Winter Seascape # 13, View off South Beach, The Hague

Windy, cloudy conditions with Herring Fishing boat
oil on canvas
24 x 30 cm
painted on location, Wed. 26 Nov 2008

SOLD

Not many sailors heading out with their sporty vessels these days, but oh,oh,... don't the Dutch love their herring! The owner of that boat has no doubt the responsibility to provide for his family, so foul weather or not, herring is fished! Not too far off the coast, thus safe for his crew and close enough to allow me to capture characteristic details of such a boat. Without my windbreaker, (which is simply a 3 meter diameter parasol, tipped on its side), it would be impossible to set up my easel, on the now barren beach. As I said on my last posting, Dutch skies are always a challenge under these conditions. My secret, close observation and rapid execution. Thus working on location is essential.

Sorry folks, that is not a herring fishing boat, but a boat that fishes for shrimps and flat bottom fish, a crawler I believe.

Winter Seascape # 12/08, South Beach, Den Haag

Study of waves, with heavy wind and rain
oil on canvas
18 x 24 cm
painted on location, Tuesday 18 Nov. 2008

SOLD

I don't think it is officially winter yet, but believe me, it certainly feels like it. The most common activity seems to be dog owners taking their beloved pets for a stroll, and here and there, persons going for a healthy walk. In the water a few surfers, some fishing boats, off in the distance some gargo ships. What catchs my attention is the waves crashing on the shore line, the subtle but present greens and earth tones of the water. Although vague, there is still a lot happening on the surface of the water when it comes to color variation and the sky also always a challenge to represent.

Path in the dunes, Westduinpark # 15/08

Path leading to the North Sea, windy/cloudy conditions
oil on canvas
18 x 24 cm
painted on location, Wed 19 Nov 08

SOLD

This might very well be my last path in the dunes, for this season, who knows?
It has been good to be active again, since being mostly preoccupied in the last three weeks with the relocation of my studio space. This is the third painting since yesterday morning, will post the other two shortly hereafter. Although the water is inhospitable these days, it surely is a wonder to paint. Those lovely soft hues of green, light earthy sand tones near the shore line, and the distant but vague indigo blue horizon, make for interesting subject matter. Seagulls where having great fun, gliding ever so freely in the harsh wind.

The Lone Seagull, North Sea

View of North Sea under influence of rain/storm
oil on canvas
30 x 90 cm
painted on location, June 2008

private collection, Noordwijk Aan Zee

This work looks like it could have been painting in this period, as we have been experiencing this kind of weather, but in fact it was made during the Noordwijkschildersfestival, (painting festival), in the beginning of the summer. I was under the cover of a 3m diameter parasol, fastened on to a container, thus protecting me from the strong winds, and the rain which poured down almost consistantly that morning. As some of you may already know, I've been occupied in these last two weeks with the relocating of my studio, hence the low production.