The N70 Route

For this graphite pencil drawing ‘Berg en Dal – 28-04-19’ I used an old reference picture. Made in 2005 when I took a colleague for a walk on the famous N70 route. That one starts at the edge of Nijmegen, the town I grew up in. So I know the route very well. It stretches from Nijmegen, Beek, to Berg en Dal and back, covering an odd 16 kilometers. The area consists of a forest placed in and on top of valleys and hills. It is interrupted by isolated meadows once in a while. Occasionally you can enjoy a vista over the Ooij Polder and the Duffelt, straight into Germany. Surely a recommendation!

Series

This one is a continuation of the series I started 5 years ago. The first 5 artworks were pastel drawings and sold out quickly. Apparently people like the light and the way I hatched foliage structures. Time to do some more but now also in graphite and oil. Lately I have visions of me dwelling through the woods on a daily basis. The law of attraction will guide me to start living there, I’m sure. Then I will be able to do live sketching more often and even take students to this beautiful area.

The Light

I planned this study to be completed under an hour. I think I have improved. The goal is to prepare myself for the outdoor season to come. The actual spot is to be found in Beek-Ubbergen at the end of the Keteldal. It might be also Berg en Dal to which it borders. As always I am fascinated by the light shimmering through the leafs. The challenge was not to draw them but only to suggest big portions. That was done by laying fairly rough hatched impressionistic strokes. The light will be my guide forever. The figure in the front is my colleague. Don’t you think it’s a scenery Caspar David Friedrich could have dreamt?

Graphite pencil drawing (Pentel 0.5 mm, 3B) on Canson Bristol paper (10.5 x 14.8 x 0.1 cm – A6 format)

Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: info@corneakkers.com