as works in progress, on my easel. Making me want to race to paint daily.

I had taken a break from picking up my brushes. Mainly due to the hectic Christmas period and then I was hit by an annoying burst ear drum which really set me back. There is nothing worse than those days when, as an artist,  you desperately want to paint but can't. Now, however I am almost back to normal ,and having a ball.

My New Years resolution is to paint for me, to keep my joyous freedom in painting subjects I love when I want to, and ensure I have the free studio time to do so.

I also have a gorgeous new project that I will be working on so I'm researching quite a bit at the moment for a future new book. I loved writing my previous three but this is a move in a whole new direction for me. Its' a thrilling offer that I couldn't resist. I feel the start of a whole new adventure to share!

Whatever you are doing have fun, and enjoy moving those paintbrushes or observing the beauty around us. Most of the beauty I see is free, provided by nature. 

Nature being the most fascinating of teachers for any artist.

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Glowing Daffodils in Watercolour

"Spring Joy"

Tonight is the opening of my Spring Exhibition at the Frame Gallery in Odiham, Hampshire , UK. Next week is the start of my fully booked Spring watercolour workshops in Hampshire. Following that I will be teaching a watercolour course in Italy followed by a trip to Florence. I am really excited as so much is going on, including the contracts having been signed this week and sent to the hosts of my USA book signing tour in 2015. I can reveal the locations so far will be California, West Virgina and St Louis. Washington and New York.  I owe huge thanks to  really  wonderful invitations.

But for now I am happily painting Spring flowers in my studio and enjoying working with Cadmium Yellow. I absolutely love this shade. It has a life of its' own when used as neat pigment but when diluted it reallytdoes give me "singing" glowing colour which is perfect for painting daffodils!

My easel is full of paintings that carry that feel good factor of Spring joy!

My easel full of glowing watercolours. A series of daffodils in watercolour.

The paper I am currently working with is Bockingford 140lbs as the smooth surface aids my results for gaining silk petals in my latest floral work.

Delicate Brushstrokes

Daffodils, softly coming to life in watercolour

It is obvious that I am loving Spring this year. My happiness flows into my work as one floral after another comes to life on my easel. I have seen daffodils in bloom since I was a child. There has never been a year where their vibrant yellow has not cheered my soul. Their trumpet formations seem to herald a new beginning each year, welcoming in a season full of hope and joy.

Maybe I am being far too romantic! In my recent paintings I am trying to gain that feeling of  cheerfulness and a fabulous freedom of spirit. The new collection on my easel are painted from the daffodils in my cottage garden.  I have one gorgeous row in paticular, with all the heads facing in the same direction. They look similar to a line of dancers especially when the breeze moves their  pretty heads in time.

I hope to share more paintings very soon. For now, please consider painting what you seeseasonally  as often as possible. But take time to " really see" natures' beauty. 

Don't race past things that deserve a few minutes by stopping to enjoy them !

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A special thank you for all the personal emails letting me know how much you are enjoying my blog.

 I hope to reply personally soon!

Softly Glowing Daffodils :2014

Daffodils softly coming to life in a pair of Spring watercolours

Works in Progress 2014

The weather is truly awful at present. The sky has been constantly grey and the wind has been howling outside my studio window. On days like these I immediately opt for working in Cadmium Yellow to bring instant sunshine and warmth into my studio and art world. I have several Spring exhibitions coming up so I am loving working on my new watercolour collections. And the first daffodils of the year are bravely facing the elements in my garden. I am fascinated in how the stems bow in the wind yet do not break. Theses flowers  add such a blast of colour to an otherwise dull season and are a  delight to wtach as they first appear every year. They make me feel good to see them and to paint them in glorious yellow shades.

Which reminds me. My feature and art competition in the Artist Magazine in April is going to shine a light on working in yellow shades so please look out for it. There are also wonderful prizes . More news and a link in a later blog post!

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Spring Easel : Cadmium Yellow

Spring washes of daffodils using Cadmium Yellow and Cerulean Blue

Winsor & Newton Shades

This is the time of year when sunshine is lacking in UK which is why working in yellow is such a fantastic feeling. I add instant warmth to not only work but my mood, simply by opting for sunshine colours in my subjects. As an artist I can leap from country to country, season to season all by the touch of my brush and it is fabulous.

I am working towards my 2014 Spring exhibitions and I have an image in my mind of the gallery being full of vibrantly alive paintings that draw the viewers into each piece. There should be a glow and a feeling of energy in the room throughout the show. So here are two pieces I am currently working on and there may be a thrid to make this a trio of floral paintings.

I have used Cadmium Yellow for the centres, and because it is such a powerfully rich pigment it has allowed me to use my size ten sable to form petals without adding extra pigment on my brush. By using water alone, moving away from my starting point for the petals, I gain a more delicate result with the Cadmium Yellow from the centres which bleeds into the surrounding flower formation. If you mix Cadmium Yellow with Cerulean Blue you gain a fantastic spring green which harmonises perfectly with the daffodils.

I will be adding centre detail and finding petal edges next.

Artist Tip : This is a great time of year to stock up on on new watercolour products so treat yourself  to a few completely new shades and maybe give your palette a spring clean while you are at it. Whatever you do, keep your pigments clean and fresh so that this shows in your results which will be glowing with colour, fresh and alive.