Amersfoort, USk-NL day

 

We organized another National Urban Sketching day in Amersfoort. There were about 300 sketchers in town. Even gthough it was quite hot (>31 degrees Celcius), we had a great day. But it is a beautiful old Dutch town. With canals, tiny streets, ancient gabeled houses, and these kind of old fortifications. I tried watercolour pencils (W&N) on toned paper, with some parts in white gouache.

Agnes, portrait in oils

 

Last live portrait session before the holiday. Agnes, oil paint on board, 40x50 cm. Took me about 2 hours to make. IT was a long time since I used this technique: no drawing, add painted directly and washed it out. I used water based oil paint by Talens-Cobra.

Stein: remains of the castle

 

2 pages from my sketchbook: made this morning: the ruins of the former castle of Stein. I was in the neighbourhood for some bicycle maintenance; I took the opportunity to go and sketch the castle.

Nash Airflyte 1951

I was cycling through Heerlen, when I happened to spot this beautiful, freshly restored Nash from 1951. It stood on a parking lot, luckily I happened to have my sketchgear with me.
 

Little monsters

 

2 fantasy monsters, just scribbling away.

Coney Island

Started a new painting, after a picture I took on Coney Island, NY, in 2019. In the sketch you can see the Ferris wheel between the buildings. Size 60x50, oilpainting. this is the basics: the underpainting. Just to show how I block in the large elements in toned areas. The real work begins now.

USk Maastricht: Faliezusters

 

Another one from the Maastricht Urban Sketching meeting. Het Faliezustersklooster. Made rather quick, maybe half an hour.

USk Maastrcht: de Helpoort

I organized an Urban sketching meeting in Maastricht. We were about 12 sketchers, it was nice weather and we had a great day. Above the group. Below my take on the Helpoort (gate to Hell), the oldest city gate in the Netherlands. Acrylic gouache on toned paper.

Raketenstation (Missile station)

 

2 pages from my sketchbook: drawing architecture at the "Raketenstation" in Hombroich (Germany). According to the rumours the NATO used to store cruise missiles here during the last years of the cold war. But since then the terrain with all its bulidings was converted into an artist area and museum park, with musuems buildt by renowned architects. Above: the Langen Foundation building by Tandao Ando. Below: the "Musikhaus" by Raimund Abraham. 

Actually, the museum was closed, but I managed to visit the terrain anyway.

Zeche Zollverein (2)

 

After te rain stopped, I went to this view, to paint the long rows of former coke ovens. I made a sketch years ago on the same location ( https://renefijten.blogspot.com/2017/05/zeche-zollverein.html ), tried it with gouache this time. A very complicated painting, I quite underestimated it. In the end I ran out of time, had to do some touchups at home.

Zeche Zollverein

 

Painting made in an old, abandoned cokes producing plant in Germany, Zeche Zollverein. It was raining outside, So I deceided to paint a detail in the interior.

Wil, portrait

 

Live portrait session, Wil. Acrylic on paper, 50x70cm.

Enschede (2)

 

Drawing of the side of the Jacobuskerk (Jacob church). It was a secluded little square, quite popular to draw.

Enschede: café Moeke

 

I just had a great weekend. Not only did I visit my good friend Igor (which I hadn't seen since my study days, 35 years ago) and his lovely partner Wilma, but the Urban Sketching Netherlands organized a Saturday of sketching in Enschede. This is café Moeke, where all 220 participants assembled before we went into town to paint and sketch.

Jelle Portrait

 

Straight from the easel at a live portrait session. Jelle, the son of Annemiek, my art/painting teacher. I am rather pleased with the result. Hard to tell, but all strokes have a dedicated special mixed nuance of colour. And I maintained some of the background structure in the face itself. 

Acrylic on prepared Kraft paper, 60x70cm. About 2 hours work

Amsterdam Westerkerk

 

Visited Amsterdam yesterday. To the Anselm Kiefer exhibition "Sag mir wo die blumen sind" in the Van Gogh and Amsterdam Stedelijk museum. Made this sketch of the Westerkerk on a bench along the Prinsengracht.

Hasselt (2)

 I saw this little Maria prayer station on a side street in Hasselt.

Hasselt, Belgium

Hasselt, a town in Belgium, this morning. I had to go there for a hip-operation of our cat, Yoda.

Weustenrade

 

I made a trip on my bike this afternoon; came across this old farmhouse in Weustenrade (just a few km from my house).

Den Bosch: Magnolia

 

I didn't feel like drawing the St. Jan monastry itself, but decided to go for the beautiful Magnolia trees, which were just about to blossom.