Tucked Away

This pastel drawing ‘Hatert Meres (Hatertse Vennen) 03 (2013) (Sold)’ is in honor of a great nature reserve just below Nijmegen. Tucked away between the outer skirts of my beloved city where I come from and Overasselt near the river Maas. Full of little meres, heather, swamps and forested areas. When I was a child I often visited it with my parents. Not in the last place because after a walk we went to the pancake restaurant smack in the middle. It’s managed by family members and a sort of a family meeting point for weddings, reunions and funeral after parties. Anyway, the treat was to go there after a good walk through the woods. That’s why I cherish my memories of trees: they’ve always meant something delicious was nearby.

Altered Landscape

That was a long time ago. I moved to the west (South Holland) to study and became a lawyer. Then a struggling artist of course which I’m not anymore, rewriting this art statement in 2025. In 2013 my dad and I went back to revisit The Hatertse Vennen (Hatert Meres) once more. He claimed there was a lot of wood chopping going on. It turns out municipal authorities wanted to restore the district to its former glory. Less wood, more heather and open spaces. My dad and I never knew this original outlook. Apparently more than a century ago it looked rather different. The result is a more various landscape you can see in the very pastel at hand.

Razor Light

I had it in my to do this one competely impressionistic. Last pastel I made on the subject was a quite alright but I prefer this one. That’s because the sun razors through the leafy structures and that’s always nice, creating a more dramatic look. Blueish structures in the back, warmer colors and more definition of the heather in the front. The pastel almost drew itself. Fun to make and I sold it quickly.

Pastel drawing on Canson Mi-Teintes Touch paper (63 x 47 x 0.1 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers

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