The exhibition

A good thing about having a beautiful studio is that it can easily transform into a gallery. Saturday I hosted my first exhibition ever, a one-day event with paintings made the past year. Around 60 guests visited and 18 of a total of twenty eight pictures found new homes.

Sunday morning, studio

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”― Martin Buber

Running in circles …

… or maybe not? The circle in shape of a vessel resembling a Moon Jar has shown up in several of my recent paintings Moon Jars were originally made during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). They are curvaceous, plain white porcelain jars resembling a full moon. They were made customarily to contain flowers or wine, but…

Mac’s Problem

I used to be a writer, these days I prefer paint. But the thing is — the two have more in common than I imagine. For the maker it’s all about the process … “I began my diary exercises without a plan, aware that in literature you don’t start because you have something to write…

And Now for Something Completely Different

— or maybe not? The plants are temporarily out of the picture, but I’m still feasting on the extraordinary beauty of my totally unremarkable, ordinary life The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. Thomas Moore

The Anatomy of a Flower

Studying a flower – a peony – over a periode of several days. Different tools and techniques influence & determines the outcome. The more abstract the drawing gets, the better I like it. But at the same time, I notice it’s important to me that the drawing springs from direct observations. As if meaning is…

Against better judgment – (The worst thing a painter can do is flowers … part 3)

Rendering flowers Anthriscus sylvestris – cow parsley – Queen Anne’s lace – Hundekjeks – Wiesen-Kerbel Another vernacular name,’ Mother die’, was used to frighten children into thinking that if they picked cow parsley, their mother would die. This was intended to deter children from potentially picking deadly hemlock. The monoprint is a form of printmaking…

The worst thing a painter can do is flowers … part 2

Challenging my own prejudices … Tuesday morning I had the great pleasure to participate in the launch of Chloe Briggs’ new Patreon site (more info here). Our task was to draw/paint a big flower of our choice. The session was divided into shorter timed sections, where we were asked to look for different qualities in…