Plein Air

"Lambertmontmartre at the KMSKA"
20x25cm oil on canvas

Our Belgian heatwave made the day nearly unbearable but I wanted to take advantage of the Lambertmontmartre event in front of the Antwerp Fine Arts Museum to do some plein air painting. If you arrive early, you can get a spot with some shade under the trees.

https://lambermontmartre.be/info/

 

"Bloemen"
15x15cm oil on canvas panel
(private collection, Brussels)

Then in Uccle on 2 July, I set up a stand near the flower shop and did a small painting. The flow of people going to the "Marché Bio" brought visitors to our "Place à l'art" exhibit.

Finally plein air weather

 "Antwerp's Cathedral"
25x20cm, oil on canvas
(private collection, Ekeren)

After a very rainy spring, the sun finally came out in Belgium so I brought my paints to the Lambertmontmartre outdoor art market on Sunday. The event was exceptionally held on the Groenplaats, where there is a nice view of the Cathedral.

There were crowds of passers-by given the sunny three-day weekend but the sun and wind was challenging for exhibitors without parasols and weights. What a pleasant surprise when my still-wet oil painting sold right there on the spot!

Here's an oil sketch showing some of the atmosphere on the square:

 

"Lambertmontmartre 2023"
15x15cm, oil on canvas panel

Earlier this month, I attended an urban sketching event at the MAS museum. Here's the quick sketch I painted between rain showers -- the pink billboard advertises a nearby seafood restaurant:

 "Vis-aan-A"
15x15cm, oil on canvas panel

Along the Bike Path

 

"The Bike Path"
40x50cm, oil on canvas

 

I have been looking at this scene for a couple winters now every time I cycle by. Then last week the weather was so nice I stopped and sketched:

 

The next day, the sun was still out so I brought my paints. Here is the result (touched up in the studio). As I painted, one of the Scottish Galloway cows walked by, adding the perfect touch:

"Along the Bike Path"

20x25cm, oil on canvas

 

Then, I finally decided it was time to work bigger (see result at top of post). During the January sales I had bought four 40x50cm linen canvases on-line to see which brand I preferred. Well, of the four I purchased, I like De Wieuw's fine grain 300g/m2 100 percent Artist linen canvas best. It might be even better to find a heavier linen but would it still have that fine grain I like?

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.

Painting the Antwerp Docks

 

 

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

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!

Antwerp oil sketches

"The MAS"
15x15cm, oil on canvas panel
(Private collection, Antwerp)

The 28/8/21 group event at the MAS in Antwerp was a good place to test my small pochade box in a USK setting. I found a bench in the shade. It was a little windy and people kept stopping to look at the water but I managed to get something done. When I realized they were looking at a bunch of flower bouquets (a spot where someone may have recently died), I quickly finished up. That probably helped me decide to suggest all those boats without going into too much detail. 

 

" Lambermontmartre"
15x15cm, oil on canvas panel

At the August Lambermontmartre art market it kept drizzling. In fact perfect weather conditions for plein air painting are quite rare here.

 

 

 "The Port House"

15x15cm, oil on canvas panel

Finally, I had to try painting the iconic Port Authority building. There's a fairly comfortable spot by the water. I had a hat for the sun, a stool and was holding the box on my lap. It might be better to find a hands free system such as a photo stand attached to my box.