St. Jan demolition

View from my study window: today they started tearing down the high school across the street. The new school buildings are behind this old wing. I have a lot of old memories in these buildings: my wife, both my children and I spent long years in there.

Merijan Bijlsma

 

Terrible news this morning. Merijan Bijlsma died last wednesday after three years struggling against the horrible disease ALS. In that time she always kept a smile, a laugh and good humour. She will be missed. We wish her family and husband Bert our sincere condolances.

A year ago she asked me to paint her portrait in watercolour, for her obituary. Quite a chilling request I can say. I based the painting on a great photograph made by our neighbour, Marij Ruyters-Teeuwen.

Hoensbroek Castle

 

Cycled along our castle, yesterday morning. I was struck by the almost graphic quality of the countre-jour (against the light) effect on the scene. So I stopped to make this drawing, in the heat. It was 30 degrees.

Demolition St Jan

 

There is a high school across the street, the St. Jnas college. I have spent a few years on that school and so have my wife and my children. Over the last two years they built a new school in the middle of the terrain, and now it's time to remove the old parts. This sketch is (or better was) the auditorium. It was a large hall for festivities, exams and recieving the final diplomas. It was raised on columns; under it was the bicycle parking. My friends and I used to spend out lunchbreaks there. Fond memories.

Jeugrubbenweg

 

Making a walk with your pet became a popular pastime during Corona days.

As seen this afternoon on the Jeugrubbenweg in Hoensbroek.

Medieval Quarantine tower

 

Our Castle (Hoensbroek). This is the Plague tower, meant to quarantine the sick in medieval times. It wouldn't have enough room for these days.

It was cold outside, the watercolour would take a long time to dry.

Castle of Terworm

 Out sketching again. A little castle in my town, maybe 6 kilometers away, Terborg.

It's used as a wedding place, actually my daughter was married here. THere was a wedding going on, at a certain point the bride was posing for pictures, on the small drawbridge to the entrance, I managedto insert her in the drawing.

Castle Hoensbroek From the animal park.

Early Sunday morning. Usually I go running on sundaymornings. But I had a muscle injury, so I went out to draw instead. I had seen this view of the castle during one of the running rounds, usually this view is full of trees. Unfortunately it was quite cold, the paint would not dry decently. Still, I am pleased with the result.

 Thull, Mulderwegske. One of those countryroads that are carved out in the hills in our parts, this one is about a kilometer from my house. It was cold.

Castle Hoensbroek again

 Another sketch from my car, on the parking lot of the Castle of Hoensbroek. The snow on the roof was just about to melt. Actually, after a few very cold freezing days, we will have soft temperatures next week, I can hardly wait.

Castle Hoensbroek

 

Our Castle, the Castle of Hoensbroek. I desperately needed to do some Urban sketching, I took the car and parked it in front of the gate. The castle is closed now, but this also means the parking lots are deserted, noone cares that you position your car in strange ways. In my defense: it was cold and snowing a bit.

Austin 1932

Small and very quick drawing of an Austin, dating back to 1932. Drawn at a vintage car happening in Hoensbroek.

Diggers

They are working o our street, the sewerage systems need renovation. there are two old ones, dating from the 1930's. To be replaced with one new large one, in the middle of the street. The construction company started four weeks ago, and it will take until November. My street is now a large pit, fit for a nice drawing of the digging equipment.

carnaval 2019

Carnaval last weekend. This is the float in the parade of Hoensbroek. One of the 100 groups/floats/bands and single participants (Eimzelgänger).

Castle of Hoensbroek

This is the medieval castle in our town, Hoensbreok.
I went there last Wednesday, to experiment  little with chinese ink and bamboosticks.
Still not having it under control the way that I want it. But I also notice that, even though I am using the techniques of Kiah Kiean, the result is evolving away from the "asian" way to treat the subject.
I suppose that's a good thing.
We visited the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam this weekend, and I noticed Vincent continued learning and copying other artists until he died.
But even when trying another style, van Goghs hand was always there.

Hedge near the Patersweg

A ancient hedge along the footpath starting from my street, the Patersweg, towards the Castle of Amstenrade. The footpath is centuries old, I found it on a map from 1866. But there was already a castle since the mid-12th century.
Unfortunately due to the construction of a new road most of this path has now disappeared. And with it most of the ancient hedges. These hedges are constructed out of different types of shrubbery, and were so dense that cattle could not pass it. Alas, there are only a few of these left in this region.

As for the style of drawing: I used a black fountain pen, and tried to experiment with the drawing style of Ian Sidaway (check his blog).
Actually, I first copied one of his recent drawings, to find out how it works. That's the drawing of the tree lying down.

Optoch va Gebrook

The Carnaval Parade of Hoensbroek. This is the float of the group "De Druim" (the dream).

Themed on Alice in wonderland. It was freezing cold, and it was snowing in between a few sunny patches. Strange weather.

This what reality looked like.

Our Castle

Our town has a huge medieval castle, dating from the 13th century, and probably long before that.
It's not a good sign to have a castle like this, it means that there were a lot of wars and gangs roaming this region. You don't need a castle when there is no threat.

An impression of the total complex, the drawing represents the central part. You have to cross three bridges to get there,.

Anyway, I decided to make this drawing today, it was nice and sunny on the terrace across the moat.

Blauw-wit Mariarade

A scene from the Hoensbroek Carnaval parade, this afternoon.
Each part of town has it's own Princes, dressed up groups and carnaval floats. This is the float of Mariarade (where I live). The group is called Blauw-wit (blue-white, I guess after the iconic colours of Mother Maria). The colourful dressed up group is walking/dancing behind, on the rhythm of local Carnaval music.
We were lucky with the weather: the forecast had told us about heavy rain and gusts of wind, but that started only after the last float (of the prince of Hoensbroek) arrived at the market square.

Kathagen

Demolition of a few houses, for the construction of new ring-road near my home.

Made this afternoon. I had forgotten to bring my (water)brushes, but had a few watercolourpencils at hand. A bit saliva and a tissue works as well. A bit improvising.