Maastricht riverfront

The last one for this year: the "Staargebouw" at the riverfront as seen from one of the bridges crossing the river. Made last saturday under cold and windy conditions. It was hard to draw: I stood halfway the bridge, which shook permanently under the weight of passing traffic.

Maastricht Ceramique

I had a meeting with the Urban Sketchers Maastricht, to discuss upcoming events later this year. And I took some time to make a few sketches. This is the view from the Library towards the city centre.

In the Train

Sketch made in the train, yesterday, between Roermond and Weert.

Sint Anthony

Made this drawing over four days, at my lunchbreaks. Started with the image of Saint Anthony, taken from one of the paintings by Hieronymus Bosch. Then the fish. the last was the rock (inspired by the rock in the background of the St Anthony painting by Max Enst. The girl was the last part.

More Genk (Belgium)

Sometimes a museum has more interesting items than just their collection. I found these firehoses to be the colourful item that I was looking for.
Genk in Belgium, at C-mine (a cultural centre in a former coalmine).

Genk C-mine

Two drawings made at C-mine, in Genk (Belgium). It's an old coalmine; some of the ancient buildings are preserved and house a design museum.
It's free and open for public. So when I feel like drawing, but the weather is horrible outside, this place gives enough inspiration to go out and draw.

Doenrade

This is a paintng, not an urban sketch. For some time I am fascinated by the artist Charly Hunter, and I tried his working method on a canvas 40x50cm. He paints in water soluble oilpaint, and washes it out with water, tissues and earsticks. The scene is based on a picture of a farmhouse in Doenrade, made during one of my running rounds.
I treated it as a study in values.

Apostelhoeve

Another one of the hills south of Maastricht. The vineyards of Apolstelhoeve, at the Jeker. Already a few weeks old, it was better weather then.

against the wind

Just a drawing.

The war of the machines (2)

Part 2.

The war of the Machines

The war of the machines. It started with a doodle during lunchbreak. For a few moments I just had to set my mind off the project deadlines.

The dark season

A failed drawing in my sketchbook, just painting it over with gouache.
And see where it goes.  Not after reality.

Ami

A commission for Jos Poels, for his birthday.
He is the proud owner of this beautiful 1975 Citroen Ami. In the background the Castle of Hoensbroek. Once he bought a Christmas tree, and mounted it on top of the car, the drawing refers to this event.

Schmallenberg

We had a nice long weekend with friends in a Hotel in the German Sauerland region. A weekend with good food (gutbürgerliche Küche), good beer, nice long walks through forests in autumn colours, and a lovely atmosphere. No time to sketch on location. But I made a picture of this scene in Nordenau, which I used for this sketch later in the hotel.

Israel day 8: Jaffa

The last day of our trip started with a visit to the Holocaust museum. Especially the childrens monument was touching. Afterwards we proceeded towards Jaffa, a nice old medieval town on the sea. The afternoon and evening was for Tel Aviv, on the beach, having a reaaly nice dinner.
The next day the plane was already waiting. A great country.

Israel day 7: mount of olives

This day we visited the mount of Olives. There was this fantastic view over the city of Jerusalem.
And the Mount of olives itself as well. I managed to sketch one of the remaining 1600 year old olive trees. then we went to Bethlehem, which in our opinion was a disappointment. Like a tourist centre.

The afternoon was spent roaming through the bazars of Jerusalem, and revisiting the sepulchre church. A wonderful city.

Israel day 6: Jeruzalem

This day we arrived in Jeruzalem. What a great city.
WE made long wlaks through the bazars and winding streets, visited the church of the Holy Sepulchre (Heilige grafkerk), the site of the last supper, the tomb of David, the Via Dolores and so on.

And the Jewish Western wall. It was crowded, one of the last days of the religious Soekot festivities. I was surprised we were allowed to mingle between the praying crowds, I had just enough time for this sketch.

Israel day 5: the Negev desert

Day 5 we went to visit the Negev desert, drove along Bedouin settlements, visited the Ben Gurion monuments and the deep canyons in the southern parts of the Negev.
THe visit to Makhtesh Ramon, a huge and very deep crater, was very very impressive.

We stayed in not very uninteresting town Arad, which looked like a former communist eastern Europe city.
There were a lot of otrthodox Jews there, all celebrating the religious Soekov "loofhuttenfeest" feast. No idea how that is translated into English.

Day 3 / 4: massada and the Red Sea

The journey went further, along the river Jordan, Jericho, some Roman excavations, a waterfall etc,
One of the highlights was swimming in the dead sea. Quite funy, but we had to move after a short while, because there was a fierce thunderstorm coming towards us over  the sea. We saw lightning striking the water.
And Massada, a high cliff with remnants of Roman fortifications. In 70 AD jewish resistance occupied the place. After a 3 month siege the Romans conquered the fortress again, only to find that the occupants committed suicide. 1000 men, woman and childeren.

The fortress on the left, view towards the dead sea to the right.

Israel: day 2 the biblical places

On day 2 we travelled north, to Nazareth where we visited the annunciation grotto. I made a sketch on location there, but it was a horrible one. We also visited the lake of Galilea (now lake of Tiberius, the site of the bread multiplication) the ruins of the house of Petrus, some river Jordan baptism site and some other biblical sites. And ate a so called St. Peterfish. Tasty, but a lot of bones.

After a visit to the Golan Heights (with fantastic views over the country Jordan) and a boat trip over the lake, we ended in Tiberias. Above the view towards the lake, as seen from the hotel room.
And below a sketch of the electrical masts, you see these everywhere.

It was very hot, over 42 degrees C.

Israel: roundtrip day 1

We just returned from a journey across Israel.
A great place, we enjoyed the country very much, in all it's variety.
It was an organized trip; we travelled with a bus, under the inspired guidance of the Dutch/Israeli guide Eli.
Our group consisted of 19 Dutch travellers, most (except one) about our own age. That means seniors of course :)

I did not manage to make a lot of drawings, most were just quick scribbles that I worked out later, in the bus or in the hotel. Like the ones I show here.

Day 0 was occupied by travelling to Israel, to Netanya. There is not so much to tell except for the horrible Hotel.

On day 1 we travelled north to Akko, an old fortified seaside town. Known for the crusaders arriving here in the holy land.
Nice town, lovely bazars, good food, and a secret tunnel connecting the harbour with the quarters of the Knights Templar.
Driving back we visited Haifa, with this beautiful view over the city and the Bahia temple.

Arnhem, the sabelspoort

Another one of the Arnhem sketchday: the old entrance to the city. It's all that's left. In the back the tower of the main church of Arnhem: the Eusebiuschurch.

Arnhem, sketchday

We had another national Sketchday, in Arnhem this time. This is the city where in WW2 operation Marketgarden started, almost to the day 75 years ago.
I made two drawings of the "Devilshouse", which dates back to about 1550. The house (now townhall) is located across the main church of Arnhem.

Legend says that after it was finished the bishop wanted to confiscate the house. The owner of the house added some statues of devils and satyrs facing the church, to piss the bishop off.

Fish

The day the fish found the way to the shore.

Chateau Vaeshartelt

The castle of Vaeshartelt, just a bit north of Maastricht. Now a conference centre.
There was a wedding on the lawn, in this warm late-summer afternoon. Nice ambience.

Chateau Neerkanne

Beautiful late summer weather. I took a nice friday afternoon off to make some sketches.
this château Neerkanne, a castle near Maastricht, just at the Belgian border. Actually I was standing ON the border to make this drawing.

50s girl

I received some goodies at the symposium, one was ecoline markers (water soluble ink). Fantastic stuff. I tried it out in this 50s style portrait (based on a picture).

Windmill St. Hubertusmolen

This morning, driving between Schimmert and Beek, on the top of the hill, I made a quick sketch of this windmill. The St. Hubertusmolen. With windmills you have to be lucky, they head towards the wind. So view is not always good, you have to do it when it's turned correctly.
My radio played Air by J.S.Bach, that's how long it took to draw this.

Nude

Made during a life model session. 50x70cm, acylic on wood.

Lievelde (2)

Another one of Erve Kots in Lievedle. It was summer then.

Lievelde (Achterhoek)

We had a few nice days in one of the more rural areas of the Netherlands, the Achterhoek.
We stayed in this nice old farmhouse, now converted into a hotel.
I made this quick one during breakfast, siting in the warm sun on the terrace.

Leiden

A business trip to Leiden, a nice old Dutch town. Holland at its best.
The Netherlands had a lovely week with warm weather, all the terraces were filled to the brim.

Amstenrade castle: orangerie

We ae having a heatwave again. But I went out to the nice cool and peacefull park at the castle of Amstenrade. Which is just around the corner from my house.
This is one of the small outbuildings, the Orangerie, as seen from the park.

Bisschopsmolen

Quick sketch of a small passage in Maastricht, near the Bisschopsmolen.

Pater Vincktoren

Another one of the sketchcrawl of last saturday, in Maastricht.
This is a part of the Medieval fortifications.
I tried the bamboo-ink method again.

Jekerkwartier

We had a nice sketchcrawl in Maastricht today, organized by Ruud Otten.
I met a lot of old and a few new friends.
We made drawings on the "Jekerkwartier", near the old fortifications of Maastricht.
This is an old house, a retirementhome for nuns. THe "Faliezusters".
Nowadays I try a new more vivid style of working: drawing with bamboo on good Fabriano paper, and ivid colourswashes.

Portraits during symposium

I managed to make some quick portraits during the Symposium, trying different materials. The first is James Richards, during the Talens workshop. He is instructor of one of the workshops.
I experimented with (Talens) ecoline, I had never tried that before. It's water soluble.

This is Kiah Kiean, a fantastic sketcher. My Bingelrade drawing was inspired by his working method. I used graphite and water soluble pencils in this drawing.

 And this is Evelyn Huang, she also participated in the Rembrandt workshop of Fred Lynch. I had to make a quick inkline drawing, with as little lines as possible.
Chinese ink applied with bamboo stick, and waterproof sepia acrylic ink.

Bingelrade

I went out yesterday to draw an old farmhouse, in the process of being restored into its old form.
The farm is located in Bingelrade, just a few kiometers from my home. Actually it's along one of my running-routes, that's when I noticed the building.
I used chinese ink with bamboo pens, pentel paintbrush and some Rembrandt watercolour, on Fabriano 300gr cotton paper.
The ideas of Kiah Kiaen were followed in this drawing, whose demo I attended during the Amsterdam symposium. A very interesting method, with very interesting results.

Oosterdok, Amsterdam

Saturday, dead tired, but a free moment at last. Just enough time to make a sketch of the boats at the  Oosterdok. The green building is the Nemo museum.
After this the general USk overall group photo was taken, and the final closing party took place.