Some Reds

 

Dipladenia Fever

27x35cm, oil on canvas

 

Something about the way these red blooms capture the sun that is stunning. I should try a few more versions before they fade away. 

 

This was after spending a morning on the Parvis Saint Pierre in Uccle where I tried to sketch the view up Rue Xavier De Bue towards the former "Maison Communale". I skipped the cars, preferring the way the place looks without them. They used to do "No Car Sunday" on that road but seems like the idea was  abandoned.

 

"Rue Xavier De Bue, seen from the Parvis"
13x18cm, oil on canvas panel

Place à l'Art 2024

"Bloemen"
15x15cm, oil on canvas panel

 

Change of location*

See you at the Parvis Saint-Pierre this Sunday morning, 18/08/24

My exhibit at the Parvis Saint-Pierre in Uccle in front of the church:

 Sunday 18 August 2024 from 9h30 to 13h00 (Morning only)

Several bus lines or trams 92 or 4 will get you there. The stop is "Heros".  

NB: If it rains the event is cancelled.

The complete schedule for "Place à l'Art!" is listed on the Uccle website:  Uccle Culture: Place à l'art 2024.

*Normally in August, the event is held in the "Théatre de Verdure", but this summer Parc Wolvendael is closed due to the storm that took down trees there in July and caused a fatal accident. Works are still ongoing to make the park safe for visitors.

Ostend Postcard

 

"Ostende à la Belle Epoque"
24x30cm, oil on canvas

Continuing with my postcard theme, I took a stab at recreating a scene from an antique postcard of Ostend (bought at the Jambes Sunday flea market). I wanted to convert the stiff B&W photo into a sketchy oil painting with dabs of colorful paint: a fun challenge. 

If, like me, you are wondering about copyrights on these old photos, here is a link that explains it: copyrights & old pc's. So that's good news and it opens up a whole new area for me to explore.

Namur Parcours d'Artistes: "Chambres avec Vue" 2024

The 2024 open studios days in Namur take place during two weekends in March:  

March 16th and 17th

March 23rd and 24th

Some 500 artists will open their studios or show their work in shops, galleries, churches, cafés, etc. 

The Interactive Map and the full catalog is now on line: Carte et Catalogue

You'll find me by searching my name in the "Catalogue Chambres avec vues - Partie 1 : Namur", or on the Interactive Map.

We'll be open from 11h00 to 18h00.

See you there!

Surfing California

"Surf City"
27.5x35cm, oil on canvas

"Big Sur"
24x30cm, oil on canvas

Another cold and rainy period in Belgium after that surprise snowfall last month. Not much point in painting outdoors in this weather so I found myself surfing the Internet for inspiration. There's always something to paint in the Facebook group, "Free references photos for artists". Looks like I'm now a big fan of contributing photographer Susan Roghair, especially her beautiful California coastline photos. I first chose Huntington beach (aka "Surf City") in order to practice painting tiny people. Painting waves is also a nice challenge. Then I saw her series of photos of Big Sur --wow! Wouldn't it be great to follow the coastal highway when all the flowers are in bloom like that.

Oil on Postcard

 

"Knole Park, UK"
oil on postcard canvas panel

Another postcard-sized painting in oil, this time for the @landscapeartclub. The Instagram weekly challenge is hosted by @painted_by_natalia and in this case the photo of Knole Park UK is by @artynatabee.

I'm still working on using up my postcard panels from Le Géant des Beaux-Arts. These come in handy when I don't want to start anything big.

Namur!

 

"Il neige!"
25x25cm oil on canvas panel

We had some excitement here in Namur: it snowed 15cm this week -- locals say it's been 13 years since they saw a snowfall like this. So, I tried my hand at painting snow. 

 

"Il a neigé!"

30x24cm, oil on canvas panel

 

 

But before all this, there were what seemed like two months of solid rain; the grass stayed green, plants kept their leaves, while moss and mushrooms flourished. Weather forecasters found a myriad of ways to describe the grey skies and precipitation. I started jotting them down. They tried to remain positive: "...et puis cet après-midi on espère que quelques eclaircies vont commencer à se dessiner". 

 

Here's a view from December with the Meuse River in the distance:

 

"En attendant la dissipation"
oil on 25x25cm canvas panel

Happy New Year 2024!

 

Copy of Van Gogh's "Mussels and Shrimp"
oil on 24x30cm canvas (his: 26.5 cm x 34.8 cm)

I wish everyone a happy and creative New Year!

 

This is a long overdue post after a busy fall. First, I see that I never posted my copy of Van Gogh's shrimp painting. It intrigued me and I happened to have a suitable canvas ready, so wanted to try those color combinations -- just to see for myself how they felt -- dark browns, golden ochres, some black, reds, the grey blue of the mussels... I find these copying exercises fun, like somehow connecting with Van Gogh. The original is not much bigger. It's from his Paris period in 1886. According to the VG Museum site, Gauguin later wrote that Van Gogh sold this painting to a dealer for 5 francs but immediately gave the cash away to a poor woman in the street. I think Van Gogh sold more paintings than we are led to believe.

More recently I started examining some works by Monet that I'm less familiar with. It's usually the paintings that are in private collections or smaller museums that don't turn up in my art books. It's refreshing to look at those, as opposed to the famous ones that have unfortunately been on my calendars, crayon boxes, notebooks, and so forth, nearly to the point of nausea.

 

Below are three copies on postcard canvas. I will put them in the mail as soon as they dry. I always send postcards without envelopes so they are postmarked and show signs of travel. I've already successfully sent this format to France and the UK. But I'm not sure if all postal services accept them because they are thicker than regular postcards.

 

First, a more conventional Vétheuil painting by Monet from the winter of 1879:

Then off to the Mediterranean in 1888. By then Monet had perfected his technique of painting several canvases at once, thus capturing all the different light effects during the course of the day. But in his letters to his wife, he tells how he struggled to get used to the colors of this new environment, so different from the Brittany coast. He also had to take breaks due to rain or wind or even excessive heat. Sometimes he was frustrated to find the scene had changed so much by the time he returned that he had to wipe off the paint and start over.

 

 

Finally, today I couldn't resist trying a completely different color scheme. My postcard copy of Monet's "Grove of Olive Trees in Bordighera" (1884):

All three are oil on 10x15cm postcard canvas panels. Now who will I send these to?

Garden medley

 

"End of summer garden medley"
50x50cm, oil on 3D canvas

When the sun comes out and the garden is still in bloom, it's time to just paint. First the Black-eyed Susans because I couildn't resist their pure cadmium yellows, then add the Bougainvilleas before they start to fade, also the Hollyhock tower, and maybe the gladiola to balance things a bit. Next day, I'm sitting in front of fire-engine red geraniums which might balance out the lower left... their older flowers are less flashy but even more fascinating. I know this is not the correct way to deal with composition but... I enjoy the challenge. 

 

 

 

 

Sketching in oil

 

"Summer afternoon at Parc Wolvendael"
15x15cm, oil on canvas panel

 

 "Place à l'art le 20 aout 2023"
13x18cm, oil on canvas panel

I think that when you paint small from life in a couple hours max, you can call it an "oil sketch". These two were painted en plein air during the Place à l'Art event in Uccle in August. It took place in the park because the weather was good. I got two tables, a few chairs and a spot in the shade -- what more can you ask!?