Antique tourist postcards of the Grand'Place often feature the flower market but in black & white. So I thought it would be fun to dream up a color version. Yet I had to push myself to work through all the architecture. I think I'll take a break from painting buildings next time.
"Marché aux Fleurs"
24x30cm oil on canvas
Another in my series of paintings inspired by antique postcards... I enjoy recreating the ambiance from back then. Look at all the well-dressed people hanging out in the middle of the street with their hats on. What would they be wearing today? Chamonix is a winter resort in the French Alps but the umbrellas may indicate they were expecting rain or possibly summer sun so it must be off-season. As I started to paint and examine the details more closely I was surprised to see there was a couple embracing in the center. The women on the left seemed to be wearing the same outfit so I imagined that they were working in the hotel to the right and gave them a blue and white uniform. What are they gossiping about with the woman in a brown coat?
In the background, what appears to be a white river coming down the mountain is a glacier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mer_de_Glace
"La Mer de Glace, circa 1920"
24x30cm oil on canvas
Started the next "virtual hike" today. It's happening on Australia's Great Ocean Road via Google Street View: Virtual Hike Australia
I have lots of spots picked out because the Street View photos are so full of detail and color this time. Here's one where you can see the leaves of the foliage on the side of the road: My Street View link
"November in Australia"
20x20cm oil on canvas
Marla Laubisch is launching a new virtual painting project called "Virtual Hike" (see her blog). This month Paris is her location so I decided to join in. You find a spot you like in Google Street View, paint it, and then send her the image along with the Google link and your blog link. Let's try it out...
Here's my tiny oil painting of "La Rotonde" in the 6th arrondissement. Looks about how I remember it. Also it's great seeing how bicycle-friendly the city has become since my student days there. Makes me want to go back and visit.
"La Rotonde"
oil on 15x15cm canvas
Wishing everyone a happy and creative 2025! We started the year off with some Tetra Pak printing fun. In my postcard above I carefully etched out "Happy New Y" backwards so it would print correctly. Then, of course, typically: I signed in a hurry... backwards! The later version eliminated the mistake:
Tetra Pak print "Happy New Y"
15x10cm postcard paper
Inktober preoccupied many artists last month. The annual challenge suggests 31 prompts to draw in ink every day in October. You can find out more about it at Inktober.com. This time, I thought it would be a great way to try out my Sennelier colored inks. But some days I'd just stick to black in order to keep up. Also I decided to draw on postcard paper for a change. So now I've got a bunch of postcards to put in the mail. I had some positive comments regarding that idea. I wonder if others will make postcards next year. In fact there's an Inktober52 group for anyone who wants to make this a weekly habit.
Find my complete set in this Flickr album: My Inktober Album.
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| "Bloemen" 15x15cm, oil on canvas panel (private collection, Brussels) |
My exhibit at the Parvis Saint-Pierre in Uccle in front of the church:
Sunday 18 August 2024 from 9h30 to 13h00 (Morning only)
Several bus lines or trams 92 or 4 will get you there. The stop is "Heros".
NB: If it rains the event is cancelled.
The complete schedule for "Place à l'Art!" is listed on the Uccle website: Uccle Culture: Place à l'art 2024.
"Ostende à la Belle Epoque"
24x30cm, oil on canvas
Continuing with my postcard theme, I took a stab at recreating a scene from an antique postcard of Ostend (bought at the Jambes Sunday flea market). I wanted to convert the stiff B&W photo into a sketchy oil painting with dabs of colorful paint: a fun challenge.
If, like me, you are wondering about copyrights on these old photos, here is a link that explains it: copyrights & old pc's. So that's good news and it opens up a whole new area for me to explore.
The 2024 open studios days in Namur take place during two weekends in March:
March 16th and 17th
March 23rd and 24th
Some 500 artists will open their studios or show their work in shops, galleries, churches, cafés, etc.
The Interactive Map and the full catalog is now on line: Carte et Catalogue
You'll find me by searching my name in the "Catalogue Chambres avec vues - Partie 1 : Namur", or on the Interactive Map.
We'll be open from 11h00 to 18h00.
See you there!
 | Catherine Hale likes |
| Catherine Hale likes |
