Sunday, September 30, 2018

Laissez faire

Let the paint do the work. Painting wet in wet, or, as in this case, wet paint in wet sand, requires practicing. Of course you´ll be surprised by the patterns which seem to appear automatically. But whenever possible the painter wants to be in control. Wants to make the paint go into the direction he wants it to go. Well... It´s a fight. A continuous battle between painter and paint. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The result? Judge it yourself!
[Daily Abstraction 218093001. Painting available].

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Feet on the ground

Head to the sky and feet on the ground. Not really having any thoughts on this saying, but I thought it was appropriate as a title for this artwork with heavenly blue colors and terra colored details in the background.
Besides, this saying surely is a great life motto!
[Daily Abstraction 218092901. Painting available].

Friday, September 28, 2018

Unseen


Can you sleep at night? Or are you afraid of things that may happen when you're asleep? Afraid of people doing things you are not aware of; things you don't see. At the same time there are people risking their lives to prevend terrible things to happen.
Last night this became perfectly clear as the Dutch police arrested a group of 7 terrorists before they could carry out their violent plans.
Sleep well...
[Daily Abstraction 218092801. Painting available].

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Solutions

Knowledge is the answer to all questions. So what do you need to solve a problem?
Luck.
And maybe creativity. perseverence and a range of skills. I love order but I'm also a firm believer of chaos and coincidence.
So why the golden square in a field of chaotic, rounded shapes? You figure it out. As I don't have the knowledge to answer that question.
[Daily Abstraction 218092701. Painting available].

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Antartic realm

Antarctica, the world’s highest, driest, windiest and coldest continent. There are no people permanently living there, except for a ´lousy´ 5,000 scientists and researchers based there. The ocean surrounding the continent support masses of the world’s sealife including 15 species of whale and dolphin, and five species of penguin. This massive frozen landmass around the South Pole, is fragile and vulnerable to the worst effects of climate change and fishing.
[Daily Abstraction 218092601. Painting available].

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Ray of light

You've seen them before. Clouds with a ray of sunlight peeping through. Shining down from the sky upon a certain area or house. Some say these rays are signs. Great way to start a horror story or discuss anything supernatural. Well, call me phlegmatic, I just consider those impressive rays of light to be beautiful.
[Daily Abstraction. Painting available]. 

Monday, September 24, 2018

Sunny

Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain? We're only experiencing the 'leftovers' of the hurricanes over here, but still... It's stormy and rainy. Summer has been blown away in a blink. All we have left of those hot summer days are memories. And some crazy little artwork with  a sunny title...
[Daily Abstraction. Painting available].

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Roses are red?

When seasons change, plants change their colors. This pickleweed, growing in salty marshlands, becomes beautiful red. Have a look at some photos of 'the real stuff' below. I'll tell you, not only roses are red!
[Daily Abstraction. Painting available].







Memory Lane

A fossil shell found on the beach. These shells of Late Pleistocene age are not really rare, but they're great to find. I have used it in this artwork, but didn't stick it to the canvas permanently (see details and additonal photos below). What I like mostly is the pattern (smooth at the right; crenelated at the left as if two specimens have merged) and the way these shells grow. They are not flat but almost rolled up, creating a small calcium wave.
[Daily Abstraction 218092201. Painting available].


Friday, September 21, 2018

What´s your story

A piece of driftwood. Touched by time... and unknown animals. Makes you wonder who or what made the holes? Where did you come from before you ended up on the beach? And where would you go to if I hadn't picked you up?
It's like the paint in the sand on the background; its just floating around going nowhere. But boy if it only could tell us its story...
[Daily Abstraction 218092101. Painting available].

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Stranded

At times these shells hit the coast with thousands. Great fun picking out some of the best, strangest, odd looking specimens. And how about looking at them from another perspective? Take a look at the photo below to get an idea of the numbers of shells spread all over the beach.
[Daily Abstraction 218092001. Painting available].









Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Sunken forest

A piece of bark reminded me of a place I only know from the internet: Kaindy Lake, the sunken forest in Kazachstan. Treetrunks in turquoise water, a great picture. This is my version. Without water, of course...
[Daily Abstraction 218091901. Painting available].







Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Tears of joy

Songs can be very inspirational, but just as easy they can be an emotional rollercoaster. The French chanson Ma dernière volonté (meaning: my last wish) is beautiful and emotional as it is. Nevertheless in The Netherlands we have a Dutch version which is almost in contradiction with the original version and yet just as beautiful. Combined tears of joy and sadness...
[Daily Abstraction 218091801. Painting available].





Monday, September 17, 2018

In a flash

Sometimes you start working, knowing what you're going to make. Well, at least having an idea of what you're hoping to create, as paint (especially in combination with sand) often finds its own way upin the canvas. In this case the 'final touch' happened in a flash second. The lila dripping just fell from my brush. And I thought it fell down at the right spot.
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].

Sunday, September 16, 2018

New kid

I like the contradiction in this painting. The natural purple dots reminded me of some microbes. It made me wonder what the next evolutionary step would be. And as usual I ended up with a strange square. Yep, the new kid in town must believe it's hip to be square.
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Camouflage

I remember my grandma (my mom´s mommy) used to bake fish for us. We hurried out of school to see how she prepared the fish. Flatfish, mostly flounders. Even though these fish were dead, they had this great feature that I always remember, or maybe I should say it freaked me out. I knew they were dead, but their dead body still mimicked the bowl or pan they were lying in. The polka dot pattern of the bowl was copied on their skin. Yikes! Zombie camouflage!
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].

Friday, September 14, 2018

Spectacular wood

The president of UK's Butterfly Conservation, well known Sir David Attenborough, said: “The sight of a Speckled Wood flitting through the dappled sunlight of woodland glade is a memorable high summer spectacle."
Wait a minute... What are you babbling boy?
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].







Thursday, September 13, 2018

CU

Copper (element number CU 29 on the Periodic Table of Elements) is considered 'man’s first metal'. It can be found in architecture, pottery, weaponry and other ancient artifacts dating over 10,000 years... That's a fact. But actually this title only meant: 'CU'; in other words: 'See you'...
[Daily Abstraction 218091301. Painting available].

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Roxanne

Roxanne... you don't have to... 
Oh no, no, no... Reading or hearing the name Roxanne is all it takes to instantly remember the song by The Police. And you know what? Umm... read on!
[Daily Abstraction 218091201. Painting available.]








Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Blue pencil

What can I say...?  Less and less, so it seems. The free democracy is getting censorized more and more every day. The digital age requires a new blue pencil. Heck, a whole blue keyboard and a copy of George Orwell 's quote on the monitor: “If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
[Daily Abstraction 218091101. Painting available.] 

Monday, September 10, 2018

A glass of Monday

Alright. He's lost it. I don't see any glass... 
Nay, it's not a real glass. I know... I made up this title, thinking about our 24/7 economy. Monday's were said to be the worst day in the week. Due to the new economy, every day can be Monday. So does that mean every day is just as bad as Monday? No. Depends upon the way you look at it. A glass is either half full, or half empty. That's up to you.
[Daily Abstraction 218091001. Painting available]. 

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Nevil's beach

As I was going through my 'archive' for yesterday's entry, I found a few lyrics I had completely forgotten. Wordfs based on Nevil Shute's novel 'On the beach'. I cannot find the book itself anymore, but I do remember how I got my copy of this novel.
Curious about the lyrics? Click here!
[Daily Abstraction 218090901. Painting available].






Saturday, September 8, 2018

Plain simple

Many years ago (it seems ages, must have been a previous life) I worked at the Dutch Darts federation. During a member meeting the board got into trouble. One of the members claimed the board lied. "Why?" the chairman asked. "As you have to think about every word you're going to tell," he said. "I never lie, so I don't have to think about what I've said before. I tell the truth." It's that easy folks. Always tell the truth, it makes life plain and simple!
[Daily Abstraction 218090801 Painting available]


Friday, September 7, 2018

Autumn colors

I once made a painting I called 'The unpredictable weatherforecast'. Those boys and girls really know how to get you upset about the expected weather conditions. Warning! Rain, storm, hail and thunder: stay at home! Don't risk your life. Turns out the sun was shining all day long, we enjoyed a comfortable breeze and, of course as it is becoming autumn, we also enjoyed some amazing colored leaves on the trees.
[Daily Abstraction 218090701/ Painting available]