Cape Cod Lighthouses, Landscapes and a Portrait

During the seventies I painted pretty much every lighthouse on Cape Cod. We had a yellow 4 wheel drive jeep back then and were free to drive over the beach and through the dunes with a pass from the National Seashore. We would drive from Truro along the Atlantic coast all the way out to Lands End in Cape Cod bay.




We call this the "Secret Valley". It was just around the bluff from our beach and we did some of our best beachplum picking there. The first painting hangs in Coert's house and is scene from the valley looking back to an abandond beachhouse on the dune. The following two paintings are in the valley itself where the colors in the shrubs always blew me away.


This painting I found after having posted last week. It is another view of the meadow between Stone's mansion and Stephen Phillips Road. Look at the dune....
This is a portrait of my daughter, Cornalijn.

From Tradition to Prehistory

While in The Netherlands, just about a week ago now, we sometimes had a evening treat called “Advocaat”. Dutch tradition is to eat this alcoholic beverage with a spoon from a small glass. Today I made a batch….. Here’s the recipe:

• 12 eggs
• 400 gr sugar
• Two tablespoons of vanilla
• 1/2 quart of Brandewijn ( as this is hard to find here in the USA brandy or rum will be a good option, spiced rum even better.)

Break the eggs one by one into a bowl and beat them until smooth. Pour through a sieve and mix once more…. You want this really fine and creamy. Add the sugar while mixing the egg mass and then pour in the alcohol.

Warm the mixture in a double boiler (au bain marie) and keep stirring. Your “product” will start to thicken at about 140 degrees. When the foam is all gone the Advocaat is ready.
Allow it to cool, stirring occasionally.

Advocaat is traditionally served in little glasses, a little larger than a shot glass, topped with whipped cream and eaten with a little spoon (like one of those souvenir spoons).
That is the way it was done when I was growing up.
You might try using it as a pastry filling...
Whatever you do with it, it is delicious.

Paintings this week areTraci from the Nursery and John my neighbour in Native headdress, he collects these artefacts.

Last but not least a photo Coert sent me of a pot he made. He has been interested in prehistoric European “Linear Pottery” for so long he has started making replicas, firing them in an outdoor pit.

I Pose for the Painting Group

Last week, for some reason, there was no model available for our painting group in Princeton.
I volunteerd.... Below you can see the results:

Princeton portrait group having an exhibit

Our Portrait group exhibit in Southbridge Jacob Edwards library will open April 3. The portraits will hang there for the whole month. We are very exited about this because it is not often that we are invited to show our portraits, painted in Princeton. I entered Coert's last portrait, worked a bit more on it, and feel it is starting to look like him.I will not be going to the opening on April 3 , Because I will be traveling to a tropical country !!!! Suriname!!!!. Nobody seems to know where it is, that is why I am adding a map. Once there, I will be visiting my cousin Riet. We used to be pals, our mothers were sisters. We have not seen each other since I was twelve, and she was sixteen. It was a little over a year ago that we found each other back, via the internet. SOOO exiting!!!! To get to Suriname from here I have to change planes in New York, than in Port of Spain Trinidad, than to Paramaribo. I will arrive the same day at 11.45 pm. Riet promised to pick me up. Hope we recognize each other. I will not be "Blogging " till I come back, by April 16th . maybe some photo's.

Grotere kaart weergeven

Coert 's visit

During Coert's visit he posed for the Portrait group in Princeton, and here are the paintings made that day.

In the eyes of the beholder

As you all know I go to Princeton every Tuesday. I go to Princeton to paint a portrait together with the Princeton Portrait group. One of us has to bring a model. That is not easy. Usually you have two or three turns a year. We paint from 9 to12, after twenty minutes we take a break and after some breaks we have coffee and cookies. The person who brought the model also has to provide for the coffee-break snacks. Sometimes they are very fancy home made pastries fruit, cheese, etc. and sometimes they are just doughnut holes. I have gained 10 pounds during my six year membership. Some weeks ago I took pictures of many of the portraits and the artist who painted it. Also of the model. As you can see, we all have a different view of the model.... The works are the view (eye) of the beholder.
First, of course, is my own picture:
Next is Milton, scroll down for more.

Here are Dave and Elly.
























Sharon Bahosh and Merry's work... Sharon will be having an solo-exhibit at the Rockport Art Association this March. Be sure to have a look at her wonderful work!





























Last but not least the famous Sid Soloman. See the side-bar right for a link to his site.

Painting together with PAS

Still haven't got the date on my camera under control.... But anyway. This week was the first time that the painting group came together since the holidays, we had a lot to tell eachother.
Sid Solomon (seated above center with "white"coat) is having an exhibit of is locally painted landscapes, portraits and still-lifes at the Worcester Jewish Community Center. The opening will be Sunday, January 13, from 2-4pm.
We painted Lynn Wrona's granddaughter, Sarah, today. She was a great model. I also signed Coert up to pose for us on February 26th. I'm counting on him to plan his trip home around posing and cutting firewood..

Tuesday's in Princeton

As you know I go to Princeton every Tuesday to paint with a group of artists. We take turns bringing a model every week and that is not as easy as it sounds. We paint during working hours and the model has to be able to climb stairs as our "studio" is on the second floor of the old Princeton Center Building. I was thinking to post the painting I make on Tuesday from now on. Here are two to start with, these ladies work at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Donna Damien is a medical office administrator.

And Regina Roberto is a nurse practitioner.

Disposal of the Thanksgiving Turkey Carcass

Spent much of today working on my grandson Christiaan's portrait. My cold is subsiding, last day on antibiotics.
When Peter went to the dumpster across the street, to get rid of the Thanksgiving turkey carcass, the goats and sheep had followed him without him realizing. It was so funny. He walked across the street with the three dogs and it was not until he was way away that he saw the herd coming up behind him. The goats and sheep are often running around loose now because they can not do much harm in the garden and they like to graze the lawn and eat the fallen leaves. The pictures are taken on Peter's way back home.
Hunting season has started and yesterday the first hunter was shot in Warren. We have four deer in the backyard according to Joe the logger. It won´t be long before they come in for birdseed fallen from the feeder.

How the Granddaughter works the Grandmother

I had Coert on the phone this afternoon.... He hadn't shown Dana her portrait. During our talk Dana asked to speak to me when Coert and I were done. It turns out she had seen my last post and knew the painting was finished..... she put the screws to me arguing that she had already seen part of the portrait and just could not wait to see the finished painting... and she is my oldest grandchild... and they were talking about art at school... and this would be just soooo perfect - and... and... and then the meltdown. I agreed to e-mail her a photo. In the meantime Dana had gotten Coert into action and he brought up the picture I had mailed to him. Dana was breathless.
I had lent my camera to J.D. Now that I see this post I see that we somehow changed the the time/date setting.... This photo was taken on the 21st of November.

Portrait of my granddaughter

I finished the portrait of Dana yesterday.... I think it came out well and Dana's parents, Dorri and Coert, are very pleased. However, because the painting turned out to be more than a portrait of the little girl I'll only post this preview of the finished painting until she has seen it herself for real.

Two Portraits and a Party:

Here a picture of Diana Day next to the painting she is giving to her husband Ken for their anniversary. She posed for the painting in Princeton at the paint-group. Diana bought the vintage dress especially for the sitting. Since she now has the dress we, her friends in the neighborhood, decided we are all going to get a vintage dress and have a vintage Chrismas party.
The second painting is Sam Lipson, a long time friend. We both took our lifeguard course together way back in 1975. Sam is going to give his painting as a Christmas gift.
We had a nice cocktail party yesterday.... It turned into more of a suprise dinner party. I had baked a leg of lamb, mashed potatoes, gravy and peas. Linda Rochford made two pies, apple and cherry. It was a surprise for everyone that came. There were ten of us. Kind of a good thing that some of the regulars didn't show because we barely fit around the tables (I had a little table pushed up against the big dining room table). We all had a good time. While the women washed the dishes they all tried my quince liqueur. It should be ripe by Thanksgiving but it's pretty much gone now.

After Glow: Moving on....

I mentioned yesterday to my son Coert how this project has taken more out of me than I had expected. The build-up went fine but the organization of the exhibit and especially the opening, that wonderful opening, took it's toll. Added to all this excitement was the (short) visit of Peter's brother Anne and his wife Feli from Brussels. I needed a few days just to recuperate!
My friend Paul Gunnerson sent some photos he had taken of the exhibit. Lets use them to close this project down. It has been a wonderful experience for me and up to now I haven't heard of anyone who did not want their portrait.... As a matter of fact most of them have been framed by Cliff before leaving the store.

After Glow: the embers

Mixed feelings today. On the one hand still elated that my work was so well recieved and the opening was a success. On the other a touch of the "empty nest" because I had gotten used to looking at thirty-some portraits strewn about my studio these past months. The question arises: what's the next project? I'll need a couple of days to think about that.
Last night I had a nice long talk on the phone with my favorite daughter in law, Dorri. We talked about pretty much everything..... coming of couse to the grandchildren Dana and Christiaan. Dorri told me that their school had posted photos of the children. Look here for Dana, hit your back button and click here for Christiaan.

After Glow.... the first one.

Yes, the first one because I'm going to milk it. Here are two pictures:
the first one we'll call "the big Hug". Yes, that's me.


the second is "the wall of faces".

The official photographer, Cornalijn, has posted about 100 pics in her Kodak Gallery... Try to get at it by clicking here. If this link isn't hot please let me know via the comments..... I have an account at Kodak Gallery that automatically logs me in so I'll need this feedback to keep the ball rolling.

People of Tatnuck, finally the Show!

I'm very very happy, all rosey.... "I couldn't sleep at all last night". The opening was a big success. Everybody came to see. Old friends, neighbors of course but also the mayor of Worcester, Ms. Konstantina Lukes. In the guestbook she wrote: "wonderful, portraits of friends and neighbors, Worcester's best assets". Another, I couldn't decifer his name, wrote: "art that makes so many people happy truly shows the joy of art".

The Worcester Telegram ran an item in the local news with a picture larger than I would have expected. Try and see it here.

Thanks to all the people that helped plan, cater, serve and photograph this evening was such a success.

Here's a picture of the crowd that filled the store "Framed in Tatnuck".
On the left you'll see my daughter, Cornalijn, working the skycam. In the middle you can just see my grandson Daniel... it was all a bit crowded for him. On the right, in the dark blue shirt, one of the two responsible for serving refreshments. Kenny Day.... with his hands empty!
The second of many to follow is of Mr. Gunnerson, president of the Tatnuck Association, sitting right in the middle of Tatnuck Square.
You can click on the pictures for a larger view.
There will be more in the days to come..... We'll call it the After Glow.

the Sales Pitch

It has often been suggested that I should do more to promote the sale of my work. The truth of the matter is that most of what I want to sell has been sold, although there are still a number of unique urns in my barn and paintings in my studio. My primary motivation, as stated in my profile, is "art for the art of it". But hey, you want me to paint something for you? Let me know. I work on commission and a 3 x 5 inch, or 9 x 15 cm photo is all I need if the subject for whatever reason can't sit in my studio. An old photo, a new one or one of your house, whatever. If you see something you like on these pages, again, let me know we can talk.

People of Tatnuck Sneak Preview 2

The clock is running, excitement is mounting and the preperations for the opening are well underway. We expect at least 100 people for the opening of the weeklong exhibit. To tell you the truth I am getting a little nervous. Maybe I should have my hair done. For more details about the show you can see the first "sneak preview" or see the page at Framed in Tatnuck.
Anyway, the painting above is of Bobby Anderson, owner of the Tatnuck Fish Market. He always brings me bluefish when it is in season. The painting below is of Mr. Smeagle in front of one if his brightly colored trucks. He's the man we call whenever we clean out our barn.