maandag 9 december 2013

More desktop pictures

and here are some abstract images from my painter's desk:
 blueish...
 and bright...

maandag 2 december 2013

Winter harvest - online magazine

A new issue of the online magazine Oh Marie! is available. It is a modern fun magazine on handmade, treasure hunting, men with beards and so on. The theme of this issue is Winter Harvest and it shows my painting on the Etsy-page (p. 38-39). Love it and wanted to share it! Here's the link:

Here are also some pictures of my painting desk. 
In printing it is called a drop cloth, I don't know whether there is a word for this one? 
The corner of my studio where I paint small things, is interesting in itself. 
Love all the accidents happening on my tabletop :)



maandag 25 november 2013

Looking for...

inspiration... 
I am thinking of applying for a gallery in France, 
did not know what style to apply with, so made some sketches. 
Thought about a series of drawings like this one... because I really like to draw, 
but have decided on something else...
cannot say what it is... I have to work on it for a while.


maandag 11 november 2013

Library happiness

 
Fortunately, we still have a library in our village (almost lost because of upscaling and cutbacks...) 
and I have been a visitor since my childhood. As a child I mostly read series of books and it was always an adventure to get those issues you hadn't read yet. So me and my friend teamed up, and when she had read the book, she gave it to me. It came up to a point that I had read all my favourite series, and had to look out for new interesting series and writers.

And now, as a creative person, I am of course looking for the art and craft books (and for French movies of which I am a definite fan...). 
This week it was library happiness 
because I found some very new issues of craft books!

donderdag 7 november 2013

Cleaning up for the open studio this Saturday

Ah, time to clean up, sort out my studio!
My studio is open this Saturday for visitors to come 
and see what I have been up to, or to maybe look for some handmade holiday gifts.

I have this enormous pile of paintings on paper: which ones are good enough to show and sell? And am I ready to part with some of them? After all, I know when I made them, what the process was. Someone adviced me to hold on to some paintings which clearly reflect my development as an artist... and I have taken that advice. But I also love to sell my paintings, I like sharing what I've made.


maandag 21 oktober 2013

Doodle and practice

Just showing you a drawing I made while waiting, practicing my skills and letting my imagination do the work, wonderful how art sometimes works...
Maybe it was inspired by my visit to France, seeing the old painted images on the walls there.

maandag 7 oktober 2013

Joyful painting

Last weekend I came to my studio to just  make a painting 
and experience the joy of colours and textures. 
I had to come loose from overthinking perspective, assignments and so on.
I used to make lots of abstract paintings with layers and structure and I returned to that,
this is the result, just a combination of colour, shape and movement!


And why did I make it, and what do I mean by it...? 
Nothing, just the sheer joy of making things and expressing yourself freely!

donderdag 26 september 2013

Update

The Art Fair was really nice, I spoke to a lot of people about drawing and painting. Each one has its own experiences or opinions on art. I sold quite a lot of small items, but no paintings. I brought this Heart-painting:

I've made a series of these hearts a while ago, it's all about layers and movement. I wanted a rustic feel to it, so we made the frames ourselves. We had quite a positive response to the painting but no buyers yet, so it will be in my studio for a while.
There were a lot of visitors and luckily some sunshine, so we spent a nice day on the fair.

There has been quite a lot on my mind (ideas, some worries and a lot of cleaning to do), so it was good to take some time and make a hike in the woods with my husband. We enjoy searching for mushrooms and photographing them, we try to enlarge our knowledge about them. And I like to look at the colours and structures, autumn is slowly beginning here:

The lessons at the academy have started, this year's subject is on Art and Photography. Here you see my corner and palette, and the results of the group:



Until next time! I'll be spending a lot of time cleaning up, making some new bags and key-chains, working on a workshop-proposal and clearing my head, pfew ;).

maandag 16 september 2013

Art fair

This week I am preparing for the Art Fair in Ankeveen, it will be outside so I hope the weather will give some sunshine. I have made some mini-art which will be available for 20 euros, and I will take with me two abstract paintings made on panel. I still have to do the finishing touches on them, so it is very fresh and new.
This is the flyer, welcome to drop by! There are other artists and makers, and the fair is relaxed and beautifully situated.


Here is a picture of people standing in front of my market stall (left) from last year.


This is one of the mini-art paintings I made on panel, there are only three of them especially made for the occasion.
Next time more on what I've been up to, it has been quite busy, hope I will have more time in October.

vrijdag 30 augustus 2013

Proud

This is my newest painting "In thoughts". 
After several studies of the position of the woman and preparing 
the canvas with some materials, I put the sketch on the canvas and started painting.
It is a rather large size for me, so it was quite challenging to get the proportions right.
I am proud of the result, and the position of the woman on the chair will remain an interesting object for me. I think I will keep making studies of her.

This painting is now to be seen at Gallery Kleinvoorde in Twello.

maandag 19 augustus 2013

Africa inspiration

Here in the Netherlands we have a Museum focusing on Africa, on its culture and its art. This week I went to visit, and I really liked it. Outside you have several houses built in a typical African style, and some of them are also decorated. In this picture you see the one decorated with paint.
In the next picture you see a very simple decoration technique in graphical style on the wall, I think it can be done with a stick or a fork into cement which is still moist. 
Wouldn't this be great to decorate your chimney wall??
Inside you find art and sculptures from various different regions. I know that Picasso was inspired into kubism after he visited an exhibition on African art in Paris. And walking through this museum and seeing all those shapes and strange combinations, you can feel that the African style is distinctly different and inspiring. Here are two images I like:

I've been busy in the studio as well, working on some new paintings, enjoying summer and preparing for some workshops. This week there is a workshop on painting with paper, welcome!
I've also sold two small paintings to the USA, and made a small custom order.
I enjoy living a creative life!

donderdag 8 augustus 2013

Paper art in the museum

Once in the two years there is an exhibition on paper art in the CODA museum in Apeldoorn.
I've visited it this year, I love paper art!
Some impressions:
This is the start with a project from Anouk Vogel, folded white flowers, lovely!


Here you see a project from Peter Callesen
a Danish designer, he has made a human being out of silhouettes.

And this was an inspiring project of a Greek designer (I forgot to note the name),
 she cut endless rows of flowers from the financial pages of the paper.
To make something positive out of the endless negative news because of the economic crisis.


dinsdag 6 augustus 2013

Last month

Last month:
was a very warm one, with lots of sunshine.
I've been enjoying these summer times, sitting in the garden, going biking, meeting with friends and working.
In my studio I've been working on several projects,
on a very large painting which has been on my wishlist for long, 
and now I took the time to study the model
and to paint her. 
Here you see a part of the painting. I'll probably be selling it through my website:


Also I've been working on a custom order 
of someone who wanted her wedding-gown to be in a painting.
I like doing custom orders, but they are a bit scary as well. 
How to translate their ideas into a painting and do it in my style?
But it worked out well and both the customer and myself are content.
This is a tiny part of the painting;


I've been drawing as well, just because you need to practise, because it is fun to see what you can draw and to find your own signature of drawing. I made this self-portrait with waterpaint.
 

I need to work on some mini-art for an art market as well, and I am working on a series of paintings, this may take a while but I am already learning a lot from it.

maandag 8 juli 2013

A bit of patience

I've waited a while for this one to open up...
 It is only there for a short while, already loosing its magnificent leaves.
Even they form a nice picture...

vrijdag 28 juni 2013

Flower structures

I found some other colours as well, and look at those structures of the flowers!



In september I will be present at the Art Fair in Ankeveen again and they like me to make some small art works. I have several ideas, but I am still not sure. I like so many styles and sort of get lost in what to do. So I just played around with waterbased paint, enjoying making little portraits of unknown persons, one turned out to be yellow as well:


donderdag 27 juni 2013

More pink shades

Our garden seems to be filled with pink colours these days, take a look:


I saw these poppies once along the roadside and took with me some of their seeds, now they flower in our garden. You have to be quick though, they might be gone after one day!
 

 This one is called 'broken heart', because of its heart-shaped flowers which open up. They are very fragile.
Digitalis, love how the sun plays with the colours. They came by accident but they are a bonus in the garden .


Lots of wild bees buzzing around as well, there is enough for them to find!

donderdag 20 juni 2013

Inspiration from nature: shape and colour combinations


I made these pictures in our garden, I like looking at the different shapes and sizes, at the different shades of pink. In september I will join a painting-course in which photography plays a central part and in preparation for that I am reading a book on how to use photography for your paintings (Painting Great Pictures from Photographs, a book by Hazel Harrison). The book shows several cases where painters have made a composition from several of their own photographs to make it into a painting.

Up until now I have been making pictures simply because I enjoy looking at things and registrating them, I've learned a lot from that and unconsciously they form a great reference.
The last weeks I have selected a couple of my pictures to make into paintings, and it is still a work in progress.

maandag 3 juni 2013

Sharing

  
I am looking forward to some workshops this week and the next week (for info on workshops see the calendar on this page, you can still join). These pictures are part of my preparation for the workshop Summer stillife. So many stillifes are made by painters, it is interesting to make your own version. And June is a good month to go for those Summer objects. Stillife can be quite difficult, but the struggle to get things right is part of a process. You don't know until you try!


Another workshop is Acrylic paint on paper, here you see a result, it is so much fun to play around with the paint and try different techniques with it. Discovering creativity in a workshop with a group can be so enriching and fun!


dinsdag 28 mei 2013

I'm back!

The month of May was spent with some seriously needed DIY on our house, and with a holiday afterwards. We've spent two weeks in green Switzerland. I've been going there for about 30 years now and I never went to see the Museum of Art in Sion. So this was number one on my list!

 Sion is the capital city of the canton Valais and situated in the south of Switzerland. It has a small old centre with little alleys and a lovely cathedral with a small square in front of it. The museum is situated in an old castle and is worth a visit. They showed works of local painters:


I love this painting but cannot remember the name of the painter... A lot is happening in this painting which makes it nice to look at, but what struck me the most is how he painted the light. The light in the front is bright which is often the case in Valais where there are a lot of sunny days, and the light in the back is the softly matted light which is so typical of the mountains. I love this!



 All three works above are from one painting by the painter Raphy Delleves (1878-1940). He was known for his portraits of local Valais women. These three women were painted while doing the laundry. The details on their costumes are so refined, I think it would have taken him a lot of time and patience.

This is a detail of the painting Mother and Child by Ernest Bieler (1863-1948), his style was going towards Art Nouveau. This is made with gouache, watercolour and pencil on paper.

What would I be painting if I concentrated myself on local women...? It would be so different.