Jean McCann

Jean attended various workshops in South Africa in a variety of mediums and exhibited in South Africa before coming to New Zealand in 1997 and exhibited as a member of the Feilding Art Group till 2002.

In Manawatu I held solo exhibitions and exhibited at the Manawatu Arts Awards.

From 2002 to 2011 was as active member of the Estuary Arts Centre, Orewa and a regular exhibitor. Since retiring and moving to live permanently in Tairua, I exhibit at The Little Gallery Tairua and have been a member of the Mercury Bay Art Escape since 2022.

While I work in all mediums, my favourite is watercolour, which enables me to attempt to capture the vibrancy of colour and light. My inspiration is to capture the effect of light and the atmospheric patterns of the sky with colourful washes. Watercolour is my favourite medium as it is unpredictable and has a habit of doing what it likes as the water moves the paint around the paper. I love the transparency, freedom, and magic of watercolour.

Wherever I travel I have my paints on hand to capture the scene at that moment and work quickly in watercolour or pen and wash. I am drawn to landscapes, especially seascapes and trying to capture the essence of the Coromandel and Waikato.

My work is somewhere between representational as in flower paintings and loose, contemporary. I also paint in acrylics and mixed media, focusing more on abstract landscapes.