Glass statues

The royal couple, in  progress as of this evening.

Glass window

This is my latest finished stained glass window.
It was an exercise in traditional classic glass painting (grisaille) and burning. 4 months work.
Unfortunately the paintwork in the "tower" did not work out well when observing it in the bright sunlight: they are too light. The drapes are better, also a bit on the light side, but still OK. All this looked far better on the lightbox.
But the exercise was about finding out how medieval artists painted those beautiful drapes that you see all over the church windows.  In that view this window was successful: I found out how to do it.

Onze Lieve Vrouwewal

Another fine spring day.
I was working in Maastricht today, and went for another nice lunchwalk.
I just couldn't resist to draw this scene.

It's a view between some houses built on the old fortifications along the river, with a view towards the Onze lieve vrouwe basiliek (our-sweet-lady basilica, dedicated to Our Holy Maria).
The basilica in its present form dates back to the 11th century, a previous version from the 5th century was probably the oldest church in the Netherlands.

Rekem (Belgium)

On my way to our Maastricht office I made a detour to fill my tank with cheap Belgian gasoline.
As it was about lunchtime, I decided to refrain from eating my bread behind the steering wheel, and stopped in Rekem, a little village just across the border.

I had just enough time for a little sketch while sitting in a feeble spring sun.

Mark

Model class: we had a male model (which is very rare): Mark.
Acrylic on brown kraft paper 50x60cm.
Colours: alizarin red, ochre, burnt umber and windsor blue. And white of course.

Elsa Martinelli

Bought myself some tubes of gouache for my birthday, to experiment.
I have always been fascinated by the colourful 50's and 60's advertisement paintings, and this is a trial for that style of image. I thoroughly enjoyed working with gouache, but I still have a long way to go learning its possibilities.
The image is based on a 1967 picture of Elsa Martinelli in front of a Lancia Fulvia (image by Angelo Frantoni).

Daffodil

Sketch of a few pots of Daffodils (Narcissus) on our windowsill.

Practice

Practice in model class. Not the best portrait I ever made, but I am already happy if I make one good painting out of 5 moderate ones.
This is Isabel, panted with acrylic on brown kraftpaper.

As a sidenote: one of my paintings was selected for the first round in a regional amateur painting contest: the biannnual Alphons Wintersprijs.
I am already very happy with that.
There will be an opening at April 11th: then I'll know what the artistic level of the other painters is.


This is the painting I submitted:

Royals

I am not posting so much now, I have some unfinished and unscanned drawings, but not enough time. Busy with work, sports, social activities and the garden. And checking social media.
Here are some designs of two new stained glass objects that I started on yesterday: the King and the Queen. The objects will be 40-50cm high including the hardwood socle.

Zeche Zollverein

Visited a abandoned coalmine today, with my daughter Rianne. Two times a year we visit museum and stuff, I cherish those moments with her. I see so many things of myself in her.
We went to Folkwang musuem of modern art and the Zeche Zollverein.
The latter is the coalmine, an impressive assortment of buildings, towers, chimneys, conveyor bridges and rusty machines. The sketch shows the locomotive once used to catch the hot cokes from the cokesovens.
A sentimental journey; we had a coalmine with the same ovens just around the corner, within a kilometer of my house. But here in NL they choose to get rid of everything, there is nothing left now. Just memories.

Optocht Hoensbroek

Carnaval in the Netherlands: today's parade in Hoensbroek, my home town.
We had fine weather for the yearly parade, it was one of the best in years. beautiful floats, and a lot of "einzelgänger" (single participants staging and performing a jest or humorous view on a local issue).

This was a smaller float, it stood still just long enough for me to draw it. I painted it at home.
Theme of this float was "panic in the henhouse", don't ask me why.

At the office

Drawn at the office, last thursday.
A colleague.

Carnaval: Cowrunning 2014

Carnaval this weekend, and it started off with Cowrunning competition on the market of Hoensbroek.
8 teams made large papier maché cows, and run with 2 people under it.
I was captain of one of those teams for 15 years. It still hurts a little to be onlooker, and not being on the field as runner.

Anyway, a sketch of the start of one of the runs: unfortunately my fountain-pen didn't flow evenly, probably because of the cold, that's why the lines are so scratchy.

Terborgh

7.30 AM this morning, the early sun just peeked over the hills, and lit these bare willows and solemn field cross.
Here, in the south of the Netherlands, you will find these kind of crosses on most road crossings.
 I was on my way to work, and stopped briefly for this quick sketch.

Stuck at Vermeer

I am working on a painting now, size 70x90cm, loosely based on the painting "loveletter" by Vermeer.

But I am stuck.
Even though I like the composition, style and story, there is something I don't like about my painting.
Maybe the use of color or the brushstrokes? I know there are some details that need attention, like the hand of the maid, and the whiteness of the faces, but that's not it. There is something more basically wrong, and I don't know what.
I will need to give the painting some rest to figure out what is wrong. Any suggestions would help.

Vaesrade

Quick sketch at dusk, of the churchtower of Vaesrade.
After the (pen)drawing I took home some nice fries, from Mati's Friture across the street.

Painted the (non- waterproof) inkdrawing during lunchbreak today.

Flaming tower

Burning (chemical) waste at the DSM Chemical plant, on an early morning a few days ago. This is more or less the view from my working desk at present.

Simple Minds

The Simple Minds played live in the Palladium, Köln (Cologne) yesterday evening. A fantastic performance!
We were standing close to the platform, to be able to totally undergo the music. And make a few pictures, like this one.

Crossing Breitner

Just wanted to paint/draw something today.
A simple watercolour, based on a picture I saw on Flickr, by Maarten Oortwijn called "crossing the street Breitner style".
Just having fun with colours.

Moscow Metro

Above painting was made during artclass, as exercise in Christianne Knops style. It was based on a picture I made last week the Moscow Metro system, circle line. Mind you, it was cold, very cold that evening. Minus 23. These Russians with their massive clothes were a nice inspiration for the painting. Acrylic, charcoal and pastel, 70x100cm.