Black on Grey on White

Who else will nod in sympathy when I admit to finding organising memorable Birthday parties tough? Finding that cool weather proof party idea, (one that has not been done a million times), a great venue (yep house is too small), something that's not too hard on the already pulled to a max time frame or thin wallet is somewhat of a challenge. This year the "party mission" grew in difficulty: number one daughter has now reached the grand old age of tweenhood... Totally unsure in how to proceed, I turned to what I know best and where many of my problems and solutions lie: art. Success: the Kunstmuseum in Bonn organises a number of different (fantastic) birthday workshops! Having Max Ernst  (1891-1976) turn up (well his legacy ) and lend his ever trendy talented approach to surrealism and art was magic. The girls rolled up their sleeves, got chatting & laughing. Submerged themselves in a world made their own by the simple use of wire, plaster and creativity. ...

With each new winter, my right hand slows down just that wee bit more. Decades of "poo shoveling" and hard outdoor equine management is starting to take it's toll on my joints - more importantly my right hand. I'm not too worried (strong images of work produced by Renoir while crippled by arthritis remind me of what can be achieved when the passion is strong!) Knowing that I am not the only artist relying on a fully functional, mobile hand, I would like to share my home remedies of how I try to overcome and beat the frustration of drawing with a slow, overworked hand. A big chunky hard-wearing mug filled to the max with piping hot water is held a few minutes. This is too let the heat seep in and warm-up the whole of my hand. The warmth generated helps to relax it and get a better grip of my pencil. Bliss. Once the warmth is in deep, I move on to a few warm- up exercises. Circles of all shapes and sizes are sketched on scrap paper. Paying special attention that they...

You have to study a great deal to know a little . ~Baron de Montesquieu ~ Deep down we most of us have a thirst for knowledge and learning. Mine never seems to be quenched and ends up turning regularly (sometimes daily) to several sources. Here are the main influences that serve me with inspirational, incredibly wise and inspired drinks. Leonardo da Vinci and Peter Paul Rubens to the legacy they left us. The TED ideas worth spreading website. Alyson Stanfields' Artbiz coach website and book "I'd rather be in the Studio". Seth Godin's blog Robert Genn's Painter Keys and last but not least life itself. To all of them I raise a glass of Christmas cheer!

Mid 2008 saw me discover an unforgettable artist. Ilya Repin. For days, my mind pondered on how I could do justice to such a master using words, my words. In all my wisdom, it then struck me … I couldn't! A master’s work (just like any other piece of art) has to be seen and savoured by each of us, individually. I did feel, however, up to the challenge of introducing him, of putting down a few stepping stones allowing my readers to approach and tread, for a few minutes at least, a world well worth glimpsing into. My intermediaries of preference were: pertinent facts, images, explanations, useful Internet links and one or two personal comments. So here is once again an open door to Ilya Repin ’s world which I hope you will experience with the same awe and respect as I have. Why have I chosen to stand on the threshold of Repins ’ world? His talent will blow you away! Repin is still not known well enough in the West despite being Russia’s greatest 19 th century painter – despite...

The Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist (c. 1499–1500)— National Gallery, London What if I told you Leonardo was just like most of us? I have a brick. A solid intense very researched 786 page brick. A brick published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2003. A brick entitled " Leonardo da Vinci Master Draftsman ". A stunning solid 3.5kg (7.71617 lbs) volume requiring strong arms and an ounce of time to open and read. Somehow I found both. Started reading this amazing volume on the master only to get to page 4 and discover " Even during his lifetime, his inability to finish projects was legendary". As many of you know Leonardo is one of my favorite masters. Turning to him for advice in drapery , learning from his sketching and often tuning in on his philosophical wisdom for inspiration and guidance. ( ie : Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication .~Leonardo da Vinci~) What a beautiful discovery to find that he, like so many of us, had hundreds ...

"Self Portrait" Adolph von Menzel 1815-1905 The week-ends always do this: knock me for six. I know they are coming. I know their speed. I brace myself, hunch down, tuck my elbows in ... tight and wait for impact! Never fails: the impact gets me wobbling off balance rocking back and forth like a pin, sometimes worse... This Monday morning balance has been regained. This is what helped. Reading about the work of the Master draftsman Adolf Menzel in the latest issue of Drawing Magazine. (Highly informative and insightful article written by Ephraim Rubenstein .) The discovery of his work is sobering (despite wanting to drink it all in the hope of gaining a portion of his knowledge) . The execution of his work is stunning, the ease at which handles his pencils and paints to be envied and his mastery of light and form spot on. His work quite simply has to be shared. "Living Room with artist's Sister" Adolph von Menzel, 1847 "Balcony Room" Adolph von Menz...

One of my vivid summer memories comes in form of a neoclassical sculpture. Discreetly posed ( in Brussels' Royal Art Museum ) between Jacques Louis David's Death of Marat and the grandiose works of Rubens , "Le Deluge", by Matthieu Kessels, stopped me in my tracks. Hypnotised, I circled this work of art. Encompassing every detailed fold, hair and muscle. Desperately trying not to intrude on the intimate pain so present. Unable to look away. A sculpture so powerful and beautiful its image burned my memory . The strong balanced composition, the fluidity of the lines, the interwoven movement, the raw pain, the simple drama all quite simply... set in stone. Mathieu Kessels was born in Maastricht on the 20 May 1784, he died in Rome in on the 3rd of March 1836. A sculptor with a low profile but incredibly hypnotic works. ( b Maastricht, 20 May 1784; d Rome, 3 March 1836). Flemish sculptor. He gave up his apprenticeship as a goldsmith in Venlo to attend the Ecole des B...

Newsflash!!! (For all Magritte fans this is pretty major! ) 2500 m 2 . 5 levels. World's largest collection of the 20th century's most important Belgian painter. The world reference centre for knowledge about Magritte. 650,000 visitors expected yearly. The Altenloh Ho tel Brussels. Front of Museum covered with a hoarding during the restoration. Impressive figures. Impressive artist. René François Ghislain Magritte (1898-1967) On June the 2nd 2009, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, in collaboration with the Magritte Foundation and the support of GDF SUEZ and the Régie des Bâtiments, will proudly open (and rightly so) the “ Musée Magritte Museum ”. Rene Magritte was born on the 21st of November 1898, in Lessine Belgium. Dying, in Brussels, 69 years later: on the 15th of August 1967, victim of pancreatic cancer. Magritte considered his work to be an attack on society's preconceived ideas, a permanent revolt against the banal -the common place. Below a sprinkling o...

"Elephant" . Albertina, Vienna. Black Chalk, 230x340 mm by Rembrandt in 1637. "A woman Sleeping". Brush and Wash in Bistre, 245x203 mm by Rembrandt in about 1655. Have you ever wondered who this lady actually is and (now) what the link could be with the elephant? Both are rendered by Rembrandt back in the 17th century, and through pure coincidence, I discovered who Rembrandt sketched sleeping back in 1655. This beautiful figure is very likely Hendrickje Stoffels, Rembrandt's second wife and mother to his daughter Cornelia (born in 1654). The original can be seen in the British Museum in London. Last week, a nasty virus (our youngest was its victim) kept me away from crossing my studio's threshold but luckily not from catching up on some long overdue reading. One of the books I picked up and couldn't put down was: "Rembrandt Drawings - 116 Masterpieces in Original Color" . 2007, Dover Publications, Inc. Mineola, New York. I loved it. This hardc...