Happy Holidays!

"Prix du Jour"

Collage on postcard paper

To keep up my tradition of doing craft projects during the end-of-year holiday season, I'm making some greeting cards using ads collected from the shops.

Painting Trees Again

"Tiny Treescape"

12.5x10cm, oil on canvas

Comparing my July painting (above) with the same scene sketched in November (below), where the Japanese Maple is shedding it's final autumn leaves. 

"View from my window"

10.5 x 14.8 cm, colored pencil on postcard paper

Another small August painting to add to my tree collection (more on Flickr):

"Inching forward"

15 x 10 cm, oil on canvas panel

Souvenir d'Ostende

"Souvenir d'Ostende"
30x40cm, oil on canvas

More Tiny Still Lifes

"Tournesols"

5x8cm, oil on canvas

(private collection, Brussels)

ATC n°3: "Pomme"

6.4x8.9cm, oil on canvas panel

(private collection, Brussels)

"Coquillages"

5x8cm, oil on canvas

Virtual Paintout - Utah - September 2015

I didn't realise there were so many national parks in Utah. I look forward to seeing the paintings of all that spectacular scenery this month at the Virtual Paintout!

Above is the road leading into "Zion National Park": Link to Reference Photo. I used the older April 2008 Street View shot because there was more contrast and I liked the car loaded down with bicycles.  

"Road Trip"
5x7 inch, oil on canvas

Downsizing

Artist's Trading Cards are only 3.5 x 2.5 inches, but I had fun trying them out:

ATC n°1: "Sunflowers"
8.9x6.4 cm, oil on canvas panel
(private collection, Brussels)

ATC n°2: "Seashell"
6.4x8.9cm, oil on canvas panel

Virtual Paintout - Estonia - June 2015

My Google Street View travels in Estonia led me to a colorful flower market near the gate to the old city in Tallinn. 

Link to Google Street View

"The flower market in Tallinn"

15x15cm, oil on canvas panel

I also checked what the guidebooks tell you to see in the country.  The Kadriorg Palace was high on their list:

Later, I was surprised to discover that its Estonian name,"Kadrioru Loss", means "Catherine's valley". Originally built for Catherine I of Russia, the building now houses an art museum.

Link to Google Street View

"Kadriorg Palace"

10x15cm, oil on canvas panel

Place(s) à l'Art - le 14 juin 2015

"Place(s) à l'Art - le 14 juin 2015"  
18x13 cm, oil on canvas

After the Parcours d'Artistes

Here is my "Chateau de Wolvendael" painting in its new home (bottom right).

Promenade dans le Payottenland

"Bruxelles vue du Payottenland"
18x24cm, oil on canvas
(private collection, Brussels) 

This is based on a photograph taken in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, looking towards Drogenbos.

At the time, I painted a smaller canvas on location: a view of the nearby yellow water tower. It was October and cold out so I couldn't stay there too long but the tiny canvas came in handy later as a color guide for the studio painting.

"Chateau d'eau jaune"
12x12cm, oil on canvas

10ème Parcours d'Artistes d'Uccle 2015

Nous serons au Bookshop d'Oxfam à Uccle pour la 10ème édition du Parcours d'Artistes les 23, 24, et 25 mai!   

The Bookshop will be open during the entire Pentecost weekend.  Everyone is welcome to stop by and see the exhibit of paintings and jewelry as well as the huge collection of books, including many in English.

Link to jewelry: Bijoux éthnique de Dominique 

Le Kauwberg à Uccle - hivers - février 2015

Now I have a small painting from every season for this park in Uccle.  To see all four paintings as well as some colored pencil drawings of the site, click on the "Kauwberg" tag below.

"Le Kauwberg, février"
15x10cm, oil on canvas panel

Virtual Paintout - Greenland III - March 2015

"Ice Float"
6x9 inch, oil pastel on panel

Virtual Paintout - Greenland II - March 2015

There are practically no roads connecting villages in Greenland, so the Google team often resorts to travelling by boat. I thought I might try painting an iceberg for my second submission to the Virtual Paintout this month but in the end I preferred the challenge of painting moving water. Here is the reference photo I found in "Street View":  LINK

"Waterfall in Greenland"
5x7 inch, oil on canvas
(private collection, Brussels)

Virtual Paintout - Greenland - March 2015

Greenland looks quite barren and icy in Google Street View but I found some nice colors in the images dating from September 2014 near Nuuk. 

Link:  Google Street View

I thought I'd exaggerated the reds but then googled "Images for Greenland in autumn" and was surprised to find similar reds in the photographs. The area is known for the strong colors of its autumn landscapes, which contrast so well with the backdrops of snow and ice. 

"Autumn in Greenland"

8x10 inch, oil on canvas

(private collection, Brussels)

Virtual Paintout - Bangladesh - February 2015

Above is the final version of "Red Tree in Bangladesh" which I completed in April.

Below is the preliminary version I submitted to the Virtual Paintout for the 28 February deadline:

Link to Google Street View image: Halishahar Road

"Red Tree in Bangladesh"
20x25cm, oil on canvas
(private collection, Brussels)

Scenic County Kerry

This is the completed painting started here: Virtual Paintout - October 2014

"Scenic County Kerry"

24x30cm, oil on canvas

Virtual Paintout - Philadelphia II - January 2015

Difficult to miss the "Swann Memorial Fountain" when you visit Philadelphia given its central location near so many of the city's highlights like the Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum, Moore College of Art, the Franklin Institute, the Philadelphia Free Public Library. I have taken several photographs here over the years, usually of the turtle and frog sculptures near the outside rim. However, I am only now learning that the three figures in the middle depict Native Americans and each represents a local waterway (the Delaware, the Schuylkill and the Wissahickon). A real tribute to water since Dr Swann himself was head of the Philadelphia Fountain Society, a company which helped provide drinking water to the city.

Google Street View Link


"Logan Square"
18x24 cm, oil on canvas

Virtual Paintout - Philadelphia - January 2015

No building in Philadelphia could be built taller than the hat of the William Penn statue on top of City Hall. The rule was finally broken in the late 80s but the story of the hat has always fascinated me so when it came to naming my painting, it dawned on me that I had just painted:

"Two Hats"
17.5x12.5cm, oil on canvas


Google Street View Link

First day of 2015!

In order to get a perfect start this year, I spent the entire day working on some craft projects that have been on my list for ages: first a mosaic. I experimented with some broken dishes on an old wooden plate. Once I get the hang of using glue and grout, I'd like to make a piece incorporating all the bits and pieces I've collected during my walks.

Next, I tried fabric paints on a white toiletry bag using Monet's water lily paintings for inspiration. My basic set of six small pots of paint did not include white and thinning the colors made them bleed so I was somewhat limited, but had fun anyway.

Looks like I'll have to put these projects aside now and take out my oil paints because Bill Guffey just announced January's Virtual Paintout location:  Philadelphia!!  Another great start to the year!