Late Summer Evening

Commissioned

One of the best things about participating in an art show is receiving commissions. When potential art collectors see your work and ask you to paint something special for them because they like your style and techniques, it's a great feeling.

That is what happened during the last Driedaagse Expo. I've received commissions from three art lovers. They specified the subjects of the paintings, as well as the approximate formats and styles, and left the rest up to me.

It took me a while to choose the right day to capture the light I wanted. Fortunately, the locations were not far, so I could walk there many times taking photographs to choose later the right composition and lighting. I probably took hundreds of photos to choose later a few as a reference.

After that, I did some small studies to check the colours and the overall picture. Once I was satisfied, I began to put it on canvas.

Creating art for a commission while keeping in mind that it might not be approved by the commissioner isn't easy. However, I tried not to worry about whether the commissioner would like the final painting or not, as I always openly communicate about that when accepting the job.

Well, lucky I am, they loved the painting, and I am proud it now has a good home.

Oil on canvas 30 x 24 cm, alla prima, limited palette.

View the finished painting in my gallery.

study

Commissioned and acquired in March 2024 by private collectors T. and G. L. in Hollum.

Comments

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...

You'll Get Over It

What could possibly happen? Something tragic, I assume. I am sure you can imagine dozens of situations where this setting could be possible. Regret, revelation, anger, shock, despair, compassion, support, consolation, reassurance, forgiveness, unbelief, doubt, fear... All of these might apply to the people in this painting. And all these are actually expressed with hands. And there will be nothing of these when you think those hands away, I'm afraid. This is another small one in my series Hands' Private Life. I painted it all prima with my limited palette of Burnt sienna, Ultramarine blue, Yellow ochre, Cadmium red and Titanium white. As reference, I used the photographs Paul and myself took of me and my hands, in four different settings. While thinking about how to name this piece, with my music on, the Legacy by PSB suddenly started to playback. The lyrics were so true, my mood was quite down, and the title was chosen. (And first I was thinking of calli...

Paul

A Gorgeous Sitter I finally completed a portrait study of Paul. It began with a sketch I made a few weeks ago, and after putting in several hours of work today, I finally felt satisfied with the result. I hope to paint more portraits of this sitter in the future. Paul . Oil on cardboard 19 x 25 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Driedaagse Expo at Stalhuus, June 2026, Hollum

Valta's Blog | valta.nl

Search This Blog