Les falaises d'Etretat

"L'aguille d'Etretat"
30x30cm oil on canvas

I couldn't resist painting another view of the iconic cliffs at Etretat. Since rock formations on the Normandy coast usually have names, I did some research. To my surprise, I found videos of some recent landslides near Etretat. Here -- YouTube -- a young photographer caught some of the action on camera. The town mayor is worried there could be more rocks falling and points out some crevasses in the cliffs. On another video, an expert explains that the entire Normandy coast is threatened by the phenomena, partially caused by global warming.

More on the cliffs:  les falaises tourism

Etretat

"Etretat"
40x40cm oil on canvas

There's a Landscape Art Club on Instagram that published some photos of Etretat this week. I've always dreamed of painting there. Well, this was the next best thing: exploring another of Monet's haunts via the Internet. Again, I wanted to stay away from turps. So this is nothing but oil paint and linseed oil. I tried to keep it loose while putting more texture on the surface and used a variety of paint brands -- all the odds and ends that have found their way into my paintbox. For instance, I discovered that the weird Rowney Georgian "flesh tint" was useful on the cliffs. I'm happy with the way this one turned out. 

Quelque Chose de Monet

"Quelque chose de Monet"

60x70cm, oil on canvas

At the start, this was going to be an exact copy of Monet's "Belle-Ile, rochers de Port-Goulphar". I discovered this series in Denise Delouche's book: "Monet à Belle-Ile". I'd never read such a thorough analysis of Monet's working methods. She includes photographs of the locations he painted so you can see exactly how he interpreted what he saw.

After all my tiny ACEOs, and after watching a documentary on the American abstract painter, Joan Mitchell, I felt the urge to paint big: Arte Documentary on Joan Mitchell

So I prepared a 60x70cm canvas with some extra gesso (the original Monet is a close 65x81cm), selected large brushes and started this with Cobra water-soluble oil paints. For my initial sketch, I tried not to resort to turps or odorless mineral spirits (which, I've learned, also produce toxic fumes even if you can't smell them) but the Cobra idea didn't work. The paint was still oily when I applied the next layer. So I wiped it away with a cloth and just used regular oil paint, applied as thinly as I could. Later I added more linseed as needed. As I progressed I found I liked the airiness of the unfinished copy so I put the book down and just touched up here and there.  

Some notes on Monet's palette:

It's difficult to judge colors from a photograph in a book but I read on line that Monet once revealed his palette: Flake White, Cadmium Yellow, Vermilion, Deep Madder, Cobalt Blue, Emerald Green. Of course, this is a translation which can lead to confusion (ref: Monet by Himself, by Richard Kendall, MacDonald & Co, London, 1989). I'd rather read this in the original because I've learned that the French "Emeraude" is sometimes translated as "Emerald Green" but is in fact "Viridian." Emerald green refers to Paul Veronese green. In any case, the point is that he used a limited palette. Interestingly, he stopped using black paint in 1886, which is the year he painted these boulders in Belle-Ile. I think I tend to mix ultramarine with alizarin to get close to black. But I thought I saw some green in the blacks in the water. Later I was surprised to read painters use green and alizarin to make black. I did that here without knowing. I would like to read "Monet by himself" but the reviews say he doesn't often talk about his technique.*

Working on a canvas nearly the same size as the one Monet used in the field brought me closer to understanding his methods. I could almost feel his concentration and enjoyment, as he strove towards the outer limits of what was then acceptable in the art world and also the urgency of finishing the painting in what must have been very uncomfortable conditions given the wind and ruggedness of the terrain. Wouldn't it be fun to visit Belle-Ile and paint there: Tourist office

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added 9/5/23:

* I've since found a better resource for studying Monet's paint palette: Roy, A. 'Monet's Palette in the Twentieth Century: "Water-Lilies" and "Irises"'. National Gallery Technical Bulletin Vol 28, pp 58–68.
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/technical-bulletin/roy2007

Roy gives you the original French as follows: "Blanc d’argent, jaune cadmium, vermillion, garance foncée, bleu de cobalt, vert émeraude et c’est tout" 

As I suspected his translation is: "lead white, cadmium yellow, vermilion, deep madder lake, cobalt blue and viridian". But he adds that this list may not have been accurate.

Monet's paint supplier recalled a different set of colors: "lead white, cobalt violet light, viridian, fine quality French (synthetic) ultramarine, vermilion (rarely), a trio of shades of cadmium yellow (light, dark and lemon-yellow) and another yellow pigment (outremer jaune citron), probably zinc yellow or a similar material"

An art dealer looked at his palette and reported "cobalt, du bleu d’outremer, du violet, du vermillon, de l’ocre, de l’orange, du vert foncé, un autre vert pas très clair, du jaune d’ocre, et enfin du jaune d’outremer. Au milieu, des montagnes de blanc des sommets neigeux."

In any case, Monet appears to have been annoyed at these questions about his palette, probably thinking an artist could create with whatever colors he had. But I thought I would investigate because I wondered how to best constitute a limited palette of high quality paint given the huge selection of colors available today.

Plein Air in Antwerp - Summer 2022

"Antwerp Skyline"
12x22cm, oil on linen canvas
(private collection, Barcelona)

 

"Het Kempischdok"
20x30cm, oil on canvas panel

"The Bird House"
20x25cm, oil on canvas

I had fallen behind on posting my paintings from the summer. These were all "plein air" in Antwerp. The city skyline is visible from the other side of the Scheldt -- just go to the big ferris wheel and take the free ferry to cross the river. The Kempischdok can be reached with the No.1 tram (stop "Antwerpen ZNA Cadix"). According to Google Maps, the boats in my painting must be from the "Antwerpse Yacht Club". Finally, the Bird House is from the Antwerp Zoo where it's possible to get a yearly pass so you don't pay 30 euros each visit. I brought a stool to paint this location whereas my previous painting ("Day at the Zoo") was painted from a park bench.

"Plein air" painting is a fun challenge: juggling paints, canvas and brushes during changing light and weather conditions. I'd like to do it more often to really get the hang of it and thought I'd start a Facebook group to find other interested painters here (search "Plein Air Painters of Antwerp" on Facebook to join). However, now it's colder and raining out so I might have to wait until spring to start promoting this. Planning group outings might be difficult because you never know very far ahead of time whether it will be raining or not but at least this could be an on-line platform to share our work. In Brussels there's a meet-up group but it seems they haven't been active since 2019. When the weather gets better we could try to relaunch that one too.

The Blooming Garden

"Time for the Hollyhocks"
25x25cm oil on canvas panel

Last summer, I continued my project of painting all our garden flowers. I'm not yet bored of sitting in the sun, observing and painting the variety of colors and blooms: budding, flowering, fading, dried out, gone to seed... At the same time, I'm determined to use all the small canvases I've accumulated. I've also been avoiding solvents so these are painted with Rosa Gallery Oil Paints and Linseed oil ("raw" for cleaning the brushes and "purified" as a medium). 

Below is my  4x4 inch collection:

"Fucshia Bells"

12x12cm, oil on 3D grey canvas

"Pink Kisses"

12x12cm, oil on 3D grey canvas
(private collection, Horsham, UK)

"Wild Roses"

12x12cm, oil on linen canvas

"Purple Petunias"

12x12cm, oil on linen canvas

“Regal Pelargonium”

12x12cm, oil on linen canvas

Sometimes it's not easy identifying the flowers. Geraniums are more confusing than I thought. In fact many of them are actually pelargoniums. Here's where I found the above pink-orange blooms: GardenTags

Postcard canvas

"Arches National Park"
10x15cm, oil on postcard canvas
(private collection, France)

When Yvonne Resol LaMendola posted a photo of Arches National Park in the Landscape Reference Photos for Artists Facebook group, I immediately saved it in my « to paint » folder. Then last week, my first order of blank postcard canvas panels arrived from Le Géant des Beaux Arts so I decided to try them out using her reference photo. The postcard canvas works well with oil paint. I just wonder how this will survive in the mail. B-post claims 5mm is their maximum thickness for a postcard so this just fits. I still need to make sure it's under the weight limit and then it needs to dry first before I can try mailing.

« In Grandma’s Garden »
15x10cm, oil on postcard canvas
(private collection, UK)

My second oil painting on a postcard is based on a photograph by Maggie Michaelowicz. I struggled to get the children’s expressions right on this tiny format. Maybe it’s time to invest in better paint brushes for this type of detail work.

Painting the Antwerp Docks

 

 

"Straatsburgdok, morning light"
25x32.5cm, oil on Figueras oil paper 

Arizona sunset

"Arizona Sunset"
Oil on canvas, 20x20cm

 

Rembrandt oil paints

 

« Australian Coastline »

18x24cm, oil on canvas, varnished

This is based on a photo by Karlien Goss-Ross in the Facebook group «Free reference photos for artists». I enjoy painting this type of rugged coastline. It was also a chance to try out my new set of Rembrandt oil paints - they came in a series of dark colors (the "Rembrandt" edition). I had forgotten how smooth these extra fine paints were. I also went back to odorless mineral spirits and a runnier medium than linseed. Yet I've since realised that odorless doesn't mean less toxic, so this is not the solution for studio work.

From Antwerp by bike

« Castle gardens » (Ekeren)
15x15cm, Rosa oil on canvas panel

I've been trying various systems for painting on location. This happens every year when the warm weather returns. Tiny 15x15cm panels mean I can paint quickly without having to refill my paints. They fit perfectly into my small paintbox which is now attached to a tripod. Then I have a cardboard box that holds the wet panel: I stick it to the back of the box with putty, close the box, and put it in my bike bag.

 The tripod pochade box setup

"Day at the Zoo"
20x25cm, oil on canvas

While small panels are easy to transport, they are not always easy to paint. The above is a bit bigger but still fits into my small wooden paintbox+tripod. It's equivalent to 8x10 inches for which I have a wet canvas carrier. 

Another try with the 15x15cm panel but I need to go back to this spot as I didn't get very far before the wind picked up.

 
« Galgenweel »
20x25cm, oil on canvas

Finally, on the lake yesterday I used a bigger box and held it on my lap. The sky was amazing, the weather warm, and from this spot I had a view of the "Royal Yacht Club Belgie". It’s a little more challenging to balance a box while painting but then I don’t need to carry the tripod. Also I’ve got all my paints in the box. I like using Rosa oil paints for location painting because I've got them in small 20ml tubes. But next time I´d like to take advantage of their thicker consistency to paint in a looser, sketchier style — maybe for a cityscape with crowds of people…

 

Above is my bigger paint box in use. I had to stand up here which I'm not used to any more. But otherwise, the setup worked well because it was "hands free". If only I could find a utility box or wall so conveniently placed each time I went out to paint! They are more stable than easels and this one was even in the shade. And while there's so much worry about carrying home the wet panel, this time I just clipped it to one side of the bike bag and took off. That worked fine!

Naples

"Napoli"
30x40cm oil on canvas
(private collection, Brussels)

I've never been to Naples but was asked to paint this view based on some free Internet photos. It was a good exercise to work on a cityscape after all my recent flower still lifes.

 

"Fête de la musique à la Ferme Rose"

 

"Fête de la musique à la Ferme Rose"

20 x 25cm, oil on canvas

(private collection, Uccle)

 

It's never been so hot on June 18th in Belgium. Nonetheless we had our exhibit at the Ferme Rose while musicians played in the courtyard. I painted quickly trying to capture the light before it changed. I had left the blue chairs empty to fill in later when the crowds arrived, not realizing that they would pick up all the chairs and move them to a shadier spot off to the left. I also waited to paint the musicians later because I figured the light didn't matter so much back there. So when the five person Brasilian band, Roda Rio, stepped on stage and they fit my composition, I added them. Of course, people enjoyed the music so much they started dancing, photographing the group, and blocking my view but that's all part of the challenge of "plein air" painting.

Art Exhibit & "Fete de la Musique" on 18 June 2022

 

I will participate in a one-day art exhibit at the "Ferme Rose" in Uccle on 18 June 2022 from 11h00 to 18h00. At the same time, musicians will play in the courtyard all afternoon.

 

Find the complete program here: https://sites.google.com/view/dimanchart

https://www.facebook.com/DimanchArt/

La Ferme Rose
44, avenue de Fré
1180 Bruxelles

Fun on the Internet

I find that Internet challenges are a great way to try out new supplies or techniques. For instance, there's a portrait challenge on Instagram @faceportraitclub that's gaining followers. They manage to pick reference photos of people you'd like to draw and they find insightful poses that result in portraits with meaning. I've been practicing small format colored pencil portraits:

@quanghoart

 

@danajerimaier

 

 

@treadle_trowel_thimble

Another time I tried Intaglio printing using Tetrapak. More on this technique on my Flickr account: HowToAlbum

 

 

 Ukrainian solder, based on photo by @sergekhivrich

Then there's the 2022 version of EDiM ("Every Day in May") that just took off. I'm trying out various pencils on black paper, experimenting with my Caran D'Ache Luminance and Derwent Coloursoft pencils as well as a white gellyroll. You can easily meet this challenge with quick sketches of everyday objects so I'm trying to keep up. Day 5 was "fruit":

Find the rest on my Flickr album:  EDiM

Exhibit at "La Ferme Rose" on Sunday, 10 April 2022

 

I will bring a few recent works to the group exhibit "Dimanch'Art" on Sunday, April 10th (11:00am to 6:00pm) at La Ferme Rose in Uccle.

Please stop by and say hello if you are in Brussels!

Dimanch'Art Website (includes map of location)

 Photos from the other exhibitors are also on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DimanchArt

A walk in the desert in the spring

"Springtime in the desert"

Polychromos on A4 Dawler Rowney smooth heavyweight paper

 

Watching the garden grow during the pandemic

 

“Waiting”

Polychromos on Steinbach paper 

Isolation Blues

"Let the games begin"
Ink on paper, just for fun!

On a roll

 

I've recently realized that pencil rolls can be useful to protect colored pencils when traveling. So, using a store bought version as my model, I managed to sew three to house my Faber-Castell Polychromos collection.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and creative 2022, with -- dare we hope -- an end to this Covid madness!

Still in my colored pencil phase at the end of 2020, so I created a series of "confinement chicken" postcards. These two contrasting breeds make great models but are much easier to sketch from photographs.

"Chicken in a Van Gogh landscape"

"Merry Chickens!"

The reference photo for the pine trees
was by Dananthi Arnott in the FBGroup
Landscape Reference Photos for Artists

These are all either Koh-i-noor or Polychromos on "Hahnemühle Nostalgie Sketch Postcards". The paper is 190g/m2 and 10.5x14.8cm. Hahnemühle is the only brand I have found that makes smooth postcard paper for sketching in pencil. I'm grateful but wouldn't mind seeing a slightly heavier version because I drop these in the mail without an envelope. Yet so far, everyone says they received their postcards in good condition.