Hooray for T, courageously bundled up against the cold and rain, biking off to an evening of violin playing with an orchestra. Notice the hat of mine she has stolen. It looks better on her anyway.
These stands are between 10 and 30 minutes. The model, Petra, was really fun to work with, since her portraits just drew themselves. The entire class was inspired, everyone did great work.
Yesterday I wrote about things we miss back home. Today I write about one of the things I'll miss in Holland most....Hazelnoot tort, pictured. It's filled with whipped cream and meringue, and frosted with whipped cream and hazelnuts. It's awesome. The best Hazelnoot tort can be found on the Frederick Hendriklaan, at "van der Pluijm Roodenrijs" bakker. They have the best bread there too. Tomorrow: marzipan torte.
This is T's farewell dinner before she left for the states... yes, that's a plate of macaroni and cheese, folks, served on handmade plates from Italy. The pasta is fresh, there are fresh tomatoes and hand-cut cubes of delicious aged Dutch cheese, but the base? The base is butter, milk, and a packet of powdered KRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE. You can take the American out of the U.S., but some things will never change. Like our craving for this tacky, bright, orange-colored powdered cheese. CHEESE, GROMMIT!
We spent the weekend in Brussels with good friends. Fantastic to have the time together. Pictured, N in front of the "World's biggest Tea House," and T, having Tea.
This tableau, bottom photo, begged to be photographed. I suppose the dolls are erotica from a bygone era. Don't miss the jar, upper left bottom photo - and featured in the top photo - maybe the worst pottery ever. Photos taken at a Brussels antique street fair.
This fantastic collage was made on a boarded up doorway, in the middle of the older part of Brussels. Fantastic, I walked by it at first. Public art can be magical.
I wasn't really that happy with this week's drawings, but here are a selection. Drawing from live models is a great way to improve one's ability to observe closely, and to learn how to quickly translate that observation onto paper.
The ruins are what's left of the Carmo Convent, ruined by the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon. At the time of the earthquake it was the largest church in Lisbon. 
This picture of a sunset was taken through a glass of beer while sitting in my old backyardwith my friend Clair. The picture is a couple of years old but I like the color and texture a lot.
These are portraits done at the International Art Club of the Hague. Each portrait is about 60 by 100 centimeters, very big. Which one is your favorite? 
How can one not love Holland?