Valta's Blog | valta.nl

  Another Portrait Study Lucky me, having a new model session recently for a portrait study. I am grateful to Jesse for taking the time to patiently sit for me for a couple of hours. This allowed me to experiment with different settings and lighting and to create a sketch on canvas. I also took some photographs to use as references later, beside my easel. I struggled a bit with selecting the backgrounds, but in the end, I was quite happy with the result. Learned a lot once again. Thank you, Jesse!  Jesse . Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm. View the finished piece in my  gallery .   The original painting acquired by the private collector J.W. in April 2026.

  A Bit of Musical Fantasy As I prepared for the fifth edition of the Drie-daagse Expo, I wanted to involve some talented musicians to enhance the event. I thought it would be delightful for our visitors at Stalhuus to enjoy lovely music alongside the art. I approached the renowned musician Kees Poulus to see if he could support our exhibition with some musical accompaniment, and he enthusiastically agreed. Additionally, he arranged for Anne-Meta Kobus to join him with her beautiful singing. I was thrilled that they embraced the idea, which inspired me to create a unique poster for their performances. I painted a small fantasy artwork as the background for the affiche and hope our visitors will appreciate it. Sea Music . Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm. View the finished piece in my  gallery .   Exhibitions: "Driedaagse Expo", June 2026, Stalhuus, Hollum   The original painting was acquired by the private collectors K. & E. P. in June 2026.

  A new commissioned work In February, I was glad to accept this commission intended for a special occasion happening this summer. The task was quite challenging; we agreed that I would create not just a landscape painting but rather a portrait of a certain solitary pine tree growing in the old dunes here on the island. That tree holds special meaning and emotional memories for the commissioner and their family.  What could the story be? Beyond themes of solitude or loneliness, perhaps it could also reflect resilience, strength in adversity, fortitude and conviction. As well as fragility and defencelessness. I contemplated how these qualities relate to humans, focusing on building that resilience, confidence, and mental or physical fortitude in the face of challenges. Standing strong. I made some small studies, in pencil and in colour. Some previous works  featuring this landscape also provided useful references. Ultimately, I decided to use a portrait format for the canv...