Auction

A few days ago someone told me that a painting by my hand titled "Woman with hat" is going to be sold this month at auction house Korst & Van der Hoef in Den Bosch.
I could not remember what painting it was. Fortunately I could check an online cathalogue and there it was...

Of course I immediately recognized the little portrait I painted in 1980 of Rita who happened to be my girlfriend at that time. My relationship with her had not lasted very long. Mainly due to the fact that a gruesome experience in her past had caused an alcohol problem that appeared to be too serious for me to handle in the long run.

The painting is interesting not only because I painted it while being in love, but also because it is in fact the very first portrait I painted. And it was not bad at all.

Plein Air Landscape Painting

View At Stokkum
1992
oil on canvas
19,5 x 68,5 cm

This panoramic landscape was painted in the summer of 1992 during a trip through the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. The painting was done at location using a wet-on-wet painting technique. It took me about three hours to complete it. This kind of painting is also called "alla prima" and requires a bold and direct brush stroke.

After returning at our camp I left the painting in the tent to dry. A friend threw his jacket by accident on the wet paint. The lower part of the painting that showed a cornfield was ruined beyond repair. Later I decided to cut the painting and gave it its actual oblong format. Fortunately the painting looked much more interesting than before. I am still grateful for the stupid accident.

I sold it together with some other paintings to the Consul-General of Brazil, Mr. Vasconcelos, who had found his way to my studio.