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!

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

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.

.

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

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.