Here are a few plein air paintings from this past weekend in Maastricht. I lived there for a few months last year and you can see all the sketches from the period here.
The End of Saturday’s Shopping, Onze Lieve Vrouweplein, Maastricht. 20 x 30 cm, oil on linen.
My gallerist once asked me why I often paint fishermen. The fact is they stand still for a very long time. I asked this gentleman if I could paint him before I started.
Fisherman in the Stadspark, Maastricht. 20 x 30 cm, oil on linen.
Sunday mornings are always a great time to paint in cities. There is never anyone around.
Sunday Morning on the Boschstraat. 35 x 25 cm, oil on linen.
It’s a very painting-friendly city to work in. The Dutch are polite and complimentary but leave you your space. This sketch was from the very crowded market. I set up next to a pole so as to stay out of people’s path.
Nieuwe Haring (unfinished). 20 x 30 cm, oil on linen.
Enough! Too good! Actually I really enjoy seeing your work and it just gets better. Hal
Reminds me why i love the landscapes of the Hague School so much: the broken colors, grey skys and bright green fields. I actually decided to go with landscapes when i discovered Mauve, weissenbruch and jacob Maris fifteen years ago.
Funny how i am so moved by them. No chocolate box paintings here.
It’s grey. it’s cold. It’s rainy. But they made it beautiful. You can fell the love these guys had for their land.
You did a pretty god job too.
Great work as usual. I’ve a question though. I noticed you did not tone the panels. Have you made a conscious decision to not tone or was it a matter of expedience?
These were on linen mounted on panel. I only tone the panels when I need to seal them with varnish anyways.
Since I was trained to work on a bone-colored ground, the toned panels are still somewhat new to me. That said, I do find the orange fun, and would recommend it for anyone painting in strong sunlight. For overcast paintings I prefer the duller backgrounds.
Beautiful paintings as always….Zorn, Levitan and Serov would be proud!! x H
Wow Marc, You’ve been busy! I hadn’t checked in for a while and missed a lot. Thanks for sharing all this. I really can’t get enough..