Japan: Tokyo Senso-ji temple

 

Yesterday we returned from a journey through Japan. It was a long postponed wish: we always promised ourselves that once we retire we will visit Japan. We made the trip with NRV, with a group of 18 Dutch people and a tourguide Amanda. The group was great, but Amanda topped all experiences we had with tourguides on these kind of trips. 

Anyway, I managed to make a sketchbook full of drawings and stories of our trip. This is the Senso-ji temple, in Tokyo Asakusa, made in the evening of our arrival.

Lee van Cleef

 

Quite busy the last few weeks, not  uch time to sketch. A quick impression of Lee van Cleef.

1/2 marathon Heerlen

 

Rather proud of myself: today I ran the Obvion 1/2 marathon in Heerlen. In perspective: I am 68 years old, and there are not so many runners of my age left. And it was raining the whole time, except for the last quarter of an hour. Anyway I did not improve on last years tracktime, but it took me a very decent 2 hours and about 3 minutes to do the 21,1 km. 5min 54sec per km. 

Maybe it is the last time I am able to do this, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

John Deere

I went riding my bike, out to draw something. Just outside Amstenrade, less than 1 1/2 km from my home, there was an old rusty tractor in a field. It must have been put there recently. I use that road regularly, but never saw it before. Anyway: something nice to draw! I had forgotten my watercolours, but luckily brought a set of watercolour pencils with me.

Amsterdam: The Valley

 

I went to Amsterdam to attend a lecture for my Master, at the University of Amsterdam. After the session I went to a new project, the residential building: "the Valley" by MVRDV architects. A very impressive building, wit stacked appartment towers.

Holiday in Saumur (3)

 

A raodside little farm, in a village along the Loire, east of Saumur, France.

Holiday in Saumur (2)

 

View from the balcony of our caravan towards the neighbour.

Holiday in Saumur (1)

 

I just returned from a nice holiday in France, the Loire valley. A camping site near Saumur. It was very hot, unrelenting high temperatures. This is a view of the centre of Saumur, with the beautiful castle on top of the hill. I drew this from the bridge over the river Loire.

Random face

 Study in black ink.

Maastricht, Boschstraat.

 This is the little square in from of the Matthiaskerk in Maastricht. Or should I say very wide street? Anyway, it has some of the best terracec in Maastricht, on which we ended our afternoon.

Platinum carbon black ink, Lamy calligraphy fountain pen and watercolour in a Khadi sketchbook.

Maastricht Bosschstraat

 

I organized a sketching afternoon for the Urban Sketchers Maastricht group; about 10 sketchers showed up. I made this one of the Matthiaschurch, with some market and teracces in front. We finished the afternoon on one of those :).

Something different (2)

 Doodling around with sepia ink and watercolour.

Gertie Retired.

 

My wife retired last Thursday. She has worked as a primary school teacher with 10 to 11 year olds, and has been doing it for over 35 years.

The school treated her like a Queen: they organized a day full of festivities: all groups performed plays, dances and musical intermezzos, she received numerous gifts and was told touching stories. A fantastic but also emotional day.

My children and grandchildren were also present. We made this "painting" for her: each of my grandchildren decorated a panel with a flowerpot, featuring a little cactus. (Cactus? for the last 10 years her classroom was themed "Cactus"; she had al least 50 of them spread all over the classroom).

Sittard Pumpstation

 

Made a nice bike trip today, came across this old 1915 waterpump station, decided to draw it. Sepia ink in a Pentel parrallel fountain pen.

Concentration camp Bergen Belsen

 

 

I made a trip to Laboe, at the Ostsee, in the north of Germany. Driving back I decided to make a little detour to visit Bergen-Belsen. That is the location of one of the worst Concentration camps of the Germans. Anne Frank was brought here from Auschwitz, and spent a few misearble weeks here, before she died of Typhus, in March 1945, just a few weeks before the camp was freed by the Allied troops.

Even though there are almost no remnants from the former camp, it is still an eerie place, with large massgraves in a parklike setting. And a solemn and quite impressive musuem. I was glad I did the detour. 

 

The Hague Cityscape

 

Abother drawing of the National Dutch Urban Sketching weekend.In the Hague on Saturday, I made another Illustrated Cityscape drawing like I did last April in Gouda. I made a foldout that fits my drawing board. I used a sheet 55x65cm bamboo paper, the watercolourpencils are Derwent Inktense. THey are really good for this kind of work.

 It is the square in front of the Royal palace "Noordeinde", and even though it was hot (we have a heatwave now) there was a large tree so I could stay in the shadow, 

Scheveningen Kurhaus

 

I helped organize a National Dutch Urban Sketching weekend. Saturday 20th in the Hague, Sunday at the beach in Scheveningen. It was really hot there, we have a record breaking heat wave at theis moment.

After managing the central meeting post, I had some time left to make this drawing on the Boulevard, at the seaside: the old Kurhaus building. Ink and watercolour in my Khadi sketchbook.

Chevrolet Impala SS

 I went to a vintage car meeting yesterday, the Cruise-In Summer Series in Heerlen. There was this beautiful brown-black Chevrolet Impala SS from the 60s. I talked to the owners, always nice to the enthousiasm they put in these cars.

Santos

 

A drawing inspired by a similar subject by Joao Santos.

Amstenrade

 The church of Amstenrade, just maybe 500 meters from my house. Yes I live in Hoensbroek,but the citylimits are approximately at my backgarden. Actually, I was born in Amstenrade, live in the same house I was born in, but gthat is Hoensbroek/Heerlen now, Anyway, it started to drizzle, that's why the colours mix. I kind of like the effect. Next time on purpose.