I have two ears

Chaos checks out the laundry

2010-11-28T19:05:00.000+01:00

He gets into everything...

Portrait of a happy cat

2010-08-20T18:20:00.000+02:00

Shiva has it all.

Roy Lichtenstein and Roy Rogers

2010-07-16T10:34:00.000+02:00

"To draw outlines and color them in is about as dumb a way of painting as you can imagine, and you can look at my work and say that's how it's done." - Roy Lichtenstein

"At the time (1961) Roy was 38 years old and his two sons were very young and he liked making drawings for them of Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck from their Bazooka Bubble Gum Wrappers. One day he realized how important these cartoon characters were to them and decided to make one of the gum wrappers into a large painting." Janet Boris 2001

The work was done a few years after U.S. Senate hearings into the role of comic books and juvenile delinquency (see footnote #1 below for source). Clearly, politicians were keeping their collective eye on the important issues of the time.

Lichtenstein certainly recognized the power of the images and the importance of some of the comic book characters to his kids. But Lichtenstein claims he wasn't interested in reproducing or the original social context of the comics. He says that ""I think my work is different from comic strips- but I wouldn't call it transformation; I don't think that whatever is meant by it is important to art." What is inspiring to me, as an artist, is that Lichtenstein was free to paint in as "dumb" a manner as he wished. Isn't it about time for a contemporary artist to rediscover the old 1950s era Roy Rogers comics in a similar mode? (Hint: check back here in a month or two.)

For some great images showing the inspiration for Lichtenstein's comic book paintings, see David Barsalou's website at http://davidbarsalou.homestead.com/LICHTENSTEINPROJECT.html

Footnote #1: Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency, Interim Report of the Committee on the judiciary pursuant to S. Res. 89 and S. Res. 190, US Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Juvenile Delinquency. 1955-6. Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 77-90720

Summerr arrives

2010-06-24T09:25:00.000+02:00

Finally, after months of cold and winter jackets. Summer is here in Holland! Note champagne in the foreground, and happy ancient cat receiving pets from T.

Today, I am very much looking forward to working outdoors on a sculpture/cyanotype print, in the sun. As they say, Hot Dawg!

Latte

2010-06-11T11:25:00.000+02:00

We all fell in love with Latte, the wild cat with the cappuccino stripe down his back. The Italian pool cleaner must have chased him away one day when we were gone. At least, we hope that's what happened. Attitudes towards animals in the Italian agricultural heartland are decidedly different than ours. This is one of three cats in my lifetime that has chosen to be included in my inner circle. There is Marvin, the albino pregnant cat from the Caribbean, and Boris, the grey long hair from Seattle days. Ah Latte, where are you now?

Todi, dawn

2010-06-11T11:13:00.000+02:00

Spring flowers from the garden

2010-04-29T09:44:00.000+02:00

Truly it is now spring here in The Hague. These flowers are a gift from the dear owner of the house, Eduard, and come from the garden. We've had weeks of sunny, warm weather. April can be the nicest month in Holland and also the most deceptive. Our first year here, April was magnificent. It was just like this April, warm enough to sit outside at noon, and sunny day after day. It lulled us into a sense of false security, even comfort. What treachery! We were absolutely and completely betrayed in the months that followed. It was the summer that never came. It was a heat-on-in-August kind of summer; bone-chilling wind, rain and low-lying clouds. Then, winter came. To be honest it was hard to tell the difference. Well, except that it was darker. May this summer be different!

Album cover

2010-04-19T09:05:00.000+02:00

Pictured: Jos, Nanneke, T, at the remote Insel Hombroich museum in Germany near Dusseldorf. This museum would be a great place to stage an album cover, all the elements are here in the picture.

We loved this museum for how it is curated. There are no explanations given for any of the artwork. Stone-age sculptures are shown side by side with modern paintings. No information about any of the work is presented, not even a tag to show the year the work was created, the title, or the name of the artist. It changes how one experiences the artwork. Rather than reading, we looked. It felt right.

The museum is on an old military base. The site has been restored to a nature preserve, with a series of stand-alone buildings created specifically to hold art. This was a great day.

T at the Insel Hombroich

2010-04-19T08:28:00.001+02:00

T models the latest North Face jacket in the chic setting of the Insel Hombroich museum near Dusseldorf.

A couple of portraits in charcoal

2010-04-18T21:41:00.000+02:00

We had a great model at the IAC the other week, and here are a couple of the images from that series.

Portrait of a cat

2010-04-18T17:50:00.000+02:00

This one goes out to T, who is stranded in Houston because of the volacno eruption.

Tina, charcoal sketches at the IAC

2010-04-01T16:21:00.003+02:00

These are this week's portraits from life at the IAC here in The Hague. Each sketch is about 20 to 30 minutes.

Great Wallpaper for your desktop

2010-03-29T09:57:00.000+02:00

Feel free to use this for a wallpaper image on your computer. This image makes me happy, it evokes a full day's painting in the studio. What could be better?

View from my studio

2010-03-29T09:23:00.000+02:00

These are my peeps, as seen from my studio window. These guys come knocking when it is time for a piece of lekker Dutch bread.

Finally we have nice weather. I have great light for painting, and in the warmest part of the day I can keep the studio door open to the outdoors. I wonder how long before my peeps start to walk right in?

Update, 6 foot tall portrait.

2010-03-26T08:48:00.004+01:00

I've been painting my 6-foot tall portrait, and itching to blog about it along with photos. But, the person in the portrait is unaware of the project. It will be a surprise. So, I can't show photos of the subject yet! For those who just have to see it now, drop me an email and I'll send images of the work in progress. Shown here is a detail of the painting, just the flowers in the corner.

Portraits in charcoal, Li

2010-03-26T08:38:00.003+01:00

Li is a model for the Beauty Project, but sometimes sits for us at the International Art Club. (I'm responsible for arranging the models and coordinating the class.)

More portraits...

2010-03-03T18:48:00.003+01:00

obviously, these four portraits are not all of the same model. Three were done today here in the Hague at the International Art Club, and the fourth was done two weeks ago. There's something so satisfying about drawing in charcoal, from life.

A perfect day in the studio, in English and Dutch

2010-02-28T21:20:00.003+01:00

Pictured, a perfect day. It is my studio, and I spent the entire Friday there painting. By my side, a warm cup of tea and Nora Jones on the ipod. Her first album really moves me, particularly the song "If I were a painter, and could paint a memory..." All in all, the studio setting, the 6-foot (2-meter) tall painting to work on, the music, the tea....it really couldn't be any better than that. Plus, a six foot tall canvas has really inspired me. On my deathbed, if I could live any one day, it might be this one.

Het meestal, slap ik niet uit. Vandag, vrijdag, is hetzelfde. Wij staan op om 6:45 uur. Ik maak het ontbijt. Na het ontbijt ik opruimen. Tamara helpt een beetje. Ze vertrekt naar het werk om 7:45. Op vrijdag krijg ik het huis klaar voor de schoonmaker. Ik breng de vuilnessbak buiten. Ik maak de kitty litter schoon, ik doe wat wasserette. Ik maak het kantoor tabel duidelijk, en wat schone gerechten uit de droogrek. Ik doe wat email. Vandag, begin ik om 8:30 te schilder in mijn studio. Ik werk er de hele dag. Soms vergeet ik te lunchen. Maar vandaag eet ik een kopje soup. Ik eet bij de gootsteen, omdat ik terug snel naar schilderen wil gaan. Deze dagen, is het raar een hele dag in de studio te hebben. Ik vind het zo leuk te doen. Ik heb een pot lekkere en warme thee bij me de hele dag. Ik heb mooie muziek op de ipod. Ik werk op een heel groot doek, ongeveer 2 meter hoog. Ik stop rond 5 uur s’avonds en begin mijn pensilen en pallete te schoonmaken. Bij 5:30 ben ik klaar. Vanavond ontmoet ik Tamara voor het diner om 6:30 in een leuk restaurant in het centrum van Den Haag. Het is Japons, en wij eten sushi. Wanneer wij terug in thuis zijn, kijken we een stand up comedy routine op televisie. Een leuke dag, en een hele leuke avond.

My biggest canvas

2010-02-23T11:07:00.002+01:00

I have started work on my biggest canvas yet. It is a little over 6 feet tall, and will be a portrait for the Beauty Project. Wish me luck!

An 8-minute sketch

2010-02-16T12:12:00.002+01:00

Sometimes, the best sketches are the shortest. This was an 8-minute sketch. When you have to draw so quickly, you can't stop to think. You have to draw as you see, without the brain's idea of an eye or an ear interfering with what is actually in front of you. Otherwise, the idea of an object can interfere with how it is drawn.

Some drawings from the IAC

2010-02-12T11:35:00.003+01:00

I love drawing this model. These drawings are from this week at the International Art Club of the Hague.

Texture of a canvas

2010-02-12T08:12:00.002+01:00

The sun came into my studio this morning, something of a rarity these winter days in Holland. It just caught the edges of the painted surface of this canvas, which nicely revealed the texture of the paint. The canvas was painted with a palette knife.

Some recent drawings at the IAC

2010-01-29T16:42:00.002+01:00

These drawings are from short poses (15 to 20 minutes) by a live model, Heny, done at the International Art Club of The Hague this week.

winter landscape

2010-01-24T12:20:00.009+01:00

This is a big painting, almost four feet tall. Inspirations were the winter colors here in the Hague, the Irish landscape to the south of Dublin, the Dutch painter Tom Schulten, and the abstract expressionist painter Nicolas de Staël (1914 –1955). Examples of Schulten and de Staël paintings are pictured below. The de Staël is titled Les Toits (the roofs), pictured second from the bottom and can be seen in the regular collection of the Pompidou musem in Paris.

Monique

2010-01-21T14:40:00.002+01:00

Charcoal on paper, 2 by 3 feet.

This is a 20 minute sketch from life. I've been working hard on portraiture skills, and feel like I'm making progress. What I like about this drawing of Monique, is that the drawing captures what she looks like. Which is what I'm trying to learn how to do. Now, the challenge is to do this with more reliability.

Monet's monument to peace, the Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris

2010-01-17T18:47:00.007+01:00

This is a wonderful, smaller museum in Paris. Go, if you have a chance. It sits in the shadow of the Louvre, and is not heavily visited in the winter. Monet's work fills two oval shaped rooms. The project is dedicated to peace, and was painted just after WWI. The two rooms are filled with paintings of water lilies, and are configured in a shape that evokes the infinity symbol. There are four panels in each room, each panel is about 50 or so feet long. The lighting is filtered, and makes the rooms and paintings glow with a quiet and radiant beauty. After the paintings were finished, Impressionism went out of style. The museum was not much visited and fell into disrepair. It wasn't until 2006 that the museum was renovated, and fortunately the paintings are well preserved. It is a masterpiece and to me is Monet's crowning achievement.

My office today

2010-01-14T21:26:00.003+01:00

Today I made my first outdoor snow painting! It was fun, and the cold was refreshing. It is my Norwegian blood.

Skating!

2010-01-13T22:20:00.001+01:00

Everyone straps on the skates when the weather drops below zero for long enought to freeze the lakes.

Ah, winter sports

2010-01-13T22:15:00.001+01:00

Down the block from our house, there's some serious sledding and skating action.

Snowy street scene in front of our house

2010-01-13T22:14:00.000+01:00

Holland is cold these days....

Morning walk to work

2010-01-12T08:25:00.001+01:00

It's still dark at 7:30 a.m. here in Holland. The snow and ice have been around a few weeks now, and are starting to feel normal. Here's a few pictures from a morning walk to the tram.

A painting by Alberto Valentini

2010-01-11T11:46:00.004+01:00

This jewel of a painting was done by my friend Alberto Valentini a few days ago. Alberto paints from life, and believe me in this winter weather that takes dedication! He says the key is to paint fast and dress like a polar bear. He posts his paintings, while they are still wet, to his blog, where they are available for sale. You can see his blog at http://ilpittore.blogspot.com/

Beautiful card by my niece, age 11

2010-01-09T13:13:00.000+01:00

This card was made by my niece, Natalia, age 11. She saw the album cover of Madonna and decided to make a card based on the album cover. She found the cover online, printed it, and used it in the card. Other materials include glue, Cheerios, glitter, and blue ribbon. I'm in awe of her talent and design sense. The composition and beauty or the card, and the creative use of materials, speak for themselves. Don't be suprised if you see Cheerios showing up in my next artwork.

Painting from the Master Class

2009-12-23T15:28:00.003+01:00

This is the painting from last weeks Master Class, and some details of the painting. The model posed from 10 am until 4 pm with an hour lunch break, Saturday and Sunday. I worked some more on it later in the week. The painting is about three feet wide.

Some drawings...

2009-12-18T16:53:00.003+01:00

I've been doing a lot of drawings in charcoal over the last couple of weeks, from live models. Here's a selection.

Master class, Lucian Freud

2009-12-14T08:30:00.000+01:00

I spent the weekend taking a master class at the Wackers Academy in Amsterdam. Here's the class portrait after the event. We spent two days of intensive painting from a live model, and a day of lecture (in Dutch.) I understood a little...Later, I'll post some of the paintings by the class. I'm third from the right.

This week's portraits at the IAC

2009-12-10T21:43:00.002+01:00

Sometimes I think I'm improving at this portrait thing, sometimes it feels impossible.
These stands are all about 20 minutes, except for the small drawings which are a little less than 10 minutes.

Museum of Art (Kunsthaus Zurich)

2009-12-02T20:13:00.004+01:00

We loved the scale of the paintings and the lighting in this beautiful museum. The modern collection is impressive. The crowd of people in the awesome painting at bottom is painted by Ralph Fleckm in 2003 and is titled "Love Parade." Ralph Fleckm was born in 1953. (It really sucks when the artists are born after 1967.)

Zurich

2009-12-02T20:10:00.000+01:00

On the tram in Zurich...apparantly, one cannot travel without paying, play music on the tram, put your feet up on the seats, or, SAW THROUGH THE SEAT ADJACENT TO YOU. Remind me to leave my saw at home.

This week's live models

2009-11-26T22:36:00.003+01:00

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This weeks drawings at the International Art Club of the Hague...with thanks to Pien Hazenburg, for her help with the portraits. Drawing from live models is such fun. These poses were from 10 to 30 minutes. It is great going so fast, you really have to draw only what you see, not what you know. I like the strength of the model in the full figure pose, and the expression in the face of the woman posing for the portrait.

T plays violin

2009-11-26T22:32:00.000+01:00

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.

ah, marzipan torte

2009-11-26T22:24:00.001+01:00

How can one not love Holland?

Portraits this week - Petra

2009-11-20T16:42:00.002+01:00

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.

More guilty pleasures

2009-11-20T16:31:00.003+01:00

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.

Guilty pleasures

2009-11-19T18:16:00.001+01:00

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!

Brussels

2009-11-15T19:05:00.002+01:00

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.

Erotica from a bygone era

2009-11-13T10:48:00.004+01:00

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.

Street art in brussels

2009-11-13T10:43:00.001+01:00

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.

This week's drawings from the IAC

2009-11-13T10:28:00.003+01:00

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 drawings on this page took between five minutes to 30 minutes.

Carmo Convent and Church Ruins

2009-11-09T13:37:00.005+01:00

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.

Sunset

2009-11-09T13:26:00.001+01:00

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.

Owtin portrait series

2009-11-06T11:29:00.002+01:00

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?

His Most Serene Majesty

2009-10-31T15:55:00.003+01:00

This is a portrait of His Most Serene Majesty. Such laggard people he owns, you'd think they'd be quicker with the can opener.

Sneak peak at tomorrow's opening

2009-10-31T15:53:00.000+01:00

Today I hung a show that opens tomorrow at the American Women's Club in Scheveningen. There are 27 paintings, 26 of which were painted outdoors in the last year and a half here in the dunes near the North Sea. I'm looking forward to friends, conversation, wine, and home-baked appetizers by a friend who is starting her own baking business. (We traded my art for her art.) So come all, the show is from 2 to 5.

T, laughing

2009-10-30T01:20:00.003+01:00

A portrait from the IAC

2009-10-30T01:12:00.000+01:00

I'm taking a portrait class at the International Art Club of the Hague. This portrait was done a couple of weeks ago... the drawing is from a live model, and the stand is for about 20 or so minutes. The class if full of very talented artists, and I'm improving - practice, practice, practice.

Stylin' dad

2009-10-27T15:27:00.001+01:00

We really do look alike, especially when we swap glasses and hats.

Pop-tart

2009-10-27T15:20:00.000+01:00

On a recent visit to the states, I stopped by my sis's house. There, I was again impressed by the creativity of my niece. She concieved and designed this Halloween costume of a pop-tart. She chose the materials and assembled it all on her own initiative. The colored sprinkles are popscicle sticks. This brilliant costume gets an A+ from her proud uncle.

Vignobles Jean-Francois Carrille, Chateau Cardinal Villemaurine

2009-10-24T16:12:00.007+02:00

Jean-Francois Carrille runs a small vineyard in St. Emilion. When we stopped by, he was very busy directing the grape harvest, yet he happily found the time to give us a tour of the fields, the cellar, and the fermentation area. The cellar is centuries old, part of a cave/quarry from which the town of St. Emilion was built. Jean-Francois's wines are excellent. He's proud of his work and the region, but humble when it comes to himself. We really liked him... he is one of those people that you wish you could get to know over the years, preferably over many glasses of wine. If you are ever in St. Emilion, stop by this winery. You can buy wines going back to the 1960s, lovingly maintained in his cellar.

Kelli has two ears too!

2009-10-06T10:45:00.001+02:00

I am teaching my friend Kelli how to be an oil painter. In Holland, sometimes this can often end in disappointment. We set up to go painting outdoors in the dunes. After weeks of unseasonally warm and sunny weather, it suddenly started raining. We were all set to go paint, but winter has now arrived. Today: indoor painting from a still life.

Dinosaur tracks in Portugal

2009-10-06T10:41:00.003+02:00

One of the coolest things about Portugal is the lack of regulation. For example, here we are on the beach, and we have complete access to this set of fossilized dinasaur tracks on the beach in Salema. here's some text I lifted from the geological investigation:

The prints on the shelf of Lower Cretaceous rock are those of a herbivorous biped also known as an Ornithopod. This was a three-toed (tridactyl) creature, and it is the rounded shape of these toes, with no claw marks, that implies it only ate vegetation.

Sedum and snails, in Sagres

2009-09-29T22:12:00.000+02:00

This picture was taken on a windswept, rock-strewn peninsula on the most western point of Europe.

Two fishermen on the cliffs in Sagres, Portugal

2009-09-29T22:08:00.000+02:00

These guys go fishing here. That's a long line.

More ink sketches

2009-09-25T09:35:00.001+02:00

Ink on cotton paper
36 by 26 cm

These were less successful, but I like how the two figures merge together on the page.

I saved the best drawing for the Work of the Week blog.

More ink sketches

2009-09-25T09:33:00.000+02:00

Ink on cotton paper
36 by 26 cm

These were five minute poses. I love the immediacy of ink, the range of shading from darkest dark to subtle tones is great.

Ink drawings

2009-09-25T09:32:00.000+02:00

Ink on cotton paper, 26 by 36 cm.

These ink drawings are short poses (5 to 30 minutes) done at the International Art Club of the Hague.

Diesel...

2009-09-18T22:06:00.003+02:00

is my new nickname. Touring around the Bordeaux with Tamara and her Mom, I like to think of myself as the worldly man of travel, the successful artist transplant so expertly navigating the European milieu.

Re the nickname. Tamara and her mom actually prefer, "Gassy," but I prefer the slightly more masculine ring of "Diesel." So goes it when you fill a diesel car with gasoline... I used to be a highly competent engineer type, proud of my technical prowess and not a probably not a little bit arrogant. But then I moved to Europe, and every single little thing conspired against that belief. Anyway, that arrogance is long gone now. Try doing art for a year and half for a living, and you'll understand too.

Anyway, first, the facts. 10 liters of gasoline were pumped into a tank that is supposed to take diesel. In my defense, I can only say... well, not much actually.

After the fact, sick to our collective stomachs, we pulled into a Renault dealership. Tamara's been that mad before, once or maybe twice. The slick salesman said the shop was closed, but we walked around to the back where a couple of the mechanics were having a cig. The question was posed, what happens if you have 10 liters of gasoline in a tank that is supposed to be filled with diesel, in a tank that has a capacity of 50 liters? The first reaction, after a certain puzzlement, were these wonderful, little smug smiles. You know what I mean.

We were lucky to have Tamara's mom, Jacqueline, there to pose the question in French. We stumped the two mechanics, and after the little smug smiles we stumped the the third and the fourth. Plus smiles. Time to summon the top mechanic. He joined the group, deep grease lines staining the wrinkles in his face and uniform. He was a master, and completely without ego. His word was gold, and every mechanic there treated him with the reverence that was his due. There was no smug smile from him. I loved him for the master he was, and for a brief second thought briefly about giving up art forever, becoming a mechanic and apprenticing at the Renault garage. He thought for a minute, asked a few clarifying questions, and finally made his pronouncement, which had the added weight of being made in French. All seven of us hung on his every word, every syllable uttered with seriousness and gravity.

Namely, we were to drive the car around, ignore any coughing sounds of complaint, and dilute the tank with diesel as we went. The car was good to go. If only my reputation and ego were as easily repaired. Please, just call me "Diesel." Not, "Gassy." I'm just not ready for that.

Tamara's mom just cooked a lovely dinner for us all. I thanked her before she went to bed, and she let me know that she after all, was "just cooking with gas."

An old self portrait, college days

2009-09-14T08:07:00.000+02:00

I stumbled across this in the files today. Its true, I used to have hair.

Me playing cribbage - February, the midwest

2009-09-12T20:07:00.001+02:00

This is what I look like when I travel back to the midwest in the wintertime... shell-shocked. Below, Dad contemplates the double-skunk. A great portrait.

Minnesota winter - playing cribbage with Dad

2009-09-12T20:03:00.000+02:00

I stumbled across this photo, and had to share it. Somehow it captures the essence of the cold, dark Minnesota winter that I remember from my youth. My Norwegian ancestors spent a lot of time playing cribbage in the wintertime, since you can't farm in Norway in the winter. Here, my dad and I are using ball point pens instead of cribbage pegs. (The pegs were lost.) This game was close, but if I remember correctly Dad was a couple points away from being double-skunked in the prior game.

An evening drawing at the International art club of the hague

2009-09-10T22:17:00.003+02:00

Tuesday night's drawings...I gave away two of the drawings to the model, but I like these too. These are done with ink, a brush, and a pen. This is a great way to practice drawing what you see, not what you think you see.

Sidewalk chalk art by an anonymous five year old

2009-09-10T22:08:00.003+02:00

I encountered this sidewalk artwork in the neighborhood. Each square on the sidewalk was its own unique "canvas." This is amazing art. A passerby told me that the artist was a five year old boy. He should be teaching a course in abstract expressionism in graduate school. He has something to teach us adult artists. Were my art so fresh...

My apologies to the artist, if I have reproduced any of the images upside down.

Work in progress - title suggestions?

2009-09-08T10:09:00.004+02:00

This painting started out as "Pink Abstractions," a prior work of the week (pictured below), and before that as "Blue Bit," (pictured bottom) and is still in progress. It is a big painting, about four feet wide.

When I started the latest iteration, I had no idea that it would turn into a structure, or that it would be populated with little people. Now, any suggestions for a title?

Art and Fear

2009-09-07T22:11:00.003+02:00

Art and Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking" by David Bayles and Ted Orland is absolutely required reading for any artist and all of my future art students. (I will be teaching a drawing class in the spring.) I re-read this book about once a year. It was given to me by a dear friend and fellow artist, Michele M., and I am so grateful to her for the gift. For any artist who has ever been plagued by questions of self-doubt (that is, all artists), stopped in your tracks, or quit art for whatever reason, this book is for you. ISBN 0-9614547-3-3.

a walk in the woods

2009-08-31T09:33:00.000+02:00

Self portrait...

2009-08-31T09:22:00.001+02:00

...as a reflection in this beetle's shell.

My modeling career takes off

2009-08-27T16:36:00.003+02:00

Here's some pictures of drawings of me taken day before yesterday, when I modeled at the International Art Club of the Hague. It was fun, but some of those poses were really hard to hold.

Drawings by Hein and Mirko.

Crazy crowded beach day

2009-08-26T08:26:00.002+02:00

Every once in a while in the summer, here in Holland we have terrific weather and everyone goes to the beach. Everyone. I was lucky enough to be outdoors on the beach painting with my painter-friend Mariska.

The problem with beach painting is that people move around, a lot. So, I have a new challenge which is to get better at capturing people in oil paint, quickly.

Here's our two paintings from the beach.

A modeling career?

2009-08-24T21:06:00.004+02:00

Tomorrow I will be the (nude) model at the International Art Club of the Hague. As the coordinator for the class, it is my job to find a model . Unfortunately, there has been a last minute cancellation and since we are now without a model, I am the backup. Check in tomorrow or the day after for pictures of the drawings!

A great read for emerging artists

2009-08-20T14:10:00.002+02:00

Anne Patchett's "Truth and Beauty" is the non-fictional story of Anne's friendship with another writer. I find that this book is a inspiration for the emerging artist as well as a cautionary tale about the motivations behind doing art and the pitfalls of success. Pratchett pulls no punches in describing the artistic lows and highs. It is inspiring to hear her story, and read about both writers' eventual success fueled by talent and perseverance.

Lucy Grealy, the other writer in the story, ''was absolutely committed to the idea that writing would be her salvation and that she was obligated to pull herself out of all her present miseries with the sheer strength of her will and talent.'' Lucy did publish, and was considered successful, but abandoned her writing career after her first big publication. I simplify perhaps, but I feel that Lucy was doing art for the wrong reasons (success for the sake of succcess) and ultimately abandoned art because she didn't really enjoy the actual making of art.

You get the sense that Anne had a stronger connection to her art, for the sake of doing art. While she also was driven by success to a degree, art occupies a more central part of her life:
"We had each come to realize that no one was going to save our lives, and that if we wanted to save them ourselves, we had only one skill that afforded us any hope at all. Writing is a job, a talent, but it's also the place to go in your head. It is the imaginary friend you drink your tea with in the afternoon.''

Finally, I love Lucy's description in a letter to Anne of how negative one's art can get in the face of adversity. "Four fucking times they've said no, get lost. And what ever made me think I could write a novel? What a piece of trash it is. And as for my poetry, well [the fine art center in provincetown] has told me in no uncertain terms what that's worth...I just feel so baseless, so rootless, but exernally and internally. I think to myself, well, okay, do some writing, that'll make you feel better, but it's not that I can't write...but that I hate what I write....Maybe I should just stop thinking I'm some sort of artist and look at the actual facts of my never having really and truly succeded at anything." I think every emerging artist, myself included, feels as negative about his or her work at times.

A conclusion I take away from this story, and agree with, is to do your art for yourself for the sake of the art and persevere through those inevitable lows. Maybe you'll "make" it, but one realizes the important part is finding an equilibrium between artmaking and everything else we call life. Fame and wealth are ephemeral, and the joy of making the art must be its own reward. Simply put, you must like making the art. This is an insightful, touching, and completely honest story about two emerging artists and their lives.

The pond

2009-08-17T21:38:00.000+02:00

Clair helped me plant the lillies in this pond when we moved in. This is a picture showing how it has grown in during the last year. Has it really been a year and half since we've moved to Holland?

Harbor, Ville Franche Sur Mer

2009-08-14T08:26:00.003+02:00

The harbor of Ville Franche Sur Mer is beautiful. We loved the yellow, blue, and red boat in these pictures. See how different the colors of the boats are when in shade vs. sunlight.

Old wine storage bottles, deep in the woods outside Siena, Italy

2009-08-13T22:31:00.002+02:00

In a forest on an ancient estate outside of Siena, Italy, in a forgotten corner of the world, there is a collection of discarded antique wine storage jugs. Some of these jugs are growing beautiful little miniature moss and plant gardens in perfect equilibrium with incoming rainfall, nutrient inputs, and sunlight. Other jugs are dry, and others are filled with decay and rot. It just depends on how much light, heat, nutrients, and moisture each jug gets. Each jug is its own ecosystem, on a small scale a metaphor for the planet's ecology with its unique energy, water and nutrient balance. If the jug is tilted just right, it gets the perfect amount of water to sustain a garden. If it gets too hot because of too much sunlight, everything inside cooks. If there are too many nutrients, it turns anoxic and everything dies. The jugs growing gardens were hauntingly beautiful, a reminder of the delicate balancing act that is our environment.

Walk of the Jamon

2009-08-11T17:42:00.004+02:00

There's a great market in Barcelona, called La Boqueria, located just off the main pedestrian walkway called "La Rambla." We bought amazing food there. Breakfast - a plate of fried small fish, fried hot peppers, and two glasses of Cava, a sparkling white wine. After breakfast, we couldn't resist buying a take-away lunch including Pata Negra, a Spanish version of prosciutto, a freshly baked baguette, two perfect peaches, and a beautiful Rioja vintage 1999 - year we got married - to celebrate our anniversary. Awesome.

Sunscreen in the background

2009-08-06T15:28:00.000+02:00

Can you tell by the smile that we are on vacation? That it is finally sunny in Holland? That I've been getting hugely positive feedback on the virtual exhibit of Italian paintings on my website? That it is our 10th anniversary coming up tomorrow? Well, it's all true. Thanks, all!

An abstract work

2009-08-05T21:39:00.000+02:00

This is big, about 100 by 120 cm (3.3 x 4.0 ft). This started out as a painting called Blue Fields. I painted over it and called it Hearts #2, which was more of a color exercise really. Now it is overpainted yet again and has been transformed into a painting I really like about texture and color.

Farm equipement, italy

2009-08-05T21:33:00.000+02:00

I liked this photo for the almost abstract quality of the lines. It is a simple tractor-pulled piece of farm equipement, used for breaking up the soil.

2009-08-02T22:34:00.000+02:00

another Palio shot

2009-08-02T22:31:00.000+02:00

Erik had a chance to see the Palio in July. This was a picture he snapped that I thought captured the scene -- the lovely siena bricks, the medieval pageantry and the masses of spectators.

Tamara (exercising her guest blogging privileges for the first time!!)

12 Ways to know you are an oil painting addict, and probably have a problem.

2009-07-30T16:58:00.004+02:00

1) You love the smell of stand oil, paint, and turpentine.
2) Sometimes you spank the painting, and sometimes it spanks you.
3) You dream about working on a beautiful painting, in great detail. You wake up when the painting is done.
4)You had a beautiful, finished painting, but ruined it by not stopping when you should have.
5) You've seriously considered hurling a difficult painting into the highest branches of the nearest tree.
6) You've walked past the studio, stopped to fix a small detail, and got sucked into 10 hours of painting.
7) You show up at an opening in your nicest pair of blue jeans. They have oil paint on them.
8) You forget to eat lunch.
9) Your significant other has oil paint on his/her clothes, and asks you how it got there.
10) Your cell phone is covered in oil paint.
11) You've failed by whatever commercial or other similar standard, but you continue to paint anyway.
12) You've painted, finished, and signed, the same canvas 7 times.

Reflections on becoming a full time visual artist after a year and a half

2009-07-29T13:17:00.009+02:00

For the last year and a half I have tried to make a living as a full-time visual artist working in oil paint. I've learned a lot.

The timing is terrible, I know, with the economic crisis going in full swing for let's see, about a year and a half? Mostly, I've hit dead ends again and again and been rejected or denied in more ways than I can count. I suppose perseverance and hard work are the keys to being successful, in art or just about anything. On the one hand, I've sold lots of work. On the other, I've only made enough money to cover the material costs. And I've worked really hard, as hard as I did managing water supply in Washington during the drought of 2002. And that was hard. On the bright side, I have improved my skill set as an artist, and feel poised to take off when the economy improves. I take inspiration from the support of my friends, and am so grateful to the support of T for essentially being my patron during this time.

I am returning to a career of engineering as a consultant, working from the home office and doing what I can. This will allow me to continue to do art and follow my passion for art making, moreover it frees me from the constraints of having to sell my art and market it through the usual channels of galleries, art fairs, etc. This is incredibly liberating from an artistic point of view as well.

I will continue to make, show, and sell my art on my art homepage, and to publish my artwork on the "Work of the Week blog." I have decided to sell my works at about cost so that I can at least break even in support of this quirky addiction to oil painting... I am hopeful that this approach will allow my art to be seen in the world, and that the website will grow organically as word of mouth spreads and as I build an internet following. The internet is changing how art can be bought and sold. Maybe one day I can build this into something much bigger. I'm certainly going to try.

Fox in our backyard

2009-07-28T21:22:00.000+02:00

We have a fox in our backyard! It's one of the coolest things we've ever seen here in the Hague, where wilderness is hard to come by.

Don't forget the cheese!

2009-07-28T20:24:00.001+02:00

Near Beaune, France.

Another vineyard near Beaune

2009-07-28T20:23:00.000+02:00

More vineyards near Beaune

2009-07-28T20:22:00.000+02:00

View of vineyards near Beaune, France

2009-07-28T20:21:00.000+02:00

Driving back from Italy

2009-07-28T20:20:00.000+02:00

We stopped at around the halfway point in the Bourgogne region of France in a little medieval town called Beaune. We spent a couple of days there. It was so incredibly beautiful, and unexpected. And the restaurants! The vineyards! The waistline!

Here's a picture of a drive through the countryside. Beaune was surrounded by fields of wheat and vineyards. You could drive to other small towns, each with several wine-makers, each offering tastings. Small towns were sometimes only a kilometer or two apart.

We came back with 21 bottles, and plan to return with our bikes so we can work off a small portion of the extra calories to be had there.

View from garden at Eze, France

2009-07-28T20:09:00.000+02:00

Lovely sculptures and great views to be had from the municipal garden at Eze.

Èze

2009-07-23T19:15:00.001+02:00

If you are ever visiting Nice, take a day and go see Èze, a small village about 10 km away with roots going back to Roman times. The well-preserved medieval hill town is a lovely tourist attraction. Emphasis is on the word “tourist.” Every shop caters to the cruise boat crowd -- perfumeries, bad art galleries, and knick knacks abound. Despite all that, the town is lovely. Within the town walls, at the apex of the hill, are the ruins of the old castle. The citadel was converted in the 1940s by a visionary mayor into a “jardin exotique” that is now full of cacti, aloe, and statues (entry fee, 5 euro; views, priceless). Just be aware there are lots of stairs. Relax for an hour in the sculptural wooden chairs that emerge from the waterfall in a secluded corner of the garden before rousing yourself to dine at the lovely Chateau Esa, former home of Prince William of Sweden. (Apparently he had more common sense than me and T, and fled chilly Northern Europe for warmer climes.) Make reservations, so you get a seat with an uninterrupted view of the 500 foot elevation drop to the sea and town below. And don’t forget your camera, like I did.

We met an artist/gallery owner in one of the shops. She was cranking out art while sitting behind the counter. There were strong lines in the work, mostly female nudes, but it all looked the same and a little wooden. I can’t blame the artist in this case, because she has to pay rent, and she knows that she can sell this stuff. But I resolved then and there not to get in a position where I had to sell out my art like that. The conundrum many artists face is finding that appropriate balance between creating wild and free work versus cranking out what sells. Well, the conflict for some anyway. For others, the choice is more about whether to buy more drugs or art supplies, but I digress. I think I’m lucky to have the engineering background, because I can continue to do engineering in some capacity which allows artistic freedom, if I’m not wed to selling the art. The problem with that approach is that art is a demanding mistress, requiring more focus and time than a part time artist can possibly deliver.

Finding our apartment in VillleFranche Sur Mer

2009-07-21T17:15:00.002+02:00

VillleFranche Sur Mer. Our apartment is in a place that you cannot drive to, as it is in the medieval part of town and closed to traffic. So, we got as close as we could according to our GPS and illegally parked. I stayed with the car while T went off to find it and drop off the first set of bags. I was surprised to see her return 20 minutes later, still carrying the luggage . She couldn’t find it. So, we unloaded huge piles of bags, art supplies, and paintings onto the patio of a nearby café, and I went off to park the car at the nearest available space, 1.5 km away. (1.5 km!) T ordered wine and I biked back to the café. Now is my turn to drink some wine while T tried again to find the apartment. She was gone for about 30 minutes this time, but came back without any luggage and a successful set of directions involving a steep climb, many stairs, windy medieval streets, a call to the realtor, and a requirement for Zen-like sense of direction.
The town here is the next cove over from Nice, and it is stunningly beautiful. We are on the a top floor flat, overlooking the harbor. There is a million dollar view, great cross ventilation, and a patio on which we can sunbathe. We are never going to leave the terrace of this location again until they pry the keys from our unyielding hands, or we run out of wine. Hello, freckled suntanned relaxed version of T. Hello, sun. Hello topless beaches and sun kissed peaches and sunny all day games of scrabble and bad novels. Now, it is time for vacation.