Sometimes a portrait commission comes along. This time it was the commissioneer’s opa (grandfather). Usually I am reluctant in accepting such assignments but this one was fun to do. The lighting was beautiful: full of midtones so I could study the skin folds thoroughly.
Marlot is close to where I live. On my morning walks I can choose between the Haagse Bos or Estate ‘Oosterbeek’ farther away. Up north there Park Marlot I have sketched a couple of times. There is also the residential area with villas and big semidetached mansions. On my way back I saw this incredible lane with a sun bursting through the dense tree branches.
On my walks I came across Estate ‘Oosterbeek’ again. I was in the mood to do another landscape after my last one of Buitengoed Leeuwenbergh. After all, Spring has arrived and South Holland is covered in sunlight. Let’s hope the sun will bring relief in this cursed pandemic.
Last week on my way home from a student I came across Buitenplaats Leeuwenbergh. It was late in the afternoon and surprizingly a drizzly grey day turned into a blue sky with a beautiful sunset. It so happened I saw this incredible and bizarre curved tree trunk.
Rotterdam’s latest acquisition is the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. There was this online première in Januari 2021 during corona times but it drew less attention than deserved. Upon my word, I declare ‘Het Depot’ or in slang Rotterdam ‘De Pot’, a new wonder of the world.
In autumn 2020 I made my last drawing in the Golden series, called Golden Reality – 14-09-20. Since then I almost forgot about that series because I started drawing in graphite again after my big Frida Kahlo Project
How can The Blues Brothers turn into The Proud Brothers? That is simple enough. Take a big country and turn it into a madhouse.
Just on the brink of Christmas I thought I should make a roundism drawing looking rather risqué. It was a strange and hefty year for us all, I think.
Some time ago I visited De Smorenhoek, a small but long meadow surrounded by wood embarkements. From Beek-Ubbergen it runs upwards to Berg en Dal.
Years ago I saved a vintage picture of a nude on the beach. Origin unknown and my best guess would be from the 1930s or 1940s. The picture was rather grainy and but it showed a great composition of a female body in slanted position.
In my classes I often use ‘The Entombment of Christ’ by Caravaggio to demonstrate how artists normally distribute space. Next to this, in my eyes a great artist is one who lets the composition reflect the idea the main theme has to to convey.
And it so happens my niece Lilian turned out to be a great photographer. Lo and behold, artistry runs deep in the veins of our family and I asked her to use a beautiful photo she took of a treeline in Puiflijk, near to where she lives.
A new roundism variation in diagonals, horizontals and verticals. Sometimes you come across a great motif that stimulates to draw instantly.
The previous drawing Roundism – 06-11-20 was set up rather elementary, contary to this one.
After Roundism – 27-10-20 I thought to postpone future colored pencil drawings for a while and return to graphite pencil.
Last model session resulted in a nice pose through which I was inspired to continue my roundism series.
A cat comes in handy when you are out of options and do not want to simply draw a pretty picture of a beautiful woman.
Just a quick sketch of Louise Brooks, moviestar and celebrity of the 1920s and 1930s.
This colored pencil drawing ‘Schiedam 09-10-20 (Sold)’ shows my impressionistic view on the city. Water reflections are always rewarding.
Beek-Ubbergen again and 50 shades of pink in honour of the fact that colour is highly underestimated in landscapes and outdoors in general.
Beek-Ubbergen
Just outside Nijmegen towards the German border there are two places of beauty called the Ooij Polder and the start of the ‘Nijmeegse Heuvelrug’, part of the Lower Rhine Heights.
And now for something completely different: cows in Marlot. I wanted to change the subject for once and do a drawing similar to the horses in my drawing Laren 30-04-20.
After an odd month doing other project it was time to do one in my roundisym style again.
This colored pencil drawing ‘Noteboompark – 18-09-20’ is a bit of impressionism in my hatched strokes style. I kept a rough edge.
My last drawing was slightly cubistic but today I did this realistic one, that I would like to name ‘Golden Reality’.
After my previous colored pencil drawing ‘Golden Brown – 24-08-20’ I wanted to explore the Talens Toned Color Paper futher and see what the motif of a white female model could offer me on dark blue paper.
After my drawing Roundism – 29-08-20 it was time to delve into this type of solarized geometry. Next to that I employed a bit of cubism.
In all of us there is a monkey tucked deep inside. How about your monkey business?
My model and I were looking for intesting poses and on the bedside there it was: a beautiful one with some interesting lighting. Sometimes extreme light like in this particular case can offer a new insight in compositionary possibilities.
The other day I bought new paper by Talens (Toned Colour Mix): a sturdy dark blue sheet perfect for colored pencil and pastel sticks. I also happened to find an old pastel stick (gold, Cretacolor 48254) that I did not use yet.
