Last Sketch in Holland

Before leaving Den Haag on Tuesday morning, I decided to try another sketch of my aunt and uncle's view north, this time in my sketchbook (the Pentallic sketchbook has better paper than the canson from the previous sketch.  It's pentallic and Arches in the future for me...)

This is more detail painting than I usually do, and it's also a different approach to painting trees.  A bit like cotton balls, but I like them, and they are so prominent in this view.  

I also switched from using aureolin to new gamboge to mix with sap green for the trees, which I like better.  The trees have 4 layers of color to give a sense of light--a light wash of new gamboge mixed with sap green, 2 slightly heavier layer of the same colors on the left side of trees adding cobalt the second time, to finally mixing with some ultramarine blue, which I'm starting to use more and more on this trip.

I think I'm going to paint the boat on the left side bright red!

A good memory of a wonderful trip. The painting seems to feel as hot and sunny as it was in Den Haag!  xoxoxo

Den Haag from my aunt and uncle's window. Click on the image to see it larger.

Weekend in Holland with family

This past weekend, I went to Holland to visit family where we celebrated my Aunt Ingrid's birthday and also the birthday of my cousin Paula's daughter, who turned 3.  It was so wonderful to see them all!!  Spent a lovely afternoon on the beach at Scheveningen with my cousin Cecilia and her family too.  All in all, much too little time with loved ones.

Below are two sketches I did while in Holland--

this sketch is the view from my aunt and uncle's apartment in central Den Haag.  It's a beautiful view looking north to rooftops, church steeples, and a canal below.  And yes, occasionally cars trying to park along the canal fall in!  

I left this sketch for my aunt and uncle.  It took forever to do, and I think I have to stop using the canson paper, as it is too mushy...can't manipulate the paint as I'd like.

This sketch was done near my cousin Paula's home north of Amsterdam, a beautiful wetland area.  Where I sat to sketch is literally a field of grass and roots floating on water!  It's mushy to walk on, and if you jump up and down, the ground bounces underneath...very strange sensation...

Cecilia and Sjoerd (who is a wonderful professional photographer, by the way),
your sketch comes later!