The end of one season
Preparing for the arrival of the twins, new video on YouTube, the story behind my work and more
These are special days here in North Groningen. The sun and clear blue sky, the almost bursting buds in the upper branches of the trees and, in the grass, the first aconites and crocuses… it is clearly almost spring.
But at the same time, I feel the frozen ground crunching under my feet and, here and there, there is still snow on the branches. Winter is not over yet. That is how it feels here at home.
Not that I want to compare my pregnancy with a winter, but with a season that is almost over. On the one hand, I am still in the middle of it, on the other hand, I now realize that it really won't be long before we are a family of six. That is why we have finally arranged transportation (mama bike and bike trailer), installed the playpen in the room and also given the changing table a place on the ground floor.
Although this pregnancy is actually quite comparable to the previous two, the physical and mental strain is a lot greater. With a school-going son who no longer takes a nap, a toddler daughter who needs to sleep (just like me) and has separation anxiety, waves of viruses from chicken pox to the flu, which keep us all ending up in the sick bay... the past month has not been easy. It does me good to be outside for a while and notice the first signs of spring. I can't wait to start pruning the roses.
Artistically, I'm in a desert at the moment. Every now and then I've been able to draw something in my sketchbook, but that's it. Although it frustrates me every now and then (ahum… often), I know that my productive period will come again and after a period of apparent standstill, a kind of winter, there are always days of inspiration and new opportunities.
During these last months of pregnancy, I had the ambitious plan to publish my picture book about sheep Brebella via a crowdfunding campaign. Unfortunately, due to the wave of illness and other exceptions, I did not get around to it and I also think it is better to do it after the maternity period, when I can put enough energy and attention into the project. However, I will have the sample copy of Brebella printed soon.
The story behind my paintings and drawings
In January I started something new: telling the story behind my work. When my paintings and drawings are exhibited, people only see a framed end result and I think that is a shame. So much has preceded it. I have been inspired, have set goals, have encountered difficulties and have made certain choices for a reason. That is why I occasionally post my story on Instagram, three or four days in a row. Because I am aware that not everyone uses this platform, I also want to share what I have written with you here.
For every painting and every drawing I have a memory and therefore a story to tell. It might seem like they are all just pretty pictures, but for me it’s experiences. Feelings.
This time I want to put one particular painting in the spotlight and tell you about it in bits:
Lime trees at Ewsum, oils on MDF, 30 x 60 cm
Every year we visit at least once the small estate of Ewsum, which is pretty easy to do, since it is nearby our home. There is a historical vegetable garden which is a treat to the eye in almost every season of the year, but especially in summer, when the flowers that stand between the crops bloom and invite butterflies and their buzzing friends to come and collect nectar. One of my favourite details of this garden is the old wall where the espalier pears grow. I might get back there one day and try to capture the beauty of those.
But in the winter and early spring the absolute stunners at Ewsum are the pollard lime trees. The first time I went to study these trees was already three years ago and it was probably one of my first plein air sessions since I became a mother. My husband and I brought our son to his grandmother and then went drawing together, enjoying the fact that we could focus on our craft without any distractions. If you want to get a feel of what the place looks like and some shots of my work in progress, I invite you to watch my video 'Plein air painting - Making announcements!'
which is on my YouTube channel. I talk extensively about my plein air gear.
Lime trees at Ewsum is a special oil painting, because it is probably the only one that was preceded by a drawing, a finished one I mean. I always start with a composition sketch, so drawing is the first step, but this time I made a larger and more detailed artwork in pencil. The drawing has been exhibited only once, during my solo at Galerie Nakaï past summer, but it was hidden in my sketchbook for quite a few years. Drawing trees has been an obsession of mine, some time ago.
I’m a bit jealous of people and artists especially, who live in countries like England, where there are many whimsical old trees. Here there are some beauties too, but in general you have to do your best to find those fairytale-like ones.
When I made this drawing, what captured my attention were the heavy, horizontal and wavy shapes of the main branches and their contrast with the multitude of finer branches in an upright direction. It was a nice tension. Also, because of the general darkness of the scene, you get this melancholy mood, which I think really suits old trees. They have this gravity about them, so light and airy lines would not be appropriate.
You’ll understand why my inspiration for this painting was different than what attracted me when I made the drawing: the second time, the trees were pruned! So I couldn’t have fallen for the contrast of heavy and light, thin shapes.
What usually inspires me when I make a painting, of anything really, is the colour harmony. I used to fall for strong complementary contrasts, the ones who jump at you. But lately I’ve been appreciating the more monochrome scenes, not only because to me they are more of a challenge to get right, but also because I think they are more poetic.
Here in the North of the Netherlands I don’t really like the colours of summer, except for the flowers of course. But in the winter and early spring, there is a beautiful atmosphere. The landscape is full of intense greens, rusty hues of weathered leaves, purple wet branches and plants with a silvery dew on them. You feel the cold, the wetness of it all, you wonder when the stillness will start transforming into an abundance of colours and life. It is the colours of that season that I tried to capture in this artwork.
Something really exciting is the moment in which you get to see your framed artwork. I’m always rather specific about the frames I choose, because I want the color of the frame to connect with the ones in the painting. Also, I’d like a timeless look, not too classical, not too modern, not too ornamental, not too clean. That’s why lately I tend to fall always for the same series, which comes in a large variety of colors. A good frame makes the painting stronger.
The drawing is now sold, but if you’re interested in buying the painting, please send me an e-mail.
If buying an original is above your budget, you’ll be glad too see that I have an art print of this painting available on my shop. Printed on the finest paper, Hahnemüle Pearl, using lightfast ink, this reproduction allows you to enjoy the best colors and brushwork definition.
Naarden The Art Fair
At the end of the summer I started working on two new paintings from imagination, which the Bonnard gallery would exhibit during The Art Fair in Naarden. It was a great success and, a very personal painting on which you can see my son and his friend, was sold. This painting fits within the series of works that I make inspired by motherhood. In this series I want to emphasize one important aspect of being a mother, namely that you get to see the world through the eyes of your child. With these special imaginative glasses on, everything around us gets a completely different atmosphere, a completely different appearance. It's like magic.
To paint Sint Maarten I used a blurred, very bad photo. From my imagination I tried to capture the magical atmosphere that children can feel when going from door to door, in the dark, with their self made lanterns, especially when it is one of the first times they get to do it. I’m honoured that this large painting is now hanging in someone else's home.
The other work that I made especially for this exhibition is The Ghost Fountain. I painted this because my son Efisio always sees monsters and ghosts in the water of fountains. I tried to create a surreal atmosphere with a specific use of tonal values and colour and paid a lot of attention to texture. Because I painted on linen for the first time since a while, I had to adapt my usual approach, with consists of applying thick brushstrokes. When you see the painting in real life, at Galerie Bonnard, you will see a certain layering.
I don't know if I'll be able to write a newsletter before giving birth and certainly not during the postpartum period. I'm now at 34 weeks, so it could be just 3 weeks before the twins are here, but my intuition tells me that I’ll reach the 40 weeks. Everything is going well and it feels like the ladies are still very happy in the womb.
Until next time!
