Sunday 30 August 2015

Paintings from my "World of Watercolour " Exhibition

 The Market Seller
Page 131 " Jean Haines World of Watercolour"
Size : 58 x 44 cms
£395

Jean Haines World Of Watercolour Exhibition
The Frame Gallery
Odiham
Hampshire UK 
September 11th - 27th,  2015.

It won't be long now before the opening of my solo exhibition at the Frame Gallery in Odiham.
In the collection are many original paintings from my new book " Jean Haines World of Watercolour". Pieces that hold very special memories to me.

I know I have friends and followers who can't make the show because they live abroad and I know often dates coincide meaning its' impossible to get to an opening night. Which is why I am making the decision to share some pieces from my new collection on my blog.  Including prices and sizes in case anyone wishes to contact the gallery if interested in collecting an original memory from my new book.

I will start with this blog post by sharing a few favourite portraits and explain a little more about the stories behind them.

I lived in Dubai and fell in love with portraiture there. I studied at that time with artists who were so skilled in their techniques but they mainly worked in oils. I had to find my own way painting portraits in watercolour and then adapt what I had learnt to my technique as I evolved to working minus a preliminary sketch.

I would take ages studying and taking photographs of characters with fascinating faces. I loved visiting market places to buy fresh food, haggle and of course see even more fantastic subjects to paint. I was so lucky as I felt a passion  for portraiture ignite within me at this time in my art life, purely from where I was living and the environment I was being exposed to. I absorbed every single piece of information and sight like a child at Christmas. It was wonderful.

My portraits then became highly collectible in galleries in Dubai and I was often contacted to see if  or when I would have new work available. These faces would be the first to sell in my early exhibitions. Red dots would appear almost as soon as the doors opened and I became known for painting " Magic Faces". because faces did seem to appear as if by magic when I worked on them. Strangely enough I finished a few workshops in Australia with small portraits and everyone loved them. And I loved the reaction as the " magic faces" appeared.

"The Market Seller" above is a firm favourite with me as his profile was just too wonderful to resist for an artist.  In my new book I show how I paint this profile and how I have grown by using techniques to learn from my previous work. This finished painting will be in my new show. As will the Arab Study shown below.

I have opted to have these paintings placed in gold frames, but floating forward to show off the medium they are painted in. They look amazing. Now I am unwrapping the collection and imagining how these two paintings would look on my cottage walls. And I have to say it is very tempting to keep them as a memory of my book!

I must confess, have never been great at selling my work as I always want to keep my favourite pieces. Which would mean a gallery could end up with an opening of an exhibition full of red dots to mark sold paintings and they would all be mine! Not wise Apart from that I have little wall space left in my home.

So these two portraits are in my exhibition and a wonderful memory for me of my time living in Dubai but also they were so  magical to work on in my book.  Sharing my passionf for painting faces.



Arab Study
Soft watercolour bringing the subject to life with little detial yet capturing character.
Page 19 " Jean Haines World of Watercolour"
38 x 50 cms.
£195



If you are interested in any of the original paintings from my new book o rpieces I share on my blog please contact Jan at the Frame Gallery and let her know.  Please do not contact me directly as the Gallery will be solely handling the sales of the exhibition paintings.

You can find details on the exhibition and how to contact Jan via the following link



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