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Showing posts from December, 2024

Kerststal

Light the light This was a very special "commission". A couple of weeks ago, a board member of a well-known local society, who herself is a very creative and talented person, asked me to create a small painting of the Nativity scene for a special event. She requested that I share a step-by-step story of the painting's creation at the event, as she knew I often photograph my work in progress. I was proud to take on this project. Thank you, Hilly! I arranged an old ceramic light holder representing the manger scene, added a tea light, and included a box of matches to enrich the story. I painted the scene and captured photographs of each significant step in the process. I felt honoured to be invited to share the story of my painting at the society's annual party last week. Later, I included additional secondary objects in the painting to complete the narrative. Kerststal, oil on canvas 30 x 24 cm.  You can view the finished painting in my  gallery . 

Sale!

End of the Year Discount It's the season for giving, and art has always been a wonderful gift.  Amelander Kunstenaars' website is currently having a compelling sale with 20% off many artworks, making them very affordable.  Some of my landscapes and still lifes are also included in this sale.  Be sure to check it out! The sale ends on December 31.  

Matthew's POV

Challenging the 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 cas...