AUTUMN AND SPIRALLING LEAVES

On Saturday I walked to the park.  It is sunny but colder and autumn is setting in

I sat on a bench and watched the wind taking the leaves. Many have fallen already, these are safe for a day or two if tonight's frost doesn't do its job.

Later, as I was taking a photo, within the wood, next to the pond, this little leaf spiralled down into my hand and snuggled against the camera.  I brought him home.

I made this little painting when I got home

"Autumn leaves, falling"  acrylic and collage on paper  15 x 12 cm

SUMMER IN BRUSSELS

We spent a lot of the summer in Brussels and had a wonderful time with family staying with us and I did less painting than I expected.  I was a little disappointed with what I produced but, on reflection, I thank that maybe I am pleased with some of it.  It is very colourful - which is just how it was in the bright sun of summer in Parc Parmentier.

This one for instance

Approximately A3 size, watercolour and ink on paper, catches, I think the dazzling sunlight, reflecting off the almost still water of the pond.  I must look again at the others!

QUIET NIGHTS?

In the roof of our house here in Belgium is a lovely attic room which is the guest bedroom and the place where all the grandchildren camp out when they come to stay.

It has two small windows, high in the gable, facing the street, through which the street lights bathe the room in an orange glow and the children cant get to sleep.. Some times their mother drapes cloth over the opening but I decided yesterday to make some shutter panels and paint them with a dark sky and the moon. I used corrugated cardboard (see earlier postings!) and painted a view of the street in oil paint.

Here they are before I fix them. .

WINTER IN THE PARK - work from earlier in 2015

These are part of a series of semi abstract works, still in progress, coming directly from my times drawing in Parc Parmentier, Brussels..  I am pleased so far.

Thoughts anyone?  

There are bigger ones on the way. All for sale eventually, prices yet to fixed.

 Ice , frost, fallen leaves etc, being very cold, sitting on a bench, drawing

detail of a bigger, A3, drawing. Charcoal on textured gesso on paper

no 1.  20 x 20 cm   watercolour on gesso on canvas board

no 2    20 x 20 cm   watercolour on gesso on canvas board

no 3  20 x 20 cm   watercolour on gesso on canvas board

A THING ABOUT PEPPERS

 I have been having a bit of a thing with two sweet red peppers today.  Not an intimate thing nor am I  going to cook them ,  well not yet!  I just love their shiny firm shape and their glowing colour

one page of an A6 sketch book. Noodler's Ahab pen and Noodler's ink

this time a double page spread in the same book , 

does the one on the right look a little like a naked woman sculpture?

same size book, double page spread. watercolour,a bit of gouache and a Pentel ink brush pen..  I think there might be the genesis of a painting or two here?

GIN AND T(omato?)

We have been very busy the last few days. Either hiding from the heat or gardening but I have found time for a few little pictures.

These very quick mini portraits of a lime, bound for my G & T are in very small pocket sketch books. One drawn with a Noodler's fountain  pen and ink the others in watercolour with a Pentel water brush, , the last with a few marks with a Pentel black brush pen.

First there were five (vine ripened!) tomatoes on my white plastic studio table top, Then we ate two and the remaining three took refuge in a terracotta plate on the same table.

A5 cartridge paper with a red acrylic ground, left over from some work i was doing last summer.  Gouache and watercolour

MORE CHANGES IN THE STREET, AS SEEN FROM THE BEDROOM

Last summer I wrote on renovations to the house opposite. It was eventually let, for a short while, to a young family, who were waiting for their own new house to be ready. In July they flew to pastures new and two huge pantechnicons arrived to take away their belongings.  I did this drawing to show what is a feature of removals here in Brussels and quite new to me - but then I am a provincial country boy! They have a sort of cross between a fireman's ladder and a lift which hoists boxes and furniture, some of it huge, up the outside of the building.

Shortly after we went back to England for a week to celebrate a big birthday for my inamorata and on returning we found the new occupants had moved in..  There are, as yet, no blinds or curtains so the whole edifice is visible. It is like a huge fishtank. So we have Christened the new resident Mr. Finn. We watch him making coffee, eating his breakfast, watching TV ( but not dressing or bathing) and, most often, sitting at the table. (are there any armchairs in the house?) all the while gazing it seems at a laptop. He is either Skyping his wife and children in Finland or, like me, is struggling to install his Windows 10 upgrade!  Mine works a treat now!

A few evenings ago the very hot weather brought on thunder storms and, for several hours, the sky darkened and, over the city, you could see the lightning flashing. Mr F leapt up, fearing rain and gusty winds and tore around the house closing all the windows but leaving all the lights on.  Here he is, a few minutes later, with the whole house lit up like a stage set, whilst he got back to calling Helsinki or where ever.

Some times he goes outside to listen to music in his white BMW

LOOK UP AT THE STARS

It has been a lean time for me lately for art and painting, Neither have I posted here for a long time.  But now, back in Brussels for a while, things are looking up, Although perhaps not for the unlucky Greeks who spent all last night in conference with their creditors just down the road!

I went for a walk two days or so ago, a slightly cooler day, down the hill to see my Shangri-La, Parc Parmentier, and was not disappointed. On the way there I walked, as usual, through a restful little garden connecting two streets and, to my delight, found this beautiful graffiti on the backrests of two benches and was spell bound. 

In fact, the benches are black and the text is white and the hedge is longer and the seats are further apart.  I had, in an empty state of mind, left my sketching things at home but I had my camera. So I took a quick snap, well two actually to fit in all  as a panorama and produced this edited vision when I returned

I was so happy when, eventually, I reached the park, which was as beautiful and tranquil as ever,  that I took lots of photos as visual notes. I prefer to draw in situ but this was different.  There are already four paintings coming together and one or two may be OK. I will show them here later maybe.

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But, on the moment, I am so grateful for the visionary who wrote those words and lifted my heart

FIVE MONTHS HAVE PASSED......

It is five months since I last sat here, with my lap top, to write a blog post. Time to take up the quill again?

I have done only a little painting since then. I quite like a few pictures I made of Parc Parmentier in October. This is a detail of one of them , in a looser style than those I showed in Art Week. The sun is getting lower, some of the trees have leaves still but some are fallen......

water colour, charcoal and pencil on paper

Christmas over, I travelled again to Belgium  on New Years Eve.  Mostly sitting around eating drinking and reading and visiting family. But mostly luxuriating in being with Lutje again after two and half months!  And sleeping a lot! Is it being almost 76 ?
Just a little drawing to get used to being  back, upstairs, in the studio.  Looking in a shaving mirror on  an easel this is what i saw

Two very rapid ink sketches on paper. Noodlers pen and Noodlers ink

A day or two later, on Facebook, I was nominated by an artist friend, Alison Jacobs, to take up the challenge of producing a black  and white photo a day for five days.  Maybe the drawings above made me take a "selfie" for the first one?

Alison's images are made with her iPad. I have only a little Nexus tablet with no camera facing outwards.  This was made and modified in the nexus,  later I  may use a camera.  I shall probably post them here as well or you can find them on my Facebook page

BACK TO ENGLAND

Back to England tomorrow for a while. As always i have had such a good time in Brussels.  Sadly Lutje is staying here for a few weeks more so i shall have tobe content to picture my muse thus

drawn a few days ago , whilst she seemed to be pretending to be a Matisse painting

The following day  I paid another visit to Parc Parmentier, as ever with my A6 sketch book, and here is a very minimalist view of the lake, now full of water and with beautiful reflections of the trees.

and from the other side of the water, with the sunlight through the trees and off the water

PACKING AND SORTING

Only two working days before I have to return to UK and I am sorting out some of the work I have done this summer,, so that I can make a big parcel and post it back ready for SAW and open studios . It seems really good value via Belgian post. But it does not work the other way and Royal mail!!

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I have just had the normal trauma with brown packing tape. You know how you can't find the end and, when you think you have, it tears and comes off in little icky strips and is just a nuisance?  I realised, just now, that it dates from my last packing session here and that was two summers ago. It is time for a new roll.  So until this afternoon the parcel is sitting looking like this. (two acrylic abstracts and three oil still life)

 I have done a lot of drawings and paintings of fruit and veg which will go in my suitcase. Here are a few

 These, above and below, are in oil on panels 20 x 20 cm 

these are watercolour and pencil, watercolour, and mixed media

I have also done many drawings and the odd painting (very odd!) of myself. I have never before  been into self portraits and it is worrying. I look a bit scary? Is the world ready for this. maybe i shall be braver tomorrow!

I am really looking forward to Art week, so much to do yet.
 Bridgwater potter Lesley Cooper is sharing with me which will be great.  Come and see us!

RENOVATIE

Work  continues over the road. But still we do not know what the new main windows will be like. Another van arrived on Friday and there was much banging and scraping. When it finally left, and the view was clear again, we could see a new door for the garage.  I think we are the only house in the street without a basement garage. Another big difference with England is that there is much excavation involved in house building here and a cave is almost obligatory.  Many of the houses have their principal rooms about half a storey above street level, rather like a London Georgian town house. We however live at ground level

The neighbours cat feels braver with less noise, the workmen are upstairs and, through the windows, we can see tiles going onto the bathroom wall.  After a little investigatory stroll the cat settles down on his doormat - he is in control again.

The cat, like his family,  is an ardent Belgian and, ready for the World Cup which was in full flow when we first arrived here, he hung the national flag from the big projecting bay window of this Art Deco style house and filled the window ledge with abundantly flowering geraniums in the colour of The Red Devils

This sketch is from pavement level. You can see that the cat will have trouble parking his Jaguar tonight, so big is the flag!

once again, fountain pen and water colour on cartridge paper

RENOVATIONS

 Back in February I wrote on the strange diversity of architectural styles here in Belgium and illustrated the blog with a drawing of the two houses opposite us, as seen from our bedroom window.

The house on the right has been empty for about 5 years , you can see the roller shutter down on the right hand ground floor window, and the building has gradually become more and more dilapidated.  A few weeks ago scaffolding appeared and  work started on gutting the interior, and the roof was relaid  with new tiles and lots of insulation.

As the scaffold came down a fortnight ago I mentally kicked myself for not making drawings of the activity.

Yesterday a big van , a HUGE van, appeared and it seemed that new windows would go in

.We had much discussion and we were wondering what kind of windows they might be. We hoped that the slightly off ball, mock Versailles, effect would not be lost.

This morning they were back and whilst we ate breakfast the old windows on the first floor went and, before I could get my sketch book and draw, the high speed workers were fitting new ones.  They were so energetic. Drilling and screwing and leaping up and down like jack in the boxes, (Jacks in the box?)  This quick sketch shows one man drilling and standing on the outside window sill, his mate is admiring their  handiwork and the central , completed, window is shown closed..

In case you are wondering they are dark grey, enamelled aluminium. And as you can see it is another lovely sunny and  warm day, 31 C and very humid.  Tomorrow we may know what they will do with the French windows downstairs.

Al three drawings are made on cartridge paper with a fountain pen and water colour.

CHANGES IN THE PARK?

As I have written here before one of my favourite places in Brussels is Parc Parmentier.  A recent visit was not so comforting.  I found a bit official notice on a hoarding talking of improvements -  a word of which I am always wary.  Some one had pulled the plug!. All the water had gone from both little lakes. No birds, save for a pair of rather confused Egyptian geese; but they always look less intelligent than the native geese!  There was  just very thick, very shiny mud with a little wriggling water course through it.

I seems they are doing long term maintenance. The pools will be cleared of debris, some of the dead trees removed and undergrowth cleared back under the surrounding trees. Long term it will be an improvement but I miss the heron and the coots and the fish, which we are, bi-lingually, forbidden to catch.

This is a quick little sketch in my A6 pocket book. Here is a link to a photo of the view in summer time (use your back button to get back again)

Now the bright light is reflecting off shiny mud rather than water.  The foliage will grow back.

FEELING SEMIDETACHED?

In the UK we are used to our buildings being well mannered and self effacing. We like to"blend in" and are most assertive in insisting that others should blend in with us. What about office suits and school uniforms? We are very proud of our Georgian terraced houses, each perfect in its proportion. Reticent, gentlemanly and reserved, rather than heart on sleeves. If we build pairs of houses they must be twins, share the same genes. Semi detached rather than semi attached?

It is so different in lovely Belgium. Self expression is the thing The oldest buildings are wonderfully extravagant, each stadhuis must have pinnacles and baroque towers, the churches are tall with wonderful towers. Brussels is the spiritual home of Art Nouveau and organically twisting iron work flourishes everywhere. Art Deco is rampant.

And there are no holds barred when you build up against another house. It seems to be compulsory to use different materials and style. Nothing lines up, the scale of each building is a personal choice. It is as if the architects were engaged in a duel and, whilst sometimes it is weird , most of the time it is WONDERFUL!

This is the view from our bedroom window. Every house in the street, and the next street, is different.

As I write this I am thinking I should draw all the  houses in the neighbourhood, some are very fine. It might make a good series?

In case you were wondering our home is a superb Hansel and Gretel fantasy with a steep roof by a Dutch architect;  handmade bricks and wrought iron holding back the shutters, festooned in summer with red roses.  We fit in!

BIRTHDAY FEAST

Last Monday was a big birthday for me and my lovely Lutje arranged a weekend of treats and delights, including surprise visits from family and friends and a superb party last weekend. I may write more about it all later.

Today I want to talk about birthday cards. I was given  hand made cards by the grandchildren and also the delightful Flemish/Greek children of our neighbours.

I want to show you one by Lars, the youngest, comparing it to a painting from the Royal Museum of Fine Art here in Brussels. which we visited the day after my birthday.

A portrait of Opa  by Lars Van Bavel b 2009.  (with St Nicholas' mitre top right?)  I am pleased with his portrayal of an open armed smiling man.

Vragende kinderen  1948  by the Dutch painter, and co founder of the COBRA group, Karel Appel  1921 - 2006

Both of them wonderful I think. Why do children have to lose this spontaneity and looseness as they get older?

Time to do some painting of my own now?  It has been sadly lacking for a few weeks.

A CHANCE TO REFLECT

I just finished, not before time, preparing the material for a talk I am giving about my work to the Somerset Society of Artists.  It has been an enjoyable and enlightening experience; I had forgotten how much there is, even if I don't have photos of lots of it. Is it a comfort that the best work sells?

7.30 pm Taunton Public Library Tuesday 5 November

It made me realise what I enjoy doing and what I should be doing again.

 For instance landscape painting

1991 Greece; pencil and watercolour

1997 Devon; pen and watercolour

2005 Somerset; charcoal and watercolour

August 2013  Brussels; Pentel brush pen and watercolour

and I must keep making abstract work

SUMMER SCHOOL

At lunch it seemed that, inspired by my sketch book, (see previous post), they wanted to go out painting, like REAL artists.  So we did!

We walked to the Park and sat on a wall

We sketched

 

 

and sketched

 

 

a heron came to watch us

 

we sketched some more

 

until we were satisfied

 

and then we walked home

 

That night  Oma and Opa were invited to Private View in their atelier

We were given little slices of pizza and some drinks and then found ourselves invited to bid in an auction of art work.  It seems the entrepeneurial spirit thrives!