Eva in the bath, 22×20 cm, >Pastell, 2010In France, Eva made some really nice poses a la Degas in the bathroom. Everyone had taken loads of photos. From mine I have picked some I would like to turn into pastels.
It’s really enriching to do the figurative work besides my landcapes. One of the reasons is, that my approach considering the technique and colors, is quite different compared to my landcapes.
© Astrid Volquardsen, 2010
On our first day in Wales it was pouring with rain. What else, he? Anyway, we got kind of an idea how beautiful this country must be.
Along the coastline you there are some splended beaches. Some of them will be flooded by the rising tide. At this area of Southwales the tidal range can be up to 9 meters!
I did a quick sketch and later back home in my studio some colorstudies. I’m back to Whistler sooner than I thought I would be.
Three Cliffs Bay III, 8×20 cm, Pastell, 2010
Three Cliffs Bay II, 10×17 cm, Pastell, 2010
Three Cliffs Bay III, 10×17 cm, Pastell, 2010
© Marc Volquardsen
At the Tate Britain in London works of the british painter William Turner are shown. In a special room they explain how his printing technique as well as his color palette had changed over the years. In his early works he used organic and mineral pigments and when later the industrie introduced new pigments he used them too. I very much liked a display, where they showed how his colors had changed during his travels, especially after he had visited Germany and Italy.
The best thing probably was a set up, like the students used to copie Turners work in the 19th centuary. The visitors are invited to do the same. Somehow cool to sit in front of one of Turners originals drawings and copie them.
Sketch, Ink & Aquarell,
The last weeks we were in England and Wales to go camping and hiking. The first couple of days were spent in London where we did find a lovely camping site. Also lovely were our camping comrades, very cute and as we found out later, bold squirrels.
© Marc Volquardsen
On the campsite were signs which pointed out that the squirrels loooove food and that it shouldn’t be left in the tents. We took care of that but were somehow foolish regarding our chocolate spread. One day we found the glass opened, half emptied and the other half spread accross the tent. ( I wonder if that is the reason why it’s called chocolate spread…?)
Our Dutch camping neighbours told us, that they saw them the other day escaping with their bred.
The campsite had also put up a warning that the foxes who roame around, love shoes. We took that one very serouisly…
© Astrid Volquardsen
© Astrid Volquardsen
As I looked trough my photos of Paris, these ones catched my eye again. I’m not exactly a shopping girl, but this interior of the department store Lafayette even impressed me. And now imagine a women dressed in the gown shown below. Degas can’t be far away!
Farbimpression, 10×17 cm, Pastell, 2010
Another color impression. The more often I do it, the more I do enjoy it.
© Astrid VolquardsenSomeone told me that women can spend days with shoe shopping. Well, I definately don’t belong to that kind. Speaking of pastels, this is a completly different story. In a shopping frenzy I bought this set of Terrages Green by Diane Tonwsend. When I opened the box I wondered, what had gotton into myself. Usually these are not my favourite colors. Since my workshop with Margaret Dyer I am much more relaxed when it comes to bright colors and Richard McKinley once wrote, that sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone. In the end it was Lorinn Signori who dispelled my doubts. She compared painting to cooking:
»2 cups seeing
stir in 1 1/2 cups feeling
when the bubbles rise, sprinkle liberally with harmony
Taste
And then drizzle with insight.«
So, I guess I bought some new ingrediants and I’m curious how these spices might influence my future cooking.