Keep going

Sometimes it is quite difficult to keep going and make art. All kinds of other jobs and questions ask your attention and energy... and then there is no energy left to really focus on making. Oh yes, a small drawing is possible but to get the brushes out, make a plan of what you want to paint and then start and focus and above all finish a new artpiece... it is difficult. 

For me it helps to work in series. But at the moment it is quite unfocused, so I am accepting this and am putting my energy in the joy of drawing, of creating. The joy of making something new is what keeps me going! So I made this sign to remember myself and just because I liked the combination of blue and red.    

One of my pencil favourites

 Lately I have been trying a lot of different pencils and brands. One of my favourites is the Inktense pencil of the English brand DERWENT. This pencil has strong pigment and can be diluted with water. I bought a new colour: Mid Vermillion, and tried it in my sketchbook. Here you see an apple and a pear, the pear I blended with water which makes the colour stronger and more present. When you do not dilute, that is the apple, then it holds the softness of your drawing lines.

These pencils can also be used on acrylics, for some extra detail or colour expression.

You can also dip the tip :) into water and then you sort of get a watercolour effect.

I bought these at an artist supply store Van Beek Art.

Artfair

This weekend I was present on a local Castle Fair. This castle is only about 300 meters away from my studio and it has a beautiful garden with large chestnut trees. We had the perfect weather and lovely conversations with visitors and colleagues.

So at the beginning of this week I am organizing the studio again, for my own Open Studio this Friday (11-16 hours). I have some new paintings to frame and photograph and some cards to restock.

Wishing you a good week!

Details of the brush

 Some years ago I made a painting of Nectarines, with acrylics on paper. And I looked at it closely recently and I just like the dry brush method I used. I do like adding texture or painting texture of clothing, curtains or whatever.

So I painted the old table with its painted and used surface. On a lightgrey background, I used a dry brush and white paint to express the structure. Using these techniques, by trial and error..., make it interesting for me.

What you see here is a part of the painting.

Heather?

 After several heatwaves and 6 weeks of no rainfall at all, I was wondering how the heather would cope. Midway August the heather blooms on a patch near our house, so I made an evening walk to have a look. And yes there it was: heather in bloom! But also large copper coloured patches of brown heather, probably heather which suffered last year. I made pictures and one of them inspired me to paint:

Trial and error

 Another sketchbook page, using markers and one colour. The pencil was red but turned out to be more orange. It was not a favorite colour for me, not very happy with how it turned out...

Well, sketchbooks are for trial and error, so I've learned something.

A page of snippets

 A page with a few snippets glued on was waiting in my sketchbook to be put to use. I used a Derwent Inktense pencil to draw this still-life. When you concentrate on the composition and dimensions you forget about the snippets until you see the end-result :).

It is a nice way to get unexpected results.

Have a good week! We have had some rain finally, which changes nature immediately, so I need to do some gardening work, especially since the apples are falling of the trees.

Open Studio day

Warm Summer days, and I threw the doors wide open of my studio, to welcome visitors. 

Well, only some people stepped from their bicycle, so it was not a busy day. But I did have a good working time, finishing some small art works, making cards, preparing for the fair and jotting down ideas.

Next Open Studio: September 18th.

 

Portrait of a young woman

I made a drawing of a young woman, looking outside the window. A painted background adds surprises, I like that. I have prepared some sketchbook-pages with colour, and when I find an interesting face or pose I draw it. And so my sketchbook fills up.

I have made a series of charcoal portraits in the same way, you can find them in my Etsy-shop. Have a nice week, here in Europe it is going to be another one with hot temperatures...

Hydrangea flowers

 During my Open Studio last Friday I had fun trying to handprint some Hydrangea flowers. I carved the stamps first, and then printed them with acrylic paint. It was messy because of the very small stamps, but also a lot of fun! This time I made the blue purple variety, but I will also try to make the whitepink ones.

This picture shows my practice paper :). I already sold two of the cards, and will be making more for a Castle fair in September.

Hands where I can see them

 We've completed putting up the exhibition with the topic Hands. More than 20 drawings and two paintings made by me are on display. I hope the visitors will enjoy them.

The display is in our local church, open on Saturdays 11-16 pm.

I find it difficult to draw Hands, so in order to get a grip on it and to improve my skills I started making drawings. And along the way you start to notice dimensions, emotions and so on. Interesting and still a bit difficult, so I keep on drawing.

Shoreline

The shores of this lake were right in front of our tent so of course I took several pictures. I like the lines in the landscape and decided to use this picture as a reference for a little drawing with watersoluble crayons. It did not need to be an exact version, so I blended some colours, made some layers, practicing with the crayons.

This week I am busy for an exhibition in a church. With a group we are organising an exhibition around the theme HANDS. All the finishing touches on details take quite some time... so the challenge is now to put all that hard work into an attractive and accessible expo.

Recharged

 We've been away for a holiday in Sweden, and feel recharged. Hiking, touring through the landscape, enjoying different food, trying to learn about the Swedish culture: it all shifts your focus for a while. And hey: no to do-lists! One of our visits was to the small city of Mariestad, a pretty quiet city with a large church and a small old center. The enjoyment is in the small details, for instance this simple beautiful door in one of the streets.

And now we're home and are re-focusing on work, organizing for an exhibition, looking into new regulations for my Etsy-shop and so on... wishing you a good week!

The Garden

 Just a short Hello from the Garden, where it is bursting and blooming:

I am just finishing off some things on my to-do-list, before we go away on holiday.

See you when I get back!

Zorn palette

Anders Zorn was a Swedish painter who was known for his limited colour palette. There is a softness in his paintings. He was known to use often only black, white, ochre and cadmium red. So I used these colours for a little portrait painting of a man. It is interesting to practise this. I missed a blue colour and have not yet found how to make it. But that is okay, for another time... 

In Mora, Sweden, there is a museum on the paintings and life of Anders Zorn. I have been there and it was the best to see his paintings up close.

Hello paper play

Some colours that spoke to me in a magazine, I made them into snippets and then happily started glueing them in my sketchbook. Not overthinking it but in the same time there is a sort of landscape composition. What would the red do? How to make layers? I just had fun :). 

New destination

 SOLD!

The making of this painting took some time. I first prepared the paper, then started on something, which I did not like, too busy. Then weeks later I looked at it again, and started painting intuitively, putting the colours down and seeing what it needed. I instantly liked it much more, I took another critical look, added some highlights and then it was finished. And now it is sold, to someone who instantly liked it. That is just the best way...

Most paintings I sell through studio visits, but in my Etsy-shop you can also find paintings. It is for me an easy way to place pictures and get it out there to be seen. This way I sold a set of paintings to Alaska some years ago... I mean I still cannot believe it...

ART needs to be seen and enjoyed.

Loose landscape

Artwork on my desk last week, an acrylic base and then painted and drew, using Caran d'Ache Neocolour II. Really enjoyed the loose touch:

 Hope to be doing this more often :).

OPEN Studio

 This week May 8 and 9, I open up my studio for visitors. I have new cards to show, some small art pieces and also this new landscape painting:

My workspace consists of my studio, a large teachingroom and a garden. I always make it into a sort of little shop and gallery so I can show what I have been up to.

My studio is open from 11-16 hours, contact me for more info. Wishing you a good week!

More Sketchbook Revival

 A lesson I really liked in the Sketchbook Revival Challenge was the one by Debbie Mackinnon. She illustrated how to sketch outside and take the tree shapes as a base for a composition. I like the loose style. So first I prepared the pages with some watercolour base, then sketched the trees into a composition and then concentrated on lights and darks. Here you see the beginning and the end result.

It reminds me of a Spanish landscape with hills in the distance.

I also made some notes and a quick sketch as a reminder to practice this more often:

Some results

 This week is also Sketchbook Revival week, and I'd like to share some results:

I did not have much spare time, but when I did start one of the assignments I really enjoyed it. Being taken into a creative prompt really focuses your eyes on the paper in front of you. And looking back on the pages, they are inspiring prompts. Now onto the next ones!

The start

 The start of a new painting. An image in a documentary of an older woman chatting from her window interested me. Especially in Mediterranean countries this is a common way to spend your time :).

So here I am using charcoal to make a composition sketch, to get dimensions right. I am going to use acrylic paint, and I am working on thick paper suited for this. Maybe later on I will make a version on canvas. First, I want to study this. And I like paper, because it takes less room to store. I use common dimensions so it will fit a standard frame, this is 50*70 cm.

I am curious where this will end... you never know until you try.

Fruit trees

 Ah, the Plum fruit tree is showing its first flowers, a beautiful sight. We are having some sunny days and slowly bees and butterflies are taking a look in the garden. 

So I am spending quite a few hours outdoors, and am preparing for the Sketchbook revival, collecting materials and paper. Maybe next week some results?

Sketchbook revival

I have signed up for the Sketchbook Revival Challenge, and am very curious about it. I have joined several drawing challenges but never this one. And there are some teachers joining who have already inspired me before.

Since I am always in for creative experiments, I am looking forward to it, and hopefully I can show some results later. It starts April 11th. You can still join too!

 More information see press here.

Painting outside

 On several occasions I have painted outside but not often. I have been anticipating to do this, but also thought I should try it... So after reading some tips on painting outside I took the time and went for a walk with a rucksack filled with some basic kit.

I found a bench and a quiet spot and made two paintings: the first was a bit strict and precise, and the second one was more loose. This is the second one:

And this is my view for the drawing, I like the lines in a landscape, and the different stages of foreground, center and background. Also winter times show the contours of the trees in a beautiful way.

But after an hour I got cold, so I tried to dry my painting on the fence, and then hiked back to my bike.

Will I go again? Yes! If only because there is still so much to learn :).

Keep going

 Each face is different, and when I see a tilted head or a certain look that speaks to me, I like to try to capture it. Just as this ballpoint sketch on a small piece of paper:

I've been working on all sorts of different things, some Youtube studies on landscapes, working on a larger landscape on canvas, and making little portrait drawings. Creativity has to found you working is a quote I once read... so better take that pencil or brush and see where you end up...

Little pencil portrait

Last weekend my studio was open for 2 days, I display my latest artwork, the cards which I do not sell online, some handmade gift packages and so on. In the meantime I am working at my desk. This weekend I sold this little pencil portrait, it was purchased as a gift for someone. It makes me so happy to be selling my artwork, so it can be seen and enjoyed.

Wishing you a good week!

Open Studio

 On March, 6 and 7 I am opening up my studio for local visitors. Spring is in the air so it is nice to welcome people to the studio. It is open from 11-16 on Friday and 11-15 in Saturday. Please contact me for more details.

I'll be presenting creative DIY packages, greeting cards, small art and accessories, all handmade by me.

On the table

This is the latest piece of work on my desk, a horizontal landscape with acrylics on paper. It is a landscape from the heart, and probably based on one of the many landscape views I see during my walks. I like the endlessness of meadows and flat land, it gives room to breathe. This abstract approach of painting also gives room to the viewer's imagination and thoughts, which is unsubconsciously one of the reasons I think why I paint... to let the viewer be transported to another world. 

Abstract blues

 This time some abstract work: I enjoyed working with these colours and seeing the result. I used some sgraffito as well. I wanted to try out this Fabriano paper (it is perfect) and used some yellow, blue and black for this. The outcome is very lively and surprising, the only thing is: what to do next? Do I leave it like this because it is lively, or do I continue with other layers? I have not decided yet.

Little portrait

This week a little drawing by Rembrandt was sold for 27 million, a sketch of a lion. Well preserved, framed and taken care of. I was thinking about this when I made a little portrait drawing of a girl, with a French Conté pencil. All the little sketches tell something about the maker, they have value. And when you have become famous they are immensely valuable :).

It was a small girl on a random picture in a brochure, but I wanted to capture her look, a bit innocent and dreamy. I love the soft touch the Conté adds.

Frozen winter days

 We spent a week away hiking in the hills. It was chilly, frosty and beautiful. Not much sun, mainly fog, so colours were softened and magical. It was a bit cold to take pictures but the frost had clung to the branches and the details were really beautiful.

After the walk we warmed up inside, drank coffee, and a bit of reading and creating.

Now it is time to get back to the studio.

Markers and ochre

 Small drawings are made in between other jobs, and this is how this page filled itself. A gardening show (who recognizes Monty :)?) was the inspiration for this, made with marker and ochre pencil:

Go, take a pen and draw something, why not?

Morning walk

 Crispy days and bright skies brought us out in the early morning for a morning walk. The stillness and soft colours were beautiful:

I made a quick interpretation in my sketchbook with marker on a base of acrylic paint:

Wishing you a good creative week!