Live Painting Sessions at Museum

Interior of the Cultuurmuseum in Nes

I will be re-posting here the updates from the Auction Page of the Amelander Kunstenaars. You can place your bids until July 31.

Hello! I am Valta, a painter from Hollum, and for ten years, I have proudly been a member of the wonderful group of Ameland Artists. This year, we are celebrating our 15th anniversary. In collaboration with the Ameland Museums Foundation, we are organising a Jubilee Exhibition at the Ameland Cultural Museum in Nes. This exhibition will be on display from June through mid-October.

As a unique addition this year, we will be hosting live painting demonstrations. Every Thursday afternoon, you can find me at the Cultuurmuseum, where I will be working on a painting in real-time. On this page, as well as on our Instagram and Facebook channels, you will find weekly updates with photos, videos, and insights into the progress of my work.

The painting will be auctioned for charity. You can place your bid here from June 4 to August 1, 2026, with the current total being tracked live on this page. The starting bid is €300. The proceeds will go to Dierenambulance Ameland, which is available 24/7 to assist animals in need on our island. You can also support their valuable work outside of this auction: RTZ & Dierenambulance Ameland.

The highest bidder will receive the painting on November 1, 2026, during the opening of the new November exhibition by Amelander Kunstenaars at Ritskemoei in Buren.

UPDATES:

June 4

I have wanted to paint the beautiful, intimate interior of the Ameland Cultuurmuseum for a very long time. There are so many small details that emphasise its modest beauty. Thanks to the idea of the live painting sessions during the Jubilee Exhibition, countless possibilities suddenly presented themselves. I love learning, and this project offers me the perfect practice space: I am gaining experience painting in public and trying out a new technique. Normally, I paint alla prima, but now I have to restrain myself and break the work down into weekly sessions, spread over several weeks. I am very curious about the final result!

I started today. The canvas had already been prepared with multiple layers of gesso, and the imprimatura was already in place; I had pre-covered the white of the canvas with a transparent layer of burnt sienna. After a few test sketches on paper to determine the composition, today it was time for the monochrome base drawing on the canvas...

See you next week!

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...

Peaceful Fields, project completed

A very special commission indeed When I posted this story in March I still did not quite believe this project could ever be realised. Today I am proud to tell and to show that the project was successfully completed and that I was honoured to play a small part in it. But first things first. The most northern historical windmill in the Netherlands, called De Phenix, has been thoroughly restored and repurposed as a unique working both flour and oil mill with a large underground visiting area. Dozens of professionals and volunteers have been working hard for four years to make this happen. It became one of eight Amelander Musea . Being a volunteer, I was invited in February by the museum working group to collaborate in the design of the underground space of the mill. Besides the whole construction, I was particularly impressed by the very long concrete wall which I thought should stay just clear and unfurnished bearing only some decor...

Valta's Blog | valta.nl

Search This Blog