San Vincenzo Vecchio(AQ) with first snow.

San Vincenzo Vecchio(AQ) met 1ste sneeuw
oil on canvas
40 x 100 cm - (16 x 40 inches)
painted on location - Wed 17 Nov 2010

The 3rd and last of this series. There would have been at least 2 more had the weather been more co-operative! Actually this painting went through a major face lift, as when it was started, the climatic conditions were similar to the first two paintings. However, due to cool temperatures and overcast skies a fresh layer of snow was lift behind in the high altitudes, when the clouds lifted. Thus seen in this work is a combination of snow and very thin layered drifting clouds. The setting is late afternoon, thus the color scheme of the valley is richer and deeper in tone.

San Vincenzo Vecchio(AQ) with olive picker

San Vincenzo Vecchio(AQ) met oliijf plukker
oil on canvas
40 x 100 cm
painted on location - Sun 14 Nov 2010

Here you have the 2nd painting made during my little trip to Abruzzo. This time I opted for a more panoramic view of the valley, which by the way is called 'Valle Roveto'. The light on this painting is a little softer as it was made later on in the day, middle of the afternoon, to be precise. Autumn foilage on the distant mountain ranges, mixed with the still intense greens and silverblue hues of the nearby foilage on the trees, create a harmonizing effect on the human eye. Note the shapes of the mountain peaks on the far left of the canvas. One could make out the shapes of a womans hair and face and a little further to the right, a breast, both in upright position. The locals here refer to her as, "La Bella Dormintata", (The Sleeping Beauty)! Hey what do you expect, from those hot blooded Italians!

San Vincenzo Vecchio (AQ), Italy

San Vincenzo Vecchio (AQ), Italie
oil on canvas
60 x 70 cm
painted on location - Mon 15 Nov 2010

Private collection - Sora(FR), Italy

As some of you may have known I made a short excursion to my home town in Italy. With the idea of witnessing and lending a hand, in the olive picking festivities. I must say, as luck would have it, I ended up at an ideal location. I was hosted by a cousin who has a 2nd home in the village shown on this painting. Nestled in a picturesque gentle mountainous valley, with autumn colors still in full splendour, and temperatures reaching will over 20% celsius, il pittore didn't need much convincing to set his easel up in a field above this olive grove! This is the 1st of 3 paintings produced in this region of Abruzzo. Unfortunately we had some rain, thus limiting my production.

Koerenbrug by night, Leiden

Koerenbrug 's nachts, Leiden
oil on canvas
30 x 80 cm
painted on location on 3 occasions - 8 Oct/2Nov/9Nov 2010(also worked on in studio)
SOLD 

This actually started as a day time painting, but on the second occasion, it started to get dark so early, I was much more inspired by the whole array of light bouncing off all the objects, especially the bridge of course. As I also worked on this painting in my studio, I took the liberty of inventing a more sophisticated monumental scene. If you look at the photogragh below, you will notice that the roof tops on the right are very boring. They probably most likely had this sort of look at one time. However modern day real estate speculators are not usually putting attention on cultural beauty, rather profit turnover. You might also notice just how important format has on visual representation of the scene. I opted for a panoramic type size, whereas the picture is more mechanically conventional. The fact is we see and are comfortable with the panoramic format, as it is truer to our nature.

Path in the dunes, Texel (re-painted)

Pad in de duinen, Texel
oil on canvas
30 x 60 cm
re-worked in my studio - 27 Oct 2010

Just to make things clear, the top painting is the re-painted piece, which is now for sale. The bottom painting was the original version, which of course is no longer available! It is a common practice for artists to re work there own creations, that is when they are not content with the original version! I feel the new version has a greater sense of depth, thanks to the attention placed on the foreground and the toning down of the path. If you look closely you will see that I have added another pole and created a path which leads onto the main one. Next to the new pole I repainted the small tree bringing in warmer tones, thus making it more dominant. In the older version you see that tree barely scketched in. The painting has now a much warmer feel about it, which if my memory serves me correct, was much truer to the situation at hand, when it was painted on location on that refreshing spring morning back on the 16th of April 2010.

Autumn colors, woods Bergen NH

Bos met herfst kleuren, Bergen NH
oil on canvas
30 x 90 cm
painted on location - Sunday 31 October 2010

SOLD

It's about 9am on a Sunday morning. That couple are taking their dog out for a walk. They are sharing some nice thoughts. One can't help but to be feel refreshed and in good spirits, in the company of all these healthy life nuturing trees in this wooded area which surrounds the village of Bergen. This was painted just prior to the work featured on the last posting. The splendor of the autumn colors, being reflected in that narrow pond, definitely was my inspiration for the making of this piece.

Soft Autumn colors in Bergen NH

Feitsen door 't centruum van Bergen NH
oil on canvas
40 x 100 cm (16 x 40 inches)
painted on location - Sunday 31 October 2010 SOLD


In my estimation, one of the best paintings I've made of this subject. Made in one session of three and a half hours, it retains a freshness that can only be achived by working on location. It was actually a very dismal day, with a dull overcast sky. I decided to keep the blue of the background, as the sky, thus creating a more cheerful scene. Hell, life is tough enough! Besides my purpose in painting is to create beauty, sometimes reality just has to take a lesser position!
Painting in this style, I take great comfort in the words of the landscape Master painter, John Constable. "Light - dews - breezes - bloom - and freshness; not one of which has yet been perfected on the canvas of any painter in the world!"