Landbouwbelang

Maastricht, an abandoned and squatted factory on the riverbank, "Landbouwbelang". I made these sketches during lunchbreak last tuesday&friday, it's across the river from my working place. Afgelopen week, twee uit de hand gelopen middagpauzes, bij het gekraakte Landbouwbelang complex aan het Bassin, Maastricht. Ik kreeg het idee door een foto van de fotograaf Plemlijn (op flickr), vooral die geweldige zilverkleurige lelijke eend.

Tarbes

I still have some drawings I made, but didn't post. I was in Tarbes when I was called about my father-in-laws death. I subsequently got stuck into a snowstorm, missed my plane and came home a day too late. Shit happens. These are the drawings of those days: early morning bread on place de Verdun, and a restaurant scene in Restaurant l'Epicerie.

Op het moment van het overlijden van mijn schoonvader was ik in Tarbes. Sneeuwstorm, vliegtuig gemist, een dag te laat thuis. Schetsen van die dagen: bakkerij op place de Verdun, restaurant l'Epicerie.

St. Egidien

Yesterdaymorning, during a bussiness trip to the building site in St. Egidien, Germany, I noticed this battered old construction workers cabin.Gisterenmorgen, naast de Knauf bouwplaats in St. Egidien (tussen Leipzig en Dresden), een oude roestige bouwkeet.

Carnaval in Maastricht

Afgelopen zondag, de carnavalsoptocht in Maastricht. De sambaband Passotempo. Last sunday: the sambaband Passotempo in the streets of Maastricht: a little brazilian sunshine in Limburg. See also the article I wrote for the urban sketchers: http://www.urbansketchers.com/2009/02/carnaval-in-maastricht.html

Kowrenne

De Föhners, kow H, de prins en de lelijke beker voor de 1e prijs.

Kowrenne 2009

Gisteravond op de Mèrt va Gebrook, het Kowrenne!

Dit jaar was ons thema "Delfts Kow".

En ja hoor, het is weer gelukt, de eerste prijs voor de snelste koe van Hoensbroek! De 9e prijs in 12 jaar, een mooi resulaat. En ook de felicitaties voor Kow B met de fantastische "Moskow"!

Yes, we won the Cowrunning game in Hoensbroek again.

It's a local tradition, as part of carnaval, to have a running contest on the market of Hoensbroek. Eight local groups each make a wood&paper cow, dress it up in some theme (our theme this year was "Delft cow") and try for the big PRIZE: eternal glory. One sketch shows building the cow in the garage of Franck, one of our group. The other the race itself.

And our "kow H" performed well: we won 2 out of 3 runs.

So I shout loud:

I'm proud to be the fastest cow around!

More pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/Rene.Fijten/Kowrenne2009?authkey=u-nCmJUvqas

Other years: see the link "kowrenne"at the right.

Handen

The hands of my late father in law, Ben Abbink. I drew this shortly before the coffin was closed.

These long tall hands built a family; they played the accordeon, they painted watercolours, they helped, they punished, they guided. They performed magic.

The funeral was yesterday.

De lange smalle handen van mijn schoonvader, getekend vlak voordat de kist werd gesloten. Gisteren hebben wij hem uitgeleide gedaan.

Ben Abbink †

Gisteren overleed in het ziekenhuis van Heerlen, op 88 jarige leeftijd, mijn schoonvader Ben Abbink. Yesterday my father-in-law died at the age of 88 in the hospital of Heerlen. May he rest in peace.

Peleosso

The imaginairy city of Peleosso revisited. Op weg naar de imaginaire stad Peleosso. Zie ook http://renefijten.blogspot.com/2008/11/peleosso.html

La viande chevaline

A butcher at work in the same foodmarket in Tarbes. Horsemeat. Slager aan het werk in de overdekte markt van Tarbes. Paardenvlees.

Tarbes, last week

Back to Tarbes, South of France. Before breakfast I visited the foodmarket in a multistory parkinghouse, just a block away from the hotel. It was 7 o'clock in the morning and the owner was arranging fruit and vegetables in his stall. They were very curious at what I was drawing.

Groentestal in de overdekte markt in Tarbes, vorige week, vlak voor het ontbijt. De man was bezig zijn vers aangevoerde producten uit te stallen.

Tina Turner

Anticipation. Just before the Tina turner concert.

Opwinding. Getekend vlak voordat de lichten uit gingen voor de Tina Turner show.

Inanimate objects

I pity inanimate objects, because they can't move. From specks of dust to paperweights. Is a tree as a rocking horse an ambition fulfilled? And is the sawdust jealous?

This was a song from Godley and Creme (ex-10cc), from the album "Freeze Frame", somewhere at the end of the 80s. My must favoured LP (you young ones: ask your dad what's that about). The song always keeps humming in my mind. Like G&C say in the song: I worry about these things.

Tina Turner

Tina Turner in concert: yesterday evening in Cologne. Fantastic. I can only wish for her energy when I will be lucky enough to reach 69. Here she hovers meters above the crowd on a long footbridge while performing "nutbush citylimits" and running around on stiletto shoes. Below: "private dancer"

Tina Turner in concert, in Keulen, gisteravond. Geweldig. Boven "nutbush city limits" en onder "private dancer"

Scheren

Mart, my 16 year old son, shaved himself for the first time last week. A good moment to keep a family tradition: eat "bossche bollen".

Mart schoor zichzelf voor de eerste keer afgelopen week. Dus volgens Fijten-traditie: Bossche bollen.

Moly_x_58

My first entry to the moleskine exchange 58. A group of artist around the world each start with a japanese fold sketchbook. And sent it to the next in the list, who adds a drawing and sends it to the next. There are 7 people in my group, from Russia, USA, Canada and Peru. Obviously, my drawing is an impression from my home town; I'll send it to Moscow tomorrow.

Mijn eerste tekening voor de moleskine exchange. Een groep van 7 tekenaars start elk met een japans tekenboekje en stuurt dat naar de volgende, die er weer iets bijtekent. Dit was mijn eerste tekening met als thema: "de rondreizende moleskine"

More on http://moleskinex58.blogspot.com/

Schaatsen bij het kasteel

Skating around on the ponds of the castle of Hoensbroek, my town. At last, after 12 years we could skate here again. Schaatsen om kasteel Hoensbroek, vanmorgen vroeg.

Vrieskou

Snow and frost. I drew this picture on a bend in the road near Moulingen (Belgium) early this morning; by the time I finished my hands and feet were freezing. Frost at last, it was -20 last night.
Vrieskou en sneeuw: na zoveel jaar weer een keer. Deze schets gemaakt op de Maastrichterstraat in Moulingen. Brrrrr...

Philip Guston

I visited the museum of modern art in Cologne together with my daughter, Rianne. A small drawing inspired by the paintings of Philip Guston, an artist apparently well known in the 60-70s. I didn't know him, but Marty on Skineart pointed me to him.

Bezoek aan Keulen, museum voor moderne kunst. Tekening geinspireerd op werk van Philip Guston.

Hundertwasser

Personally I'm not a Hundertwasser fan. I find his designs to be too noisy for my taste. But last monday I visited "Childern's valley" in Valkenburg (my 17-year old son Mart volonteerd to work there for a day). It's a holiday house for physically and mentally handicapped childeren and their parents. I was really impressed, not only at the architecture, but also on the joy of the children and the determination of the personnel.
We take too much for granted.