Monday 25 April 2022

Two views from North Beach, Scheveningen


Noorderstrand met uitzicht op strandpaviljoen Naturel
oil on canvas - 30 x 118 cm
painted on location - 24 March 2022

SOL



Noorderstrand met uitzicht op  de Pier 
oil on canvas - 35 x 100 cm
painted on location - 24 March 2022

€ 975


Still early in the season, thus not very populated as yet, this beach is were tourists visiting Scheveningen beach resort head or a little peace and quiet, away from the scene  happening on the other side of that Pier. I rather like painting misty views, as it creates a sense of mystery. These wide beaches almost make it compulsory to use these panoramic format canvases, thus allowing me to create the sense of depth and space.








Invitation to fun and adventure 3 x


Path to the Sea, showing beach clubhouse Soomers
North Beach, Scheveningen
oil on canvas - 40 x 50 cm
painted on location - 16 March 2022

SOLD



Path to the Sea, showing beach clubhouse Oase,
North Beach, Scheveningen
oil on canvas - 40 x 50 cm
painted on location - 22 March 2022

SOLD



Path to the Sea, Westduinpark, DH
oil on canvas - 40 x 50 cm
painted on location - 30 March 2022

€ 525


On these warm early spring days I was inspired to paint this theme, Invitation to fu and adventure. I think especially the little kids and pet dogs of persons love to head down these paths to the beach and man do they have a ball. I myself included in this fun, but for me it is a serious kind of fun, because after all it is my work. Symbolically this theme is important to me, as it leads the viewer into the image in a very straight forward and simplistic manner.   

Monday 11 April 2022

Path to The North Sea, Westduinpark, The Hague


Pad naar Zee, Westduinpark, DH (De Savorin Lohmanpad)
oil on linen - 90 x 120 cm
painted in the studio - March/April 2022

€ 2850.

As most of you know, I'd rather be on location, in the open air, making paintings. However every now and then, especially in the winter months I do spend more time painting in the studio. In this case I made a larger version of a painting made on Jan 2010. That work was considerably smaller, 30 x 40 cm. and made on the spot.  
Really what motivated me to make the above painting was to bring back a moment in time when these dunes where covered in lush vegetation, very green and with large shrubs and all kinds of trees which had all these lovely warm tones. Also the paths themselves were rougher looking,  they fitted in with the surrounding Nature in a wonderful harmonious way. What happened was a few years ago the municipality of The Hague decided to crop almost everything in this park, in the vain of bringing the area back to its original sandy dunelike layout.  After much protest from the locals, that project was curbed considerably, but just the same some areas of the dunes here looked more like a desert in Africa, than a park on the North Sea. Slowly but surely, as Nature would have it, the area is starting to look healthy once more. And my job is getting to be more fun, once again.
As you can see on this painting I made the path look scruffy, broken up in places, just the way I remembered it. BTW,  to pay homage to Nature,  I especially painted in that little tree in blossom. Besides it helps with the composition.