Valta's Blog | valta.nl

  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 .

Island sheep IV Another one in the Sheep Series.   On our island, there's a unique spot where the last dunes meet the dyke, revealing a glimpse of the beach and the Wadden Sea, along with a vibrant, natural swampy area in between. When it's not winter, sheep often graze here to help maintain the dyke. They tend to lie down on the grass when the wind is strong. I took a picture on a blustery autumn day and decided to paint the scene.  A year later, I made slight alterations to the painting by removing the sheep in the foreground for compositional balance. Here it is, alla prima, oil, canvas 24x30 cm. View the finished painting in my  gallery .

  In touch with the void I made this painting mainly as an experiment. I wanted to see and feel how you paint on a completely transparent base. I used an unbleached linen canvas and covered it with several layers of clear gesso first. Then I painted the setting alla prima.      I am quite satisfied with the result even if I did not manage to erase the corrections of the first drawing made in burnt sienna properly. How do they do it? Perhaps one day I will find out.   I am also quite satisfied with the composition, lighting and values. As for the meaning of this painting, everyone can fill in that void for themselves. I thought it was about touching, feeling, holding and sensing. View the finished painting in  my gallery .

  A still life for a change Lifting up a friend recovering from surgery is a good opportunity to paint flowers.  Just finished this alla prima little painting with daffodils from the garden. Put in an old Mobach jar they looked lovely on a sunlit windowsill in our kitchen. That's how I got the idea of this little present.   I hope Annet likes the painting. I will give it to her and her husband Ben as soon as it is touch-dry.  View the finished painting in  my gallery .

  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...

  ... and proud What a good feeling it is to find a fresh copy of De Amelander in the mailbox on Sunday morning. Especially when there is a beautifully written article about you in it. I am really happy and appreciate this so much.

Breaking rules What could possibly be the story of this painting? There is nothing more than a pair of male hands buckling a monk straps shoe. Still, an attentive viewer familiar with etiquette and dress codes will notice that there are a few things that don't go by the rules. Considering this person is going out and not in the countryside, could you tell what this person is not doing quite right? A little clue: time  and  colour.   Anyway, I enjoyed painting this, playing with perspective, light and texture. I believe I was able to capture the beautiful effect of suede quite well. (And I love my monk straps!)  View the finished painting in  my gallery .

Every book has an end Sometimes they say human life is like a book. This reader has finished the journey of the book and has closed its cover for the final time. View the finished painting in  my gallery .

Void Our hands' expressions move on with time and progress. Some gestures we can easily recognise now didn't even exist a decade ago.  Take for instance this setup that you may often see on social media; taking a selfie in the mirror. (Who didn't do that, I do, too!) Depending on the size of the phone or camera, one uses one or both hands to take a picture and post it in their profile. What do you see there? Sometimes perhaps nothing but ego or vanity, or even emptiness sometimes. I often first see the hands, and sometimes those hands are the only things that remain there, especially if those are of nice esthetics. The rest is just void. It's like some sort of vanitas.  Fun! I've just tried ChatGPT for the first time and sent the above text to the almighty AI in the clouds. Here is their response:  " You make a valid point about the potential for selfies taken in the mirror to be seen as a display of ego or vanity. The act of taking a photograph of oneself and ...

Going on with (female) hands Thinking of autumn and the fun that nature on our island brings to those who can appreciate it, this time I tried to paint the hands that are busy with some pleasant labour.  I still believe hands are the most expressive part of the human body when it concerns a story to tell, an emotion, a feeling. I think it's hard to imagine the person in this painting is unhappy or sad, or angry. I rather could imagine she is smiling. Couldn't you? That's what intrigues me in human hands, that's why I like to paint them.  I tried to keep my brush strokes loose (still very uncertain about it and must learn a lot) to achieve that impressionistic touch. 

What Are You Reading Now? Another one in the Hands' Private Life series is almost finished, this time with a female figure on it. It seems that I also like to paint books (unconsciously). Nice that people keep reading real books even though it seems to be getting more and more old-fashioned. Let's call this painting so. Painting female hands is really challenging, but I did enjoy the process.  By the way, can you guess what language the book is written in? View the finished painting in  my gallery .  

  Narcissistically Yours The first painting in the new year is almost finished. I am now experimenting with combining a hand painting with a human face in the mirror. "Experimenting" seems to be a safe word when you don't quite know whether to love or hate the result.  This is also my first attempt at making a self-portrait. Naturally, I am not satisfied with it at all, but people around say they could find some resemblance. Plenty to learn yet, that's the good news. I hope I'll be making some more soon.  So, this was another painting for my little project Hands' Private Life. More to come.    View the finished painting in  my gallery .  

To speak is a sin Socialising in public places is what I am never going to learn properly. Often hoping for a nice contact, sometimes forcing myself into small talk and still missing opportunities, behaving eccentrically or too reserved and finally leaving, too late or too early. For a long time, I thought I was the only one, but am I?  "...Ordering drinks at the bar...", that old PSB tune keeps spinning in my head. "...And once in a while, a smile, if you dare". This was the last finished painting of mine this year. Can't say I am quite satisfied with it. But it's now time for a glass of whiskey.  Anyway, wishing you all a happy New Year! View the finished painting in  my gallery .  

  Ameland Art XL Proud to work on this project for the Amelander Musea.  There are now art shows in four museums in three villages on our island.  25 professional and non-professional artists from Ameland are exhibiting their works until the 8th of January.  One painting of mine is on show, too! As a part of the Amelander Kunstenaars exhibition.  Come to see and enjoy!

  Cosy dark nights So happy we've got some Christmas trees in our garden . This year we used some branches of the old fir to decorate the house for the festive season. And if you know what scent the fir branches have... Our house is now full of that wonderful scent of my childhood. I was so happy, that I even suddenly felt the need to paint a small interior with the garland made of those branches, arranged on the mantelpiece.  Well, here it is, the Christmas Time, oil on canvas board 25 x 25 cm.   Slightly altered in 2024 (book colour) View the finished painting in my gallery .  And have yourself a merry little Christmas, everyone!

Most lovely sitter Time to involve Chester again!  ...The moment when a human tries to greet an (unknown) dog is often quite exciting for both. Will it be an unconditional friendship or will you remain suspicious? Animals often feel and know instinctively and they are always sincere. And I was once taught that the best way to dispel mistrust by a dog is to simply offer your open hand and let it be explored calmly. Don't pet the animal over the head, because they won't do it to you either. That was a lecture about greeting dogs. ☝😁 But back to the painting, I love painting my best friend Chester very much. I think I need to paint him more often. It's the fifth in the series of my Hands' Private Life project. So, let's call this one "Friend or Foe?". Oil, canvas board 24 x 30 cm.   View the finished painting in my gallery

Going on with the Hands project Thinking of the great and timeless influencers, I tried to combine my favourite still-life techniques with a hand portrait. It was quite a challenge, but I really enjoyed making this painting. No idea what meaning one can draw from this picture if any. I am going to call it Counterproposal. UPDATE: In 2023 this painting was nominated for the Painting of the Year. As a reward, it was exhibited for 6 weeks in the RRMND gallery in January - March 2024. My usual limited palette of oil colours, alla prima on a 25 x 35 cm panel. High-quality prints are available on my Prints page (Limited Edition) and on Saatchi Art (Open Edition)    View the finished painting in my gallery

Kunstmaand Ameland 2022 Happy to exhibit with Amelander Kunstenaars during the annual Kunstmaand show on our island. Proud that more than 5.200 visitors have now seen my paintings. Lots of artworks have been sold, including two paintings of mine. These two are getting their new home in Drenthe and in Friesland. Also happy to be now the owner of an artwork by a very successful fellow artist living on our island, Wybe Jansma. His unique ceramics with beautiful colours and shapes and the special North Sea design were totally sold out, so I am a happy owner indeed! And I am still happy to support this amazing group of island artists by providing them with online services. This is an ongoing voluntary project which I am quite proud of and which is still growing. Only during this year, almost 5.000 people worldwide visited our website. That all together makes it something to celebrate! Proost!🍷 🔴 sold 🔴  sold 😇 bought

Y ou should be dancing I am going further with painting hands. This time it could perhaps be a tale of some feelings. Yearning, doubt, excitement, waiting, desire, impatience, temptation, rest, seclusion, yes and no, - possibly all "you can eat" on a dance floor. "Hands' Private Life. Night Fever." My usual limited palette of oil colours on 24 x 30 canvas, alla prima. View the finished painting in my gallery .

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...

Hands' private life I have always been fascinated by human hands. I believe we often can understand not only the ideas or meanings but also the emotions expressed by hand gestures only, without involving any other body parts. Some of my first drawings I made some decennia ago were human hands. One of them even became my logo as you can see on my webpage and on my business cards. Speaking of business, from the 1st of November I am officially an artist by the Dutch law (this means actually no more than being registered at the Chamber of Commerce). Let's see what new opportunities it can bring. As always, I am open to suggestions, offers, commissions, etc. Back to the hands, I am thinking of a new project portraying this special part of the human body. I had done some studies before and I am now working on a sort of self-portrait, trying to catch and bring over a certain emotion or a meaning. In Despair. Oil on canvas 30 x 24 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery .

Kunstmaand 2022 Another autumn, another art show. The big " Kunstmaand Ameland " event is coming again, bringing our island an artistic atmosphere for 30 days. About 100 international artists plus 30 local island artists will be showing their works at more than 40 locations across the island. I am proud to be a part of it again. Within the group of Amelander Kunstenaars , I will show this year four of my paintings. Fingers crossed... I am excited to see the art of other participants. What I already saw online was very promising. Are you coming, too?

Back to flowers A couple of years ago while visiting the Voerman Museum in Hattem, I bought a nice handmade replica of the ginger jar used by the master in his famous still lifes. I do not often paint flowers, yet I like them a lot. So this time I made a couple of settings with nasturtiums from our garden and tried to paint them in the classical style of Voerman. Quite satisfied with the result. Let's call it "Ginger Jar from Hattem". Painted with primary oil colours plus titanium white and burnt umber. Alla prima. The panel is 19 x 26,5 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery .

Island sheep III This one is the third and the last (for the time being) of the current sheep series. Perhaps one day I'll paint some more of these animals. Three primary oil colours plus titanium white and burnt umber. The canvas board is 30 x 24 cm, and it is painted alla prima (or wet on wet). View the finished painting in my gallery .

Island sheep II After finishing the first sheep painting , I almost immediately started with another one. This little group was grazing on the sea side of the dyke, only having a bike road between them and the tidal Wadden Sea. It's great to learn about these lovely animals' behaviour while painting them. So, there is always one "on watch" checking you or the area, while the rest does their grazing or chewing duty. I now tried to catch such a scene in this painting. Three primary oil colours plus titanium white and burnt umber again. The canvas board is 22 x 15 cm, and it is painted alla prima (or wet on wet). View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2023, Hollum Acquired during the show by private collectors R. and E. H. in Hollum

Island sheep on a dyke You can encounter sheep all over the island of Ameland, except on the beaches. Many graze on the sea dykes, which helps to maintain their structure and integrity. The special Texel breed is robust and well-suited to withstand the North Sea climate, making them excellent sources of knitting wool. While walking with my dog around our village, I've seen multiple flocks of these charming grazing animals. Recently, I took many photographs of them, and now it's time to turn those images into paintings. I'm planning a small series featuring sheep, and I'm excited to see where this journey leads. Again, I only used three primary oil colours plus titanium white and burnt umber. The canvas board is 24 x 30 cm, and I've painted it alla prima, also known as wet on wet. View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2023, Hollum - Expo at Museum Swartwoude. July to August 2023, Buren - Rural Expo at Museum S...

Arguably What can be more relaxing after a busy day than sitting down and enjoying a glass of your favourite drink? In my case, it's a glass of malt. Perhaps in your case, it is something totally else.  I loved to paint this light and shadow play. Loved painting those textures of the skin, glass and fabrics.  So now relax yourself and enjoy with me. And view the finished painting in  my gallery .

Miniatures As I have some unused small, a kind of kitschy souvenir frames, I decided to make some tiny studies which would pass into those frames. The first one was a detail of my previous painting with strawberries. The second was a tribute to the master I admire , combining a master copy of his works with some details of my old still life which is now with a collector in the United States. The third one was based on my photograph (which I am going to use for larger paintings soon); this was my first attempt to paint a human hand in oil. I was quite excited while doing it, and I am quite satisfied with this result. More exercises with human hands will follow as I am not scared of trying anymore. I painted them alla prima on acid-free cardboard only using the limited palette of primary oil colours plus burnt umber and titanium white. I learned as well what "a painting a day" is. View the finished paintings in my gallery .

A challenge Using the Rule of Thirds when choosing a composition can play a significant role in painting. A fellow artist recently made a wonderful painting based on the photograph she took of her grandson. I asked permission to use her photograph and to try changing the composition by placing the figure out of the middle point. I also tried out the tip of Dianne Mize whose channel I follow on Youtube, to prepare the surface with a little amount of the poppyseed oil and gamsol mix to get the paint laying smoothly. Very happy with this tip. So I made this small and quick study in alla prima. I used the cardboard and my limited palette of primary oil colours plus burnt umber and titanium white. View the finished painting in my gallery .

Some flowers for my mother While visiting the well-preserved estate and the house of Verwolde in the Achterhoek, among all those beautifully decorated eclectic interiors I somehow was touched by the view of a tiny room in the souterrain, probably a scullery. The daylight gave the space lovely soft shadows and the setting was very natural in its simplicity. The nostalgic scene was thoroughly set by someone's artistic hands. It felt like the moment when the gardener had just left and their flower arrangements were just ready to be brought upstairs. So I took then some photographs and now I tried to paint this feeling in alla prima. I used the Mus panel and my limited palette of primary oil colours plus burnt umber and titanium white. I once made a painting of a lovely old scullery in Leeuwarden , called Downstairs. So, I will call this one the Downstairs 2. View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2024, Hollum - Amelander Kunste...

The summer art show proved to be successful Making a project low-risk is always fun. No great expectations, no regrets when it's a failure. Safe. Still, there is always a tiny (or immense) hope of success. And this time success it was. I am very proud to involve the top artists Erwin Pattipeilohy and Peter Kiewied . I am happy with and grateful to all the visitors and the art collectors (10 artworks were sold, and we've got some commissions as well). I am enormously thankful to everyone who helped promote our project! My very special appreciation goes to our patrons and friends of arts Eva and Riekus for providing that unique and beautiful space in their historic house. And above all, huge thanks and all my love to Paul, for believing, constant support and encouragement! Perhaps, we will repeat the show next year. You still can view some of the exhibited works on our page . And check this video to get an impression. 

Fragole & Aceto Balsamico I like my strawberries with a drop of balsamic vinegar, like this 12-year-old one by Giuseppe Giusti. Last spring I painted this still life with strawberries. Now I wanted to paint it again but in a different setting, in oil and alla prima using my limited palette. This is how it became the Strawberries, oil, canvas, 24x30 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Have a nice summer everyone! Exhibitions: - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2022, Hollum - Amelander Kunstenaars Art Show. November 2023, Buren - Zomer Vol Kunst - Amelander Cultuurmuseum. July to October 2025, Nes 

Excited I am happy to work on this small but lovely project, organising a 3-day show with the artworks of 3 artists living on our island. The location is a magnificent historic place, a perfectly preserved and restored former stable in the middle of the village of Hollum. My fellow artists Erwin and Peter will be showing their marvellous sculptures and superb design objects. We hope the visitors shall enjoy what they see. For those who can't be on Ameland these days, have a look at the artworks on our page . For the happy ones who are on the island on June 17-19, welcome and see you there!

Simplifying the light I am in love with our old house. I believe this is the fourth painting I am making of this very room (have a look at the first , the second and the third one). The sunlight makes nice and strong contrasts when it falls through the west-facing windows, making the historic interior and its colours quite vivid. So I wanted to paint that effect. It's a good exercise to simplify things, too, and I hope I haven't involved too much of unnecessary details. I painted this one alla prima on a Mus panel with oil colours. As usual, I used the three primary colours plus burnt umber and titanium white. This is how it became the Amelander Interior, oil, panel, 24x30 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2022, Hollum - Amelander Kunstenaars Art Show. November 2025, Buren

Light, books, etc. For a long time, I wanted to paint a still life with books again. A few weeks ago, I was reading a book one evening, having a nice cup of coffee. The old bouillotte lamp was on, and it gave a nice soft light-dark effect to the stuff on the table and the books on the shelves behind. I took a few pictures of that setting, and I knew I wanted to paint it. Again, I used the three primary colours plus burnt umber and titanium white. This is how it became The Cup of Coffee, oil, panel, 24x30,5 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2022, Hollum Sold by Saatchi Art in November 2023 to private collector R.D. in Naples, Florida USA

Still life again I love the spontaneous settings that are not set deliberately. While making breakfast on a sunny morning, I noticed the lovely shadow effect of the sunlight falling through the window, covering a part of the table and creating a strong tonal light-dark contrast in the room. A kind of chiaroscuro effect. I immediately took some photographs and decided to paint this composition on canvas. I used my primary oil colours (cadmium red, cadmium yellow and ultramarine blue plus burned umber and titanium white) and the alla prima technique. You can find a very short video showing the painting's progress on my account on Instagram. So this became "Breakfast", oil, canvas, 30 x 40 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2022, Hollum - Amelander Kunstenaars Art Show. November 2023, Buren

Another commissioned work Last autumn Paul and I were invited to visit a beautiful garden with some marvellous views. The owners are passionate art collectors so I was asked if I could paint one of those views on canvas, so I took some photographs to use as a reference later on. I was happy to work on this painting, choosing the right composition and using my oil colours in the alla prima technique. And then I handmade a wooden frame for the painting. Now I am very proud the collectors liked the result. So today this painting has moved to their home. So this became "In de tuin bij Kerkpad (bij H en R)", oil, canvas, 24 x 30 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Commissioned and acquired in April 2022 by private collectors R. and H. K. in Hollum.

Historic village view Today I showed the finished painting to the commissioners and I was very happy to hear they liked it. So this painting has now moved to its new home. I liked working on it. A rather large canvas has been a challenge as well as the new alla prima techniques with the oil colours. The unusual composition with a broad perspective in combination with the winter sunlight and long shadows made it work. I must admit I was also much inspired by the beautiful old classic frame provided by the commissioner, which is now a part of the painting and quite a nice match. So this became "Burenlaan in Winterzon", oil, canvas, 40 x 50 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Commissioned and acquired in March 2022 by private collectors J.W. and S.V. in Hollum.

Special commission A couple of weeks ago I received an unusual request to make a painting with a ratio of 1:4. Well, I've managed to finish it before the deadline. I am very proud to work on this very special project. The purpose of all this will remain a secret for a while. I hope this story continues soon. So this became "Peaceful fields", acrylic, cardboard, app. 16 x 60 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . UPDATE: The project  completed UPDATE: the high-quality limited edition prints are now available:  valta.nl/prints   Exhibitions: - The Amelander Musea. Commissioned to use a 20x scaled image as wall decoration in the "Molen De Phenix" - Original on loan at the Amelander Musea 2022 to 2025 - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2022, Hollum - Nazomeren - Galerie Rob Rademaker. Duo Show. September to October 2023, Utrecht - Museum Swartwoude. Rural expo. March to July 2024, Buren - Amelander Cultuurmuseum. July to November 2024, Nes Acquired in 2...

An isle of traditions I am very proud that my painting "Winter. Hollum" is now a part of the Amelander Winters exhibition in the Sorgdrager Museum. The old island tradition of riding a horse-drawn wooden sleigh is being cherished, praised and remembered. An impression of the exhibition

Copying the Master Time to learn more about oil colours. I believe one of the best methods to learn is to copy something you like. So, back to whiskey and to my favourite "virtual mentor" Julian Merrow-Smith then! I adore his way of playing with light and colours. By trying to copy his work I am learning to understand more about the magic of light and about the techniques of painting with oil. So here is the result, still far from what I wanted and miles away from the original, but I enjoyed the process and I hope I've learned something. Here's to Julian! a master copy after J. Merrow-Smith. Oil, cardboard 15 x 20 cm.

Oiled and on It took me ages to finally dare and give the oil painting a try. I am still not certain about many things and especially about how to accept the enormous drying time and get used to the idea the painting has to wait at least a year to get varnished (yes, I'd like my oil to be thick I suppose, and for me not varnished = not finished). But I will find out. I am happy I am trying. I love to learn. I suppose I will need to study the process and techniques from scratch again. Glad I have some great books and great teachers on YouTube. And I will not stop with acrylics, I don't think I will. Acrylic is a great medium and I still have lots of tubes with it to use. So I started with some small studies in oil colours on well-gessoed acid-free cardboard. Unusual feeling your paint doesn't dry out on your palette within an hour; I still can use it the next day, and the day after. Happy with that. I love the viscosity of the paint as I am trying to paint alla prima. So hap...

Painting water Still having fun painting Chester . Last summer on a quiet evening Paul took some nice photographs with my phone camera. Chester and I were playing on the beach and the light of the evening sun was playing with the sea, so this all made a lovely setting. Now I tried to paint it on a small piece of cardboard. Still using my limited palette. So this became "Let's play", acrylic, cardboard, ap. 13x23 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Update: Sold and looks great in its new home: Exhibitions: - Nazomeren - Galerie Rob Rademaker. Duo Show. September to October 2023, Utrecht Sold in September 2023 by the Gallery Rob Rademaker to a private collector.

A quick study and a painting There is nothing funnier than chasing a tennis ball, according to our fetching hero Chester . You can often find us playing on the beach, where Chester can run as much and as hard as he can. Still impressed by the wonderful seascapes made by Dennis Roberts, I decided to paint a little study on cardboard first, trying to catch the movements of the waves, the dog and myself. Not really succeed in making the shapes and figures have correct proportions first, but I think I conveyed it right later on canvas. I used a limited palette of primary colours plus burnt umber and titanium white. So this became "Fetching", acrylic, canvas, 24x30 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Amelander Kunstenaars Art Show. November 2022, Buren - Driedaagse Expo at Het Stalhuus. June 2023, Hollum Sold in June 2023 during the show to private collectors G.&P.G. in Essen, Germany.

A glimpse of the neighbours' garden Finally began painting again after a long break. I had this village view for a long time in my mind. It's a cosy little place behind the Sorgdrager Museum surrounded by many historic houses built back in the 18th century. At the end of the yard, there is a lovely garden of our neighbours, always full of beautiful flowers during the whole season. I am still using a limited palette of just three primary colours plus titanium white and burnt umber. And still small formats of the canvas. This one became the "Achter Sorgdrager", acrylic, canvas, 24x30 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery . Exhibitions: - Amelander Kunstenaars Art Show. November 2022, Buren Sold in November 2022 during the show to private collector J.T. in Gieten.

et omnia vanitas What was meant to be the show of the year, is now closed one day after the opening. Several weeks of excitement and hard work seem to be in vain. More than seventy artworks of twenty fellow artists from our island are now sealed in a closed museum for an unknown period of time due to another total national lockdown. What is prepared for us next in these strange times? At least there is still a working website about this exhibition. I was quite proud to work on this project.

Exhibition sales I am happy and proud to tell you that two of my paintings were sold at the annual exhibition of the Amelander Kunstenaars and are now on their way to new homes. This annual art fair event, Kunstmaand Ameland , has been a success again, as it has already been 24 times before. About 100 artists from the Netherlands and some Nordic countries were showing their art 30 days long in more than 50 locations across our island. Only our showroom has had around 4.000 visitors, and hundreds of artworks of my fellow island artists were sold. Now it is actually time for gallerists and art writers to discover what really sells. In the meantime, my fellow artists and I are busy with a new art show project. Even with two. (So no time to paint yet, which is a shame!) But let's hope there will be no lockdowns so I will be able to tell you good news very soon as the exhibitions are planned already for December! Fingers crossed...

Online sales I am very proud to hear that another little still life of mine has been sold by Saatchi Art . I thank the collector and wish the painting a long happy life at its new home in Germany. A year ago I enjoyed painting this setting with this blue jar handmade by a very talented ceramic artist here on our island. I recently bought another piece made by her, and this time I did ask the name of the artist, and now I finally know it! I've just posted about this on my Instagram.

Traditionally exciting The annual international Kunstmaand Ameland is coming up. Hopefully, it won't be cancelled this year. I am happy to be a part of it and to exhibit again. Ten of my paintings have been accepted to enter, I will show them soon in my next posts. Welcome to visit our exhibitions, live in November on the island of Ameland and also online at  amelanderkunstenaars.nl .

Four plus four Totally unexpected and therefore extra exciting; this week four of my recent paintings, as well as four old studies and master copies have been sold. I am very happy and proud that they are all going to decorate the walls of some beautiful historic homes from now on.