BRONCO/Orville Peck art nearly done
30 May 2022
My painting of the fabulous Orville Peck is nearly done.. The final piece should be up and running very soon. Its certainly been a challenge.
MAJESTY: 70 Glorious Years goes viral
29 May 2022
This is my painting, MAJESTY: 70 GLORIOUS YEARS by Matthew Haydn Jeanes. It was quite a challenge and is quite a big piece. I wanted to paint her as she is now, in this all important Jubilee year. I wanted to capture her age and years of gracious service to us and our country. I hope you like it.
NOTE: since this image was posted on social media it has literally gone viral with thousands upon thousands of likes, comments and shares on social media,. from my own FACEBOOK PAGES (MATTHEW HAYDN JEANES PROFESSIONAL ARTIST and MATTHEW HAYDN JEANES PORTRAIT ARTIST) to ROYAL NEWS and GREYSON’S (PERRY) ART CLUB, so thank you for that.
ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS MAGAZINE JUNE 22
29 May 2022
After coming 4th in the ARTISTS OF THE YEAR competition in 2011, having 2 covers and numerous articles it seems mad that I have been writing for them for 10 years now. The JUNE 22 edition has my latest article.
WILD WEST- SET PAINTING AGAIN
29 May 2022
I’ve spent the last few weeks painting a Wild West street scene for a big private event/party. It was on for just one night and it couldn’t have gone better., I even became a ‘ COWBOY’ greeter for the guests., thanks to all involved .. it was a ‘literally’ blast.
BARBRA STREISAND AT 80
29 May 2022
As Barbra celebrates her 80th birthday.. I thought I would say Happy birthday with my own meagre STREISAND story.
I’m sure you hear the same old information about how Barbra Streisand has influenced our lives over and over again.. so here’s another one!!
I was taken as a very young boy to see “Funny Girl’ by my mum in the late 1960’s..It was such an experience .. I couldn’t get it into my head how Barbra Streisand (who was a real person) was playing Fanny Brice (who was a real person) in a film.. it made no sense.. why didn’t they get the real one?… why did Barbra have to do it? I’m obviously glad they did, because I’ve been a big fan ever since.
I’ve generally seen and collected Barbra stuff all through my life.. I saw the Streisand costumes when they were in London , I have all the movies, concerts and movie posters etc ( I’d love to own more memorabilia.. but I do need to draw the line sometimes or I could go on for ever). I was amazed to have been able to see her in London in 1994 (unforgettable),. Then again in Brooklyn-2012 and AGAIN just 3 rows back from the front in Hyde Park 2019.
I do have my very own Streisand stalker story for you though..
I’m an Artist by trade and the very first painting I did when I was a child.. was of Barbra about to sing ‘My Man’ from Funny Girl.. I copied it from a Film Revue Annual. ( It was the first painting I did where people sat up and said, Wow!… he’s not bad ,It actually looks like her) Moving on to 1999, I was looking to find an Art agent in London.. he said to get the book cover work I wanted, I had to paint some showy pieces, portraits etc.. I came out feeling a bit dejected thinking.. what shall I paint?, I went into a Newsagent and the first thing I saw was THAT picture of Barbra from Funny Girl staring out at me from the cover of a magazine (All About Barbra) I thought ‘that’s it!.. I’ll do the same painting now (all these years later ) and see if it’s still lucky for me.
I started the painting in my studio (Bath), I got stuck and decided to have a break and walk into town.. ( I was getting scared of finishing it to be honest, in case it didn’t work!.)
Bath then was loaded with antiques shops, It was a glorious sunny day, so after a brief wander I headed back to my studio.. passing these very Antique shops at the top of town, Suddenly a very tall, handsome, silver haired man emerged from a tiny little doorway… I looked at him and paused.. “I recognise you!” I thought, It was JAMES BROLIN!!.. as he moved forward, hidden behind him was a tiny woman.. she was wearing (as I recall) an off the shoulder pink sweater ,black slacks, round rose tinted glasses and a black beret.. It was BARBRA STREISAND! (I LITERALLY couldn’t breathe!) I walked past casually (there was no one else around at all) then panicked and thought.. I have to see some more, They crossed the road to an isolated Antiques shop on a corner. At this point I do have to tell you that I was not dressed subtly .. I was wearing baggy cream trousers and a striped sailor top, (no comment!), so I had doubled back, run through a little ally way and then I appeared (casually) in the shop (just after them).. panting a bit!
It was just James, Barbra, the store keeper and myself in the shop. I’m sure they thought.. “wasn’t that the SAILOR who just went past in the opposite direction?”
James was asking for directions to a shop at the bottom of town.. I was thinking.. “I know! I Know!” .. I made my way around the room, blindly looking at the products and made my way over to the glass cabinets which Barbra was looking in. I got next to her pretending to be interested in the items in the case ( I wasn’t!) . I then took an almighty ‘Sniff’ of air.. I was trying to actually ‘smell’ Barbra Streisand’..( I have to stress at this stage that I am NOT a pervert!!)..a strong beautiful scent of perfume filled my nostrils, I turned away and looked intently through a glass column display case.. then Barbra did the same.. she was looking in at one side where I was at the other.. I was looking straight at her – (Oh,GOD!!!!!). We all three left the shop together and stood on the kerb, .. My quandary was.. whether to offer my help and escort them to the shop at the bottom of town…or.. not. I know how celebrities (and Ms Streisand in particular) hate their private space being invaded.. I thought If she tells me to ‘bugger off’ i’ll be mortified .. I wanted my experience and my dream to remain intact.. so I quietly and sadly walked on. I told EVERYBODY (with such pride) that I had actually ‘sniffed’ Barbra Streisand .. There were lots of people who didn’t believe me until it turned out that the celebrities HAD visited exclusive antique places around the area (including Bath). They had stayed in a very high end establishment, but had left because they felt the staff had violated their privacy,. So I was vindicated (and relieved I hadn’t intruded).. It HAD happened!..I went home and finished that painting and it did get me noticed (to a point).. in fact it’s still in my folio today.
Since that date at the turn of this new century,. I have focussed my skill on painting in watercolour,. Chosen to paint PEOPLE that interest me, and that has obviously included numerous paintings of Barbra.. a selection of which I include here,. Most of you will have seen them before I’m sure, I painted her last year and presented it on Face Book on her birthday,. Her great friend and collaborator saw it,. asked if he could show it to Barbra herself,. She loved it and as a result,. She now OWNS my PAINTING of her. What a thrill… after all of this, and all these years of painting her.
So, this is my continuing ‘Barbra’ life.. sorry if I’ve waffled.. I thought you might appreciate my story and here’s some of my paintings of her.
Thank you all for your amazing comments and support of my work over the years.
MAJESTY PAINTING FEATURED IN METROLAND
29 May 2022
My New Painting MAJESTY: 70 Glorious Years has been featured in an article online in METROLAND. Check it out here..
TEACHING AT THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM
29 May 2022
This Easter I had the pleasure of teaching several courses for the Holburne Museum, The first project was a five week course working with Mentoring Plus. We had to take their current exhibition (Cartoonist Mick Peter) and come up with our own characters to integrate into the exhibit, here are the results.. I was so proud of them all,. They did so well that punters couldn’t really tell the difference.. I’m sure that wouldn’t please Mick Peter.. but I was thrilled. I also took a full day work shop designing a Ho-ho bird for primary level students.Thanks to the Holburne for the opportunity.
STAPLE HILL SCHOOL ART
29 May 2022
This gigantic piece of art was unveiled today and my (other) school (Staple Hill Primary) to celebrate its 10th anniversary.. it was supposed to be done on the last day of Arts week,. But storm Eunice put pay to that. Back in September myself and Vicky Iles worked with every child in the school to draw themselves and their teachers/staff-then I collaged them altogether in this mammoth piece which has been beautifully framed and presented to the pupils today. Well done everyone.
2021- QUITE A YEAR FOR ME
29 May 2022
2021, though grim on a lot of levels held a couple of surprises for me in terms of my painting. I painted a portrait of the great Mitzi Gaynor and my friend Paul knows her really well and showed it to her,. she loved it, posted it on her FB page and consequently now owns a beautiful Fine art print of it.. what a thrill. Then there was my painting of Diana, Princess of Wales, I posted it on the Greyson Perry FB page on her 60th birthday and it went ballistic, 25 thousand ‘likes’, 10 thousand shares. Unbelievable. The crowning glory was.. that I posted my new painting of Barbra Streisand on the fan sites for her birthday on the 24th April.. People really liked it and her great friend asked me if he could show it to her.. I thought for 1 second and said ‘yes’- he then called me and said she ‘LOVES IT” and could he buy it for her.. as a result of a lot of postage and backwards and forwards.. Barbra Streisand now owns MY portrait of HER. After years of painting her,. what a reward. She sent him and e mail which he read to me over the phone, saying how much she loved it and having painted in watercolours herself, realised how difficult it is was to achieve.. she also asked how was it that I was not famous.. sadly I don’t have the email myself.. but its a thrill that these amazing things happened. I’ll struggle on.. one day I may be able to just paint for a living.. maybe when I’m 80. Ha,
