The latest work of the week.

After I painted this work of the week, I tried to make sense of it from a symbolic point of view. Here's my interpretation...

The dog is intended to be my dog Dante (now deceased) drawn from memory, so it was sort of a dream-like rendering and not very realistic. The two black balls started out as dogs. The smaller of the two was upside down and black - to me, a very clear symbol of Dante's violent death by car accident. The bigger black ball was also another dog at first - it hangs over her, and seems oppressive - so I like to think it symbolizes her terrible separation anxiety, which she experienced whenever away from other dogs or people... The three red balls are clearly positive, and must represent the things that Dante loved in her life: Me, Tamara, and Maya. (Any guesses on who's the biggest red ball?)

But that leaves out her other great joy, which was chasing and terrorizing small dogs. Apparently, I need to go back into the painting and render another small red ball.

Merry Christmas, One and All

And here's a special shout-out to our snowbound friends and family. We love you.

Wishing you all a White Christmas (within commuting reason, of course, and unless you are someplace really warm)/ xoxoox

Storm at Sea IV (After Turner)

Joseph Mallord William Turner painted Storm at Sea or Snowstorm, which is at the National Gallery in London. I first saw it at the National Gallery in DC, on tour. It is a remarkable painting. The Royal Academy catalogue of 1842 the entry reads 'Snowstorm - steam boat off a harbor's mouth making signals in shallow water, and going by the lead. The author was in this storm on the night the Ariel left Harwich.' Turner said, "I only painted it because I wished to show what such a scene was like; I got the sailors to lash me to the mast to observe it; I was lashed for four hours and did not expect to escape, but I felt bound to record it if I did. No one has any business to like it."

Here's the underpainting I did for it, followed by my finished painting, followed by the Turner original of 1842.

Ode to painting!

Lately, the painting has been going really well. I've been selling work, which is a great validation. But more importantly, I'm taking great joy in the process of making a painting. The background incidentals are important - great music playing, the wonderful smell of oil paint, the bright studio lights, hot coffee... but what really makes it great has been the joy in the painting itself. Sometimes, the brush moves without conscious control, so fast that I don't understand how the process is working, and the images build themselves. I know what I want to paint, and somehow the painting just materializes. That's fun, but also fun is the building of painted surfaces through layers of paint. I love the actual paint, the richness of the colors, the texture of the paint surface. Brushwork, palette knife, slopping the paint around like butter is just fantastic.

I've been invited out to spend a few weeks in Italy to paint the palio in Siena, and the countryside as well. I of course accepted, and am very much looking forward to sharing pictures of the work with you all in July.

First gallery art show and opening in the Hague, opening on Jan. 11th

My first gallery art opening in the Hague is coming up Sunday January 11th, from 15:00 to 18:00 at the American Women's Club of the Hague. I am excited, and hope that lots of people come. There will be wine, cheese, music, and art - please come if you are in town. All the info is on my website, or you can download and print a pdf poster.

A foggy morning

The light from the Libyan embassy was obscured by fog, and made for an interesting photo.

Old home week

For a while, I thought about starting a non-profit in the DC area that would address stormwater runoff and remediation. But, there was no money in it. I got about as far as making a demonstration project out of the yard and my house. And then, we moved to Europe. Goodbye water, hello art. Yesterday, there was an article in the Chesapeake Bay Journal about runoff reduction and the demonstration project at my old home in Takoma Park. It makes me wonder what trajectory my life might have taken if that non-profit route had become a reality. My cat wonders the same, but is very happy that instead I am here and doing art. He thinks the art is super, but he's a cat and his taste runs to tuna.

Solid food gold.

(Tacos, from a kit. Taco Dinner by Casa Fiesta.) Gift from a departing expat. Fry up some ground beef, add seasoning packet, scoop into stale taco shells from kit (kinda crunchy, but not really), add sour cream and greens, salsa (From the kit) and chopped tomatoes, and voila - sheer expat heaven?

Party in your mouth???? NOT. I mean, no way, Jose. But... kind of.

(Me) How do you describe this meal?
(T) It was a school lunch...
(Me) Soul Food. It was like the things you used to eat in grade 4, grade school.
(T) You can call it whatever you like.... comfort food.... but at the end of the day, it's just cracker food.
(E) So what's wrong with cracker food?
(T) The whole use of the word 'cracker,' is what wrong with cracker food. We also have to give a shout out to the cracker items provided by Dave and Heidi - Ritz Crackers (no pun intended) with peanut butter, dipped in chocolate - salty sweet yummy - - and also the pumpkin whoopee pie. (Pumpkin whoopee pie?!) The Europeans would ban them just based on the Trans-fat content.
(E) A meal like that deserves capping. How about we open the Nutter Butters?
(T) I have no response to that.
(E) I take that's a yes.
(E) Pure bliss.
(T) Whatever.

So, I saw this Van Gogh exhibit...

I repainted the sky on this painting, after seeing the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. I feel justified, because apparantly Van Gogh lived just down the street from me when he lived in the Hague. Obviously, I am channeling his spirit, and can take no actual credit for the painting itself. The original painting was done outside, in the dunes not far from my house.

Dave and Heidi enjoy Becel

Becel is one of our favorite things about Holland. Becel (prounounced "Bay-cell") is a breakfast margarine spread - oh, it sounds so romantic when you put it like that. Which is why we have developed our own set of add slogans for Becel.

We have a chalkboard to-do and shopping list on our kitchen wall. It says things like, "Buy train tickets to Berlin" and "toilet paper." (Men never buy this on their own - but that's another blog entry, and then I would have to share the secret handshake. but I digress.) It also has said, "Get Dutch driver's license" for about the last 6 months, but again, that's another story.

But also on that chalkboard can be found some of the advertising slogans that we have developed over the last 6 months for Becel. (All of which are so much better than "breakfast margarine spread.") Dave and Heidi, visiting from Washington, were so impressed with Becel that they helped us to develop several more slogans. Now that we have enough slogans, it is time to share our brilliant breakfast insight.

Breakfast: Becel makes it better.

Breakfast. Favorite meal of the day. Because it has you, and because it has Becel.

Becel - As much fun as spreading paint with a palette knife.

It isn't Breakfast without Becel.

Becel - It is the foundation of every breakfast.

Nothing wrong with butter - but it is not Becel.

I bet it goes better with Becel!

Breakfast is what Becel is all about!

Tamara in front of the Villa Avvenire with Lulu

While in Siena, we stayed with our friends Brian, Julia, Jeff, and Kristen at the Villa Avvenire just outside the ciy walls. The hosts, Signor and Signora Pepi, were as delightful as their dog, Lulu, friendly. The Villa Avvenire was built in the 1400s, but we stayed in the modern wing built in the 1700s. Pictured is Tamara with Lulu - Lulu is looking sad because we are leaving for the day.

Signor Pepi is a delightful host, and enjoys cooking for the beauty of it. He made us one of the best dishes I've ever eaten, venison prepared in the Tuscan style. He obtained doe meat from one of his farms - it has to be old doe, young doe does not have the right flavor. He marinated the doe with carrots, other vegetables, and red wine for two days. The doe is then cut into small pieces, sauteed with onion and garlic in olive oil, then stewed for three hours in white wine. It is served with a mashed potato and cheese dish. Awesome, top ten of all time.

Noi vi ringraziamo per il tempo bellisimo alla Villa Avvenire, Signor e Signora Pepi! (We are so grateful for the beautiful time at the Villa Avvenire, Signor and Signora Pepi!)

Siena water supply

Ever the water resources engineer....

The Sienese were careful to have numerous sources of water inside the city walls for times of siege. They captured rainwater in cisterns, sunk wells, and created public access at springs. The pictures here show one of these ancient public access points, where people could obtain drinking water for everyday use.

Swimming in wine

Julia, Jeff, Kristen, Erik, Tamara. Photographer, Brian. Siena, on top of the Duomo. Rock album. Cover, for the new release. We're too sexy for our pants.

Snow in the 'hood

Tamara sure is awful cute in the snow! Notice the fur lining of the new sweatshirt from her pa and miss nancy. A new fav. Also pictured is a mansion in Scheveningen's chi-chi 'hood. Tres chic, all around.

Scheveningen in a storm

I went to Scheveningen on a really windy day with a member of the Dutch family, Jos Berkhout. It was so windy that it was hard to stand up. I tried to set up my easel to paint outdoors, but it was just too cold and windy. The surf was amazing.

A day at the beach

A day out painting at the beach, and I saw a fox, pictured.

I painted for 6 hours or so, enjoying the view of changing clouds and the cold, stiff wind off of the North Sea. The wind shook the canvas so hard that precision in painting was impossible. I kept changing the painting to match the changing clouds - maybe I should have brought a video camera instead of a canvas. My finished work has leaves, dirt, and sand in it from the wind.

new work

So, I'm very excited about the direction of my latest paintings, in a series I am calling "Abstract landscapes." All of the paintings are done very loosely with lots of gesture.

Here's an example, called Storm at Sea II. (I called it this because I made two very similar paintings.) Both paintings were inspired by a painting I saw hanging at the National Gallery in DC on tour from the Tate, by Joseph Mallord William Turner called Steam Boat off a Harbour's Mouth (1842).

To see more, you can go to my website and click on the gallery "Abstract Landscapes."

angle of the sun in holland

I am posting an email I received from Clair Garman. You can tell he wants to see what I look like colored orange. (My bolding for emphasis)

Erik,

Please, please get a tan.

According to my calculations, the sun at noon in Den Haag (Nov. 14) is about 23 degrees above the horizon. On Dec 21, it will be about 15 degrees. I am depressed just thinking of that. The angles for DC are 36 currently and 28 degrees. Your latitude is approximately 52 degrees N; ours is 39 degrees N.

Please get a tan.

Midwest cuisine, update

update on dad over the phone - he went grocery shopping, here's what he bought and the dialogue:

Erik (E) So, I posted our conversation about the midwestern cuisine.
Dad (D) I have an update for you. I went shopping, and got steak, got chicken, something else, I can't remember, nothing fancy like lamb or fish.
(E) sure you don't remember the third thing?
(D) it's all the same stuff I told you about last time, its all good.
(D) If you're gonna make money on this, I want my cut. (laughs)
...
(D) I tell you what, I sure like your cooking! You're a good cook! A fine lad!
and Tamara tells me you're a good lover!
(E) you're hilarious
(D) you've got it all man
(D) oh I know what you need - you need a good climate - it's time for you to get the gun (this last in reference to my state of near-constant depression given the weather here.)

That's my dad. What he lacks in tact, he makes up in wit. I really am depressed. It's hard being an artist alone in a studio all day, when you are a social person. But tomorrow I'm off to a tanning booth. It's a sure cure for seasonal affective disorder, and is why everyone around here is orange. The sun is about 30 degrees up off the horizon during the noon hour, that's on the rare occasions when you can see it.

Midwest food

My dad's from Minnesota, the heartland of the U.S. I interviewed him about Midwestern food while he and I were dining on a salad of sauteed river crayfish, flambeed in a anise liquor reduction, served with baby potatoes roasted in garlic, olive oil, and fresh rosemary, and a dessert of fresh berries and cassis liquor on intensely fatty ice cream. Here's my wry dad, on topic, and hilarious:

E (Erik) - So, tell me about Midwestern dinners?
D (Dad) - There's always some kind of meat, either chicken, beef, probably not fish. and a vegetable. and probably potatoes. And that's it.
E - Yeah?
D - How can you go wrong with that? You can't. It's ideal.

E - How are the veggies cooked?
D - Steamed, sometimes microwaved - you never know. Seasoning, salt and pepper.
E - Butter?
D - Sometimes, you add it at the table now. Connie used to add a lot of butter. Like a big bunch of butter in there. But people complained, so she stopped doing it. And people put their own butter on now.
E - No other seasoning?
D - Nope.

E - How are the potatoes cooked?
D - I would say most of the potatoes are baked or mashed. What else is there? That's it, man.
E - Do you use garlic?
D - No. It's the Midwest. Come on, man.

E - Tell me about the meat.
D - What do you want to know?
E - What do you eat the most?
D - Chicken, first. Beef, second. Pork, then fish. No lamb. Forget about lamb. It's too high-falutin. It's the Midwest, man. Fly-over country. Get with the program, man.
E - That's hilarious.
D - What'd I just say?
E - You're kidding.
D - It's the Midwest, man. (laughs)

E - So, how do you cook the chicken?
D - Bake it.
E - What do you mean?
D - You roast it.
E - You're not giving me detail.
D - You just put it in the oven. Real simple.
E - No seasoning?
D - You have to ask Connie.
E - You've never baked a chicken?
D - I've never baked a chicken in my life. Connie is the conquistador of baked chicken.

E - So how do you cook beef?
D - You mean my beef?
E - Let's not go there.
D - It could be anything. Hamburger, Roast, Sirloin. I mean, you just don't know. The possibilities are endless.
E - So you basically have 3 options?
D - Yeah, that's it. There are no other options. This is the Midwest, man.

E - How do you cook fish?
D - It's only fried. It's the only way you can do fish. It is the only way in the Midwest.

E - How do you do pork?
D - I don't know. I'm not a big pork fan.
E - So mom never cooks it?
D - She roasts it. It's getting boring, jack. Let's have dessert.

Lost

The Hague has some winding streets that are difficult to navigate. They also look different at night. I have lost count of the times I've gotten completely turned around in this town, heading confidently off in exactly the wrong direction. Last night, I had one of those moments, except that it was actually a whole string of those moments. Biking in the dark, I was on my way to the art club to draw from a live model. I found myself in new territory and figured I must have overshot the turn to the art club. So, rather than backtrack I took a shortcut to the right. It started a whole chain reaction which ended up with me in the Bermuda triangle of the Hague. I had a map, but no compass. I kept heading off, and ending up in the opposite direction I'd intended. I'd backtrack, locate myself, go about a half mile, re-verify with the map and find myself in an entirely unexpected area on the map. I'd backtrack again, and find myself coming right back to where I'd started. It just wasn't possible. I couldn't understand it. I'd go past the same thing spot, over and over, in huge circles. I saw a strange canal with houseboats I'd never seen before, three times. It was almost as if I was losing my mind. After several false starts, and completely losing confidence in myself and the map, there came a point where I asked myself if this was real. It felt like a movie. I stopped the bike, and really wondered, "Am I in Hell? Did I have a car accident, and my mind is playing terrible tricks on me? Am I really lying in the gutter, injured or worse?" I thought about it for a good five seconds. A disconcerting interlude, to be sure. Since I didn't remember any strange near-collisions or flashbacks to an accident, I decided I was alive, and ended up laughing out loud at myself. Quite a moment. I spent an hour biking around, and in the end went home and had a beer.

The Hague will do this to you. Beware the curvy streets and buy a good map and a compass. It's worth the peace of mind.

Driver's license update

(See earlier post) for the chronology of the first 6 visits)

Visit #7 to the city offices to get a license: I show up, and all of my paperwork is accepted! It is miraculous! I am almost disappointed that I won't get to blog about this anymore! I am told to wait for the letter to arrive which tells me to pick up the license. A couple weeks later, the letter arrives - however, it tells me that my application is incomplete, and I neglected to give a copy of my health certification. I had given it during visit 6, but apparently they forgot to photocopy it. No problem, I don't mind going in for ...

Visit #8: I drop off the appropriate form, after waiting in the requisite line. NOW I can wait for the letter informing me to pick up my license. A couple weeks later, I get a message from the post office that I have to come in from across town and pick up a letter. I bike in, wait in line, pick up the letter. It is a denial from the state, saying that the RDW, the government agency that issues a license, cannot issue me a license since the computer at the RDW does not show that I have a long-term residency permit. Which I do have, but the main problem is that the RDW computer does not recognize my residency. We have gone around and around with this problem. And there apparantly is no way to fix this problem. APPLICATION DENIED.

Bob Hagen portrait sketch

A last portrait of my dad, of course wearing his stocking hat. He left today, and we had a great trip. I took lots of pictures while we explored the town and the countryside, and will use them as inspiration for a new painting series called 'abstract landscapes.' Here's hoping that the series will be slightly less gloomy than the weather and outdoors appears now.

Bike ride in the dunes and harbor

Dad and I went for a bike ride in the dunes near Scheveningen and Den Haag. These dunes protect the inland areas from flooding. The pictures give a sense of the muted colors and somber beauty of the dunes.

We stopped by the harbor on our way out of town. I always enjoy the brightly colored boats and unusual shapes that can be found there.

On our way out to the dunes, I mad my dad stop so I could take a picture of our front gate with spiderweb.

Dad enjoys the crossword puzzle in the teahouse

It's cold in the teahouse, but dad likes to go out there for the crossword puzzle and a coffee. Here's some sketches of him puzzling.

A day in Leiden

Leiden is a beautiful city, located about 20 minutes from Den Haag. It is a medieval city with intact buildings and canals. My dad and I enjoyed a very nice day there.

In the 1570s, Leiden survived a siege by Spanish troops. About a third of its 15,000 inhabitants died of starvation and disease - it is reputed that the mayor of the city offered his own body to feed the inhabitants, perhaps to keep the support of the population to resist the Spanish. The leader of the Spanish troops, the Duke of Alba, was known for his cruelty - it was feared that surrender would be worse than starvation. The siege was eventually lifted on October 3, a date that is celebrated even today by the residents of Leiden with a day off and a massive street party.

Pictures from the train - den haag to amsterdam

These were all taken from a moving train. The last photo is of Bob Hagen, my father, on the train.