Foxgloves in Watercolour: Garden Painting 2012

Foxglove growing in my cottage garden

The sun has been incredible today and the light playing on the flowers in my garden has been tempting me to work outside and enjoy the summer weather. I didn't really know where to start first as so many wonderful flowers are in bloom at the moment. But a tall foxglove has been standing proud and almost calling my name this last week.

So with a board to lean on and several pieces of paper I sat and studied its' gorgeous colour. I have opted for W&N Opera Rose as the main shade for my compositions.

 First wash working around the bell shapes of each flower on the tall foxglove stem.

It was fantastic days painting especially capturing the light in my first study which seemed to breath with life immediately in sections. 

At this stage I enjoyed leaning my first wash against an old tree stump to see how my colours sat with nature in my garden. They worked perfectly for me.

Leaning my painting in its early stage against an old log that has been surrounded by these flowers all year so far..

Next I added some darks by carefully looking at the flower in real life. I find if you continually work from photographic images your darks can tend to become far too heavy and unrealistic. Painting from life in the fresh air is far healthier for you and can give you an insight into stunning colour combinations learned from observing, which can be missed by painting inside all the time!

Foxgloves building up gradually in a painting from a session in my garden this afternoon.

I know tomorrow I will be racing out to my garden to complete the series and I have one stunning group of white foxgloves which will be truly interesting to capture in a watercolour.

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Readers of my new book "Atmospheric Watercolours"  may be reminded of my "Woodland Fantasy " foxglove painting from inside the opening pages. It is now almost two years since this  original painting was created, as it was then with my publishers until my books release in May of this year. When it was finally returned to me ,it was framed and sold in one of my recent exhibitions. It was, and always will be an all time favourite painting of mine with several galleries wishing to showcase it.

Now its time to create a new " all time favourite" foxglove painting!

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Artists Tip: Please paint outside as much as possible and from life because the colours you will see will be far more interesting and the light effects so much more interesting to paint. In time your eyes search out the patterns within pattersn too so go for gold and paint something new this week!

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to write me emails about my new book "Atmospheric Watercolours". 

I have been moved to tears by the wonderfully touching comments in some messages and completely taken aback by the positive feedback that keeps coming my way. So much so that at times I feel very overwhelmed. I wanted to share my passion for working in watercolour and reach people who I know would like to come to my workshops but can't. I poured everything I knew into each page  to share with  those who want to work in watercolour and discover all its magic as I have done. Working in this medium has changed my life in so many ways so I really simply wanted to pass on that happiness to others. And if possible help other artists reach their dreams.

Thank you so much for letting me know you love my book and thank you for buying a copy!

Truly,

I am really grateful!

Jean

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jean-Haines-Atmospheric-Watercolours-Expression/dp/1844486745/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Glorious Colour

Its' August and the month that I promised myself a complete break because I knew this year was going to be really hectic. Now I have quiet time in my studio to reflect on the year that has passed and the new year I am facing.

I have loved all the workshops and art demonstrations and thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many fantastic new friends which is what happens on the sessions. And my exhibition work has been a journey that I have adored from the very first step and brushstrokes from the first to the most recent collection.

I am now really looking ahead to my watercolour course at Dedham Hall in September and my Watercolour Tour in USA  in October. 

I am in a group exhibition in Cardiff ,Wales, which opens in September and I have watercolour collections in the Wey Gallery in Godalming,Surrey. The Lyndhurst Gallery in the New Forest,Hampshire; Dogs in Art Gallery in Stockbridge and of  course The Frame Gallery in Odiham, Hampshire. These include a variety of subjects and each gallery has new work which I have  really loved creating.

Now I am going to indulge myself with working on new techniques, exciting new subjects and hope there is some sunshine in this pretty wet summer we have had in UK this year. But if the sun doesn't shine I will just have to paint my own glorious colour!

Limited Edition Prints: Sporting Collection 2012

Sporting Collection coming to life

It has been an amazing few weeks with the 2012 Olympics inspiring so many energetic brushstrokes.

Yesterday I delivered new art work for framing and I am delighted to share the news that my painting " Going For Gold" inspired by the amazing gold medal wins this weekend will be available as a limited edition print from this weekend. There will only be a small number of prints available so it could be wise to contact me if you would like to be on the list of collectors.

An image can be seen on my web site home page

www.jeanhaines.com

Full details will be following shortly.

Memory Lane; Sweet Pea

Yesterday I visited the Wey Gallery in Godalming,Surrey after delivering a new collection of work to be framed.  I loved seeing the fabulous gallery display and I have new subjects appearing there soon.

On my journey home I passed a garden that was full of rows of sweet pea, one of my favourite flowers. Their blast of colour  in the rural setting was incredible.  Everyone who came to one of my workshops, earlier this year ,will know I have been disappointed because the plants in my cottage garden this year at that time hadn't produced any blooms.  I am happy to say they are now flowering well and beautiful sweet pea paintings will be coming in the next few weeks I am sure.

Why do I like them so much as a flower?

They bring back memories from my childhood. I was brought up by strict Grandparents and flower picking from their garden wasn't allowed. But my Grandfather would pick little bunches of sweet pea now and then for me to give to my  step mother when my father remarried.  I would carry these little bouquets  as treasure to my new home, to a woman who changed my life by bringing colour into it. And kindness.

Their fragrance is so delightful that I now place little bouquets of the blossoms around my home to bring Summer inside. I chose two varieties to plant this year,both heavily scented. One is a  mix of vibrant colour.the other is soft muted shades. So it will be interesting to see which appeals to my brushes more!

You can read my orignal post about sweet pea via this link and it was really interesting for me to read this morning too. I am loving looking back on my older blog posts, enjoying how I felt at that time. I didn't realise by sharing my thoughts here I would be inspiring my own brushes to move on familiar subjects too. And see how I would portray them later on in my art journey.We will find out!

A real trip down memory lane!

http://watercolourswithlife.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/painting-from-life-sweet-pea-in.html

Olympics 2012 Jessica Ennis

Jessica Ennis coming to life in the early stages of a figurative watercolour

I have watched the Olympics this week and seen sport in a new light. I have been amazed at the skill of the athletes and felt as one with the crowds from all over the world who have cheered on their favourites, all hoping to see them do well.

I have never wanted to move my brushes so badly and my passion for painting action scenes has taken me to a whole new subject area via the incredible sights I am seeing daily. Its' like a feast for the artist who yearns for something new.

There  is something  extra wonderful about countries uniting through this sporting spectacle. The sense of hope,excitement and the thrill of unexpected wins and disappointments from those who didn't quite make it  seem to bring out the compassion and emotion in human nature.

I am going to have a ball painting and I am also going to love every single brushstroke!

"Simply Jess"

First Brush Strokes breathing life into a figure in action

Dog Gone it!

Bad Hair Day literally!

Sometimes you just gotta break free! The last few months have been fantastically busy with work on new collections for galleries, exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and book signing events. But there comes a time in my art studio life where I feel something bubbling up inside of me and I just have to move my brushes on paper for the sheer fun of it, laughing as I work allowing colour to form a subject that has no goal or purpose other than the freedom I feel when creating it.

I think as artists we can often become far too bogged down in an art world by influences around us where sales and recognition seem to become far too important which can be unhealthy for our creative souls.

So in my own way I have thrown all ideas of being serious completely out of the window, worked on this shaggy dog and now I can't stop smiling because it is staring at me from my easel. In fact it has created one huge giggle attack!

There is plenty of time in my life to paint seriously but oh boy, this felt as though I had a small rebellion all of my own!

Smile!

Lifes' far too short to always be serious or even to always take yourself too seriously!

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