I’ll be sharing a lot of eye candy over the next couple months! Enjoy!
The Van Gogh Museum
This is what the Van Gogh Museum looks like from the outside:
As for the inside, the magnificent Vincent, here is the first sign. A recommended read for all the artists (including you, authors) who read this blog. For everyone who follows this blog because life is an art and you can apply lessons from great artists to everything, from cooking to your boring day job.
Eye candy: Keukenhof Gardens series 18
More flowers for you today! Happy Hump Day as we call Wednesday here in the USA.
Eye candy: Keukenhof Gardens series 17
I call this one Symphony of Colors. Enjoy!
Goosed! Rijksmuseum series 4, give-away, and 5 more author questions
If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’m going to start using a tripod for my museum photos with a goal of doing a lot better job for you. But check out this magnificent painting at the Rijks:
When I was in Amsterdam, I spent a lot of time on the houseboat doing digital painting (using a Bamboo digitizer and the Corel Painting Essentials software that came with it.) Here are the window I gazed out at from the dining room where I worked, my notes on the RGB numbers for the painting I was working on and the life drawing pose from the e-book of poses I bought.
Painting, digital or otherwise is what I would call very difficult. (In the department of understatement, that.) I’ve abandoned all hope but my friends gave me a very unique suggestion that I never would have thought of on my own. Do art and piano as a way to relax, have fun and creatively rejuvenate. Instead of having goals. Wow. Okay, after hearing this alternative approach, I must admit, I’m excited to start fiddling around with these things again. I don’t have to achieve anything; I can just enjoy myself.
Here’s an example from a grand master. Check out the eye in this closeup of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.
I answered questions 15 – 18 today at Long and Short Reviews. What is something you’ve lied about? What are 4 things you couldn’t live without? Which mythological creature are you most like? Create an ice cream flavor. What’s it called? Have fun, and good luck with the raffle!
Eye candy: Keukenhof Gardens series 16, give-away today and more answers, Long and Short Reviews anniversary party
We’re doing questions 11 – 14 today on Long and Short Reviews. For some reason I didn’t answer the “What physical attribute do you find most sexy and why?” question but there are some fun answers there! And, of course, the raffle. Good luck!
Eye candy: Keukenhof Gardens May 2013 series, 15
Where I am today, it’s way too smoky from a giant forest fire to give you new photos today, so here’s some beauty from the vault.
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, series 3 (Rembrandt)
My mother once told me that when she saw Rembrandt’s prints, she wanted to become a printmaker. She would talk rapturously about drypoint and other printmaking techniques. When I was in Amsterdam this spring, I enjoyed seeing the originals of this printmaking master who influenced my mother to dedicate her artistic career to printmaking.
This print captivated me because when you look at it closely you can see all the little lines and hash marks he used to make the dark areas and realize they were all scratched into a copper plate. My mother also spent time explaining to me the importance of knowing the light source when you are drawing and of course all the masters portray light source perfectly, but this print in particular impressed me because of the precision in showing where the light would fall and reflect and then rendering that by scratching lines into copper!
This next one is gorgeous in person and I apologize for the blurriness. I have to work harder at getting steady shots in museums without flash. This room wasn’t busy so I could have used a tripod.
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn
etching drypoint, and burin, 1643
This is the largest landscape that Rembrandt ever etched and the most painterly in execution. The low-lying sun, which shines from the right, enhances the dramatic effect, just like the storm dissipating at the left. The location is unclear, but may be somewhere along the Zuiderzee.
When I was between jobs in San Francisco, my mom told me about a part time job at Fort Mason Printmakers. I applied and landed the job so I was able to work there for about a half year. This time gave me a chance to hang out with her and a bunch of artists, the printmakers, painters, and ceramicists, which I loved.
Here is a picture of the printmaking room at Fort Mason:
The day at the Rijksmuseum did me in. At the end of the day, I noticed pain in my hip that turned into a big case of tendinitis that laid me up for the rest of the stay. Being confined to the houseboat was nice, though, as I could look straight out at the canal from the bed while I spent a contemplative time drawing and painting on my Bamboo (a digital art pad). During this time, my mother passed away. I was grateful to feel so connected to her and felt that she was there with me enjoying Rembrandt.
Here are some posts about my mom:
Where it all Began (Mom’s in the first picture. Dad too.)
Beauty at the Beauty Salon (My mom is in the last photo, in the mirror, just a couple months before she passed away.)
Flowers for my mom: Keukenhof Gardens May 2013 series, 1 (I started my Keukenhof Gardens series for her.)
Yesterday, I planted some flowers on her grave:
Nicci Carrera 