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Maman, regarde! (Mum, look!), Gouache, 20×20, Astrid Volquardsen, 2021

It was a long time ago, but I remember it clearly as if it were yesterday.
It was a hot day outside the Louvre in Paris and we were waiting to be admitted to the Musee de l‹Orangerie. ( Claude Monet’s infamous works of water lily paintings are on display there).
Time to pay attention to what was happening around me. Immediately this girl caught my eye. She was playing in the sand, lost in thought, only to jump up with a leap and shout »Maman, regarde!« ( Mum, look!) to draw attention to her treasure.

In May 2013 (my God it was a long time ago) I was sitting in the portico of Westminster Abbey’s cloister. It was so quiet and secluded from car traffic there, interrupted only by the bustle of the Westminster Abbeys Choir. One look from the choirmaster and the three boys immediately fell silent and then disappeared into a side entrance.

Devoutly I sat there listening to their singing through the cloister wall.

To all my readers I wish a happy and reflective Christmas.

Backlight, Guoache, 2ox2o cm, Astrid volquardsen

It was a hot day with blue skies as the woman stepped out of the National Gallery. The difference in lighting could not have been greater: The subdued light inside the Gallery and outside in the backlight.
This motif was created long before the pandemic.

The Determinater, Guoache, Astrid Volquardsen, 2020

  Well, who is the winner here? Red against blue, blue against red? Above all, I was fascinated by the posture. Let’s hope they have settled well.