Skip to main content

At Dawn

 

Island sheep V

And yet another one in the Sheep Series.
 
Experimenting with a very light background can be surprisingly amusing and challenging. I have depicted these three lovely ladies in a dramatic twilight scene, reminiscent of what one often observes on our island. The time of day with such a sky could represent either dawn or dusk; however, since I decided to place the sea on the right side of the painting, it can only be interpreted as dawn on Ameland. Good morning!

Alla prima, oil, cardboard 40x32 cm.

View the finished painting in my gallery.

Exhibitions:
- Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2023, Hollum
- Expo at the Museum Swartwoude. July to August 2023, Buren
- Nazomeren - Galerie Rob Rademaker. Duo Show. September to October 2023, Utrecht
- Rural Expo at the Museum Swartwoude. March to July 2024, Buren
- Amelander Kunstenaars Show at Kunstmaand Ameland. November 2024, Buren 

Acquired by the Stichting Amelander Musea in December 2025 for its museum collection. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Artist's Home

  Ameland Views on the Walls of the Artist's Home  A couple of weeks ago, I received a very special commission from the Eiland van Verhalen . The client requested that I design a background decoration for their stage show - a kind of illustration that would combine the iconic views of all four villages on the island. The final piece needed to be in a certain proportion, as it will be printed on a screen measuring 4 by 2.3 meters. I proposed the idea of creating a "paintings painting", featuring the interior of an island house adorned with paintings on the walls, each one depicting recognisable landmarks from the villages. This idea appealed to me as it presented a nice challenge and an opportunity to create a genuine painting. The client agreed that it was an interesting concept.  I had five weeks to complete the commission. Paul and I went across the island, taking hundreds of photographs for reference. I decided to use the interior of our own home as the compositional t...

Master Studies

  Studying  I believe that practice is the best form of learning, and master copying is the most effective to practice while studying. Since we always (aspire to) learn, I find that copying a masterpiece that inspires you is an excellent method to achieve this.  In essence, master copying is not about creating perfect replicas; instead, it's about gaining a deeper understanding of artistic principles and techniques. It's a valuable tool for any artist seeking to improve their skills and expand their knowledge.  From time to time, I will update this post with my new master studies. Here are some: May 2025 After J.C. Leyendecker painting "Couple on Deck Chairs. 1904" I have been fascinated by the works and biography of this great Golden Age artist for a long time. Recently, I finally read a beautiful book titled simply, "J.C. Leyendecker", written by Laurence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler. His name and influence were most prolific; his private life was kep...

Matthew's POV

Challenging a masterpiece Since I've always wanted to learn more about chiaroscuro and tenebrism, I thought it would be useful to try and master-copy a (detail of a) tenebrist masterpiece. And what is my favourite painting by the great Master of Tenebrism? The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio, of course.  I can stare at this painting (or the photographs and videos of it) for hours, exploring and still discovering numerous aspects and details, often ending with more questions than answers. The one certainty is that the composition, colours and values, poses and gestures, and most of all, the light , that plays the leading role, are the work of mind of a true genius. I spent hours trying to find out about the nature and the position of those light sources (and there were surely more than one!), yet I still don't know exactly how Caravaggio designed that setting. For a long time, I hesitated, but one day I decided to try master-copying a detail of the painting. In any case,...