Vegetal still life vs portrait

Vegetal colours

Number two of four exercises before I start working on my next portrait in my series of tributes on heptagonal carriers. I was so pleased with this one that I not only signed the painting but also framed it. I wanted to practice two things in particular: working with Alkyd paint and with colors. After… Continue reading Vegetal still life vs portrait

Trump’s logical VP-choice

Kari Lake

The run-up to the US presidential election is longer and weirder than ever. Shortly before Marjorie Taylor Greene announced that Joe Biden’s impeachment would go ahead, reports surfaced about who President Trump will choose as the running mate for the election that will take place in a year and a half. Remarkably, those two issues… Continue reading Trump’s logical VP-choice

Painting, varnishing and printing

JKRowling and George Orwell

I forgot to mention in the clip that I am not applying the final varnish here. On a traditional painting the final varnish is applied at least a year after completing the actual painting. This blogpost is about ‘retouching varnish’. This varnishing creates unity in the painting, especially by reducing differences in tarnishness. I call… Continue reading Painting, varnishing and printing

Churchill and a pantomime baddie

I never heard that expression before: ‘pantomime baddie’. About half a year ago it already became clear to me that I was going to cancel my membership of the International Churchill Society. Another half year earlier I became a member after finding out what a great source of information it provided (see both ’embedded links’… Continue reading Churchill and a pantomime baddie

Victims of a Magnificent Conspiracy

Beautiful part of ongoing conspiracy? The tweet reads "on our way to the Zuiderpark".

Every second of every day somewhere in the world a new conspiracy, big or small, is being hatched while work on others is being continued.Recently I was one of the many victims of a magnificent conspiracy. The conspiracy involved a farmers protest in my home country on March 11, 2023. A protest against a policy… Continue reading Victims of a Magnificent Conspiracy

Perfection, beauty & shifting perspectives

Perfectionism and beauty

Perfection can’t be wrong, can it? But perfectionism, obsession? Surely any form or degree of OCPD (Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder) is bad isn’t it? Ordering my cutlery drawer this way started a couple of months ago. I gave the pair of scissors a very precise place in the drawer: not only in its own compartment, but… Continue reading Perfection, beauty & shifting perspectives