Watercolours With Life: Cattadiction : 2016

Monday 3 October 2016

Cattadiction : 2016

"Kitten Love"

Okay. I need to put my hand up and confess I have become addicted to painting cats. Hence the title of this blog post "Cattadiction". If you haven't caught this addiction yet do not, I repeat do NOT start painting cats. One painting leads to another as you strive to reach purrfection. This from the artist who believes there is no such thing as perfection. You can always improve as an artist. In fact you can always improve as a human being too. No matter who you are.

So today I came into my studio and loved seeing what I had left on my easel last night. I quickly did a warm up wash using golds. But then looked at the grey cat I painted recently. I liked it and wondered what it would have looked like as a kitten. So I have given my model a " facelift" and knocked off quite a few years by aiming for cute and cuddly in this new painting of exactly teh same cat. Now the title of my new painting is " Kitten Love". And who doesnt't love kittens? Actually my husband John isn't too keen on kittens. He thought our two were really destructive. They were. My first ever kittens and I rather naively said out loud " They will grow out of it ".

They didn't.

Two ripped arm chairs, a scratched leather settee, many ruined sweaters and several years later I still love our now fully grown cat Biscuit but we lost Buster to Cancer earlier this year. Can I face owning new kittens? Probably not right now, but I love painting them.

This is what my easel looks like this afternoon , seen below, and my cat gallery on my web site is beginning to look a lot healthier too! As my new paintings have been added although these will be kept for a show collection for the time being.

The three amigos!

Below you can see the warm up wash I created,which I will work on now as it is quite interesting. Believe it or not I was trying out colours for ginger cats!

Three amigos and a wash!

I wonder what tomorrow will bring subject wise!

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1 comment:

Unknown said...: Love them, Jean......they all look so alive! And, love seeing you enthused about painting again!
Hugs to you, Bette; 3 October 2016 at 09:20

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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."