Fiesta 2013 is starting this week

The Photograph

 My latest work is a Maple tree from Connecticut in its full autumn glory. Not having been on the East coast ever, much less during fall, I lacked a direct connection to my subject, but Anna told about her trip and showed us her pictures then she gracefully lent me one of them and Jolanda who had ordered the watercolor, assisted me with her experience and counsel. (She is Dutch like myself and has lived in Connecticut.) I wanted to share some of the process with you, sorry I didn't take another picture early on. The watercolors are actually brighter than can be seen here. Jolanda and I are happy with the result and I am looking forward to one day seeing the fall glory for myself.

First Quick Sketch

 Starting this Friday April 19th, I will be on Alamo Plaza for 6 days, Friday through Wednesday, with the Randolph Art League, provided there is no heavy rain. Fiesta is a joyful happening in San Antonio and usually we meet nice visitors from all over the United States, Canada, South and Central America and Europe. This year, I will be selling cards and prints of my work. Look for my table under the trees.

Almost There

Finished

 















  Some of my original watercolor work can be seen in Seguin, TX at the Seguin Oakwood Art League, www.seguinoakwoodartleague.com has pictures of the watercolor reception. In San Antonio my Native American art is for sale at the Viva Bookstore (www. vivabooks.com), in the library of the Emily Morgan Hotel downtown www.emilymorganhotel.com, at Arthritis Associates at 4511 Horizon Hill 78229 and soon at the River Art Group Gallery in La Villita.

Little Boxes all the same?

This song brings back memories. Robert was driving in Germany with 2 year-old Misha and myself in the car. We listened to songs of the 70's. Two songs stood out. "Where have all the Flowers  gone?" "Put in Boxes, little Boxes all the same..." I vowed right there and then that my kids (we were expecting Gabriel) would not be put in boxes. Now, many years later, I believe, we succeeded: homeschooling, going to Japan, a diverse background to begin with and parents who encouraged them to think for themselves... But still Misha, Gabriel and Gerald went and are going to the universities, where we expect them to be exposed to a multitude of ideas and knowledge instead of being put into boxes. On the other hand, even I acknowledge that a little conformity is not so bad. I am not a revolutionary myself - far from it.

It was at a class at Edward Povey's about painting cardboard boxes that I first tried my hand at it and started seeing colors and shapes I liked. It made me think about Braque's abstract work, wondering if he was painting boxes as well.

I have a little series now and enjoy painting them. Of course, they can't all look the same!

Robert likes them; he sees more depth in them than in my usual work and likes the angles.

What do you think?

March 2013

Some how I can't get the text where I want it today. Anyway the first watercolor is Cap d'Ail on the French Riviera again. This time the whole view from the house. I want to paint this scene on a big canvas in oil. This study was done for my cousin's 70th birthday.

The little red horse was inspired by seeing the horses from Chauvet Cave, which I first saw in the Cave of the Forgotten Dreams.

Spring is certainly coming: I saw wildflowers incl. bluebonnets already in Feb! 

The two wildflowers and rockart watercolors will be on display at the Seguin Oakwood Art League in Seguin,TX for their watercolor show this month. For those in the area the opening is this Thursday March 7th from 5 till 7pm. I will be there.

January 2013 news

"A little Piece of Heaven" is at Vegeria. It is a field of wildflowers not far from my home last spring.
I have just sent the twin of this painting off to its new home in France. "Paradise" (see below) is going to a dear friend from long ago at art school in Perpignan. We met on the first day of classes - she, a mother of a toddler and a baby, and I, a teenager. Annie's friendship made me feel at home in the "big city" and  we enjoyed studying with Germain Bonel (www.arcadja.com/auctions/en/bonel_germain/artist/57751/) whose love of Japanese woodblock prints and cheerful spirit still warm my heart when I think of him. His favorite artist was Bonard.

"Tulips" has an unusual story. Last year at the Fiesta show on Alamo Plaza, I was told by a nice lady from Mexico City (who was also a tour guide) that I needed to paint tulips (not bluebonnets), because I was from Holland. That didn't seem to be necessary to me. Windmills, wooden shoes, fields of tulips... I thought about it a few times, but decided against it. Last December I saw red and yellow tulips at the grocery store and remembered helping someone who was painting a large bouquet of flowers and praising her for the very same tulips. Then it occurred to me that I had not helped anyone but had had a recurring dream. I understood I needed to paint those tulips and not the peonies (always reminding me of Japan) that I was tempted to buy instead... I started them while one of my tom cats was very sick and I had only an hour, so I painted fast and big, wanting to show the strength of the flowers opening.

This little still life was started at Edward Povey's studio in Wimberley and was supposed to be a study in tonal value. We were only allowed 4 colors (white, blue, brown and yellow) and the plate I had chosen was bright red... I still went off working on color instead of tonal value and Edward graciously let me get away with it this time... The changing shadows and lights brought out shapes in the plate that reminded me of native American pottery I saw in New Mexico last summer.

"Roses" has a long history, it was started after Aunt Katya's Icon in 2011 and was supposed to have an icon (angel Gabriel or Virgin Mary with child) in the middle. My husband liked the roses for their own sake and was convinced it would become too busy.  The roses were painted in our backyard. The classical armature was a topic we studied with Edward when I took up this painting again last summer and it helped to make it more powerful.

This version of "our Lady of Vladimir" and "Paradise" found new homes at the end of last year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Paradise is one of the wildflower paintings on sale at Vegeria

The art Reception at Vegeria was such a relaxed event; thank you all for coming! We had poets, artists and mothers, family, old time friends and new ones, animal activists and animal lovers, English as a Second Language teachers and Peace Corps volunteers; as a group we had lived in and traveled to so many countries. The food was delicious! Two paintings and one print were sold. Thank you for your nice reactions and for thinking about us, friends who are far away!

The following paintings found a new home in the last 2 months.

Petroglyph Parrot

Egyptian Don Juan

Aunt Katya's Icon

Enjoying Lost Maples

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy 2013! Happy Holidays!

Art Reception at Vegeria on Dec 12th 2012

The Art Reception will be on Wednesday, Dec 12, from 6:30 till 8:30 pm at Vegeria inside the Viva Bookstore on Broadway just inside loop 410.

Robert, Gerald and I are planning to have dinner at Vegeria  at around 5:30 and I wanted to let you know in case some of you want to join us for dinner or dessert. Vegeria is San Antonio's first vegan restaurant; a lot of the food, which is delicious, is also gluten free and the desserts are fabulous.

10% of the sale of the art work will benefit SARA Sanctuary.

I hope to see you there!

News

Our Lady of Vladimir, watercolor

Our Lady of Vladimir, watercolor

 First of all my husband, Robert, is doing very well, all the test results were negative! We are so grateful!

 Some of my recent icons  are on display in "Art on Main" in Pleasanton, TX (www.artonmaingallery.net).

 The past Saturdays I have shown my art at 2 events and 2 original paintings found good homes. My Petroglyph Parrot went home with a dear friend, who did a great deal of work for my Waring show in 2007. Thank you, Kerri! Every time I think about the watercolor being at your home, I smile. My Egyptian Don Juan was bought by a nice family last Saturday.

Our lady of Korsun, watercolor

This coming Saturday, Nov 10th, I will be at Canyon Lake, Texas, at the Tye Preston Memorial library (www.tpml.org), participating in the Canyon Lake Art Guild Holiday Art Show. The library is located on the Access Road South close to the dam and I so enjoyed taking pictures in its butterfly garden. It had been a cold morning, it was so quiet and the sun felt wonderful to my friend and myself and to the butterflies. This was my best picture. Come by if you are in the area.

Petroglyph Parrot, watercolor 2012

Egyptian Don Juan, oil 2010

In December and January, I am having an exhibit at Vegeria (www.myvegeria.com), the vegan restaurant in the Viva bookstore (www.vivabooks .com) on Broadway in San Antonio, TX. If you haven't eaten there, the food is delicious. I will let you know about the opening reception.