Another two rooms ready! It is a lot of work! But fun work!
The dog is symbol for how faithful Monet stayed to his idea’s about painting (catching the light) even though he often struggled with painting on location (when weather or seasons change). The card with the words Bonne Anneé (happy birthday) is such a romantic card. I’m not sure, but I believe Monet was a romantic person. He wrote very loving words in his letters to Alice (his second wife).
The second room is a room with a lot of symbols.
There is a frame (for all the paintings Monet made) with the leg of the man on the postcard in the other room. I really don’t know what that mean? Can you think of something?
The flowers again, waterlilies in the pond on the wall on the right and on the round box. the writing on the floor and on the teabag. The key for the time he had found the key to success. He was lucky to be successful at the end of his live! The feather for his spirituality: wanting to catch the light. And you see the third curved tube. What is going on there? Is it for gas? For water? I think it is the most mysterious room.
Muurvuller is a sort of cement. I had leftover and was in for a experiment. I’ve smeared it on a piece of cardboard, also a left over. It had to dry a long time.
This week I painted watercolor over it and made a collage with left overs and a newspaper photo.
The cement is to fragile, it breaks very easy. So I’m not happy with the results and I probably will throw it in the bin. But I hate making things for the bin, so I made a photo and edited it with Photoshop. Is it better now?
In Natalie Goldbergs book Living colors I found a very inspirational lesson: Invent titles and use the titles for abstract painting.
I barely make abstract paintings, I do not know where to start. But this is the way for me! I couldn’t stop before I finished them. It was fun! Try it yourself!
Do you see what title fits to the painting? Do you like them?
Faces are my favorite subject to draw and paint. In the year of Spark we made faces to use crayon on paper as a carbon paper. I don’t feel free to explain it here because Carla discovered the technique. The lines become very colored as you can see. I love this technique!
For the faces and the background we used watercolor. I wasn’t very happy with these. Not a lot of contrast.
I made these four to take it a little further for myself. And inspired by an other student I finished one with Photoshop. I used a letter I bought in France this summer written in 1807 (!) in the background.
In the Volkskrant (newspaper) of today I found a very attractive photo. I like it very much and I’m not sure why. I think because the photo is a bit absurd. It seems as if the men were swept down in a pile and they are not happy. I like the contrast light/dark. Immediately I felt the urge to draw them.
The men are the cast of a play called: van Waveren by Alize Zandwijk in Rotterdam. While drawing, I listened to the radio where Alize was interviewed. I really love such ‘accidental’ synchronicity.
With watercolor I made shadow.
For me the drawing is finished now. What do you think?
This little room is for Camille. She was the first wife of Monet. She died a year after her second son was born.
You see the three harts in one. Her love for Claude Monet and for her sons, Jean and Michel. The drawing is not based on her but it is just a French looking lady who I draw some time ago. And you see a stamped teabag with text on it. It represent the words she couldn’t say any more. And there is a fence which means she can’t be reached after her death. That room is closed. Sorry, this is a sad room.