drawing challenge169: YOUTH

look at her, 19 years old
in love with one of his friends
but it is he who writes a song about her
which he shyly handed on tape
it is the start of their friendship
and it is with him that she has adventures like
a tour through the dunes and bunkers
a picnic in a meadow full of cows
youth....

her love with his friend ended
but the friendship with him continued
it still does! he is the one that timbered TREES
and, he still sings 

since this drawing challenge i want 
to make a series about my little me
searching for images in an old photo album 
i found this one of 1967 
and
i am still happily playing with type  ;^))


sweet Rose ARIANE's theme this week
please visit her blog for the links to the other participants


fine weekend!
x

drawing challenge 168: FRIDA

FRIDA, with her laces, ribbons, skirts, rustling petticoats and the braids
the moonlike headdresses opening up her face like the wings of a dark butterfly
FRIDA an endearing and, finally, happy figure, in spite of all the suffering
her voice was deep, rebellious, punctuated by belly laughs
words by Carlos Fuentes from the Introduction of the book 'The diary of Frida Kahlo'
third image by Nickolas Muray, 1945, Frida with Chavela Vargas

with this drawing challenge i would like to honour FRIDA
and i wish i was more like her
but i also would like to honour two other woman
first Elisabeth the initiator of this drawing challenge 
which started in january 2011 and who is a fan of FRIDA
and secondly sweet Ariane who kept the dc going and loves flowers ;^))

i used a piece of cotton and an embroidery hoop 
made some pompons and found a nice picture of a young Frida from 1930
which i used as an example for my felt-tip pen drawing 
added braids and flowers and colored them with acryllic paint 
and finally added some embroidery


please visit the blogs of the other participants:

Ariane, Roberto, Tanïa, Lucia, Joanne (hello again!),
Renilde, Nadine, Annton Beate, Veronica,
Rachel (hello again too), Leena, Tammie, Stefanie,
Barbara, Carole and Eric

and thank you all for joining!
x

drawing challenge: NEW THEME!

i'm in the mood for sun and warmth
am so looking forward to spring and summer
to sun on my skin 
and flowers in the garden
but it is cold and feels more like autumn

so, let's brighten things!

see here the wonderful work of Ellen Heck
a series of 40 woodcut etchings depicting woman and girls
dressed up as Frida Kahlo


hence the theme for dc 168 of May 23-24: FRIDA

how it works:
if you want to join, leave a comment saying you are in
the following weekend the 'drawings' are shown on the blogs of the participants
and the host links to them all

Delft & playing with type

last friday i visited Delft
not unknown for me because my parents have lived there

i unexpectedly came along Grafisch Atelier Indrukwekkend
the friendly young owner and i learned we had the same graphics teacher
my favorite Hans Andringa
but 
my goal that day was Galerie XS
with a size of 8m2, the smallest gallery in Delft
perhaps from the Netherlands, or the world
and i loved it!
the owner, the place, the works, all of it
in the summer she want to put an exhibition with works 
inspired by Delft but different, new, quirky, poetic, dreamy, strange
so now my head spins....

before i went home i bought some 'Delftenaartjes' of chocolaterie De Lelie, hmmmm.....


i am still in the mood of Delft and Delftsblue
playing with type and printing with Prussian Blue ink
it will a set of 4 cards, soon in my webshop!

drawing challenge 167: the trickster

in the summer of 1985 (i was so young  ;^))
i started the education Interior Architecture at the Art Academy
one of the tasks was; 'design and draw compounds'
one had to consist of three seperate elements
that is the one you see, (and the only one i could find)
it was that teacher who called me a trickster
because he liked the drawings initially
and only later discovered that many compounds were impossible

i have not finish that education, after a year i stopped
years later i restarted, then the direction 'free arts'
painting, drawing and etching
and loved it


the theme of this week is chosen by VERONICA
for the links to the other participants, please go here




in de zomer van 1985 (ik was zo jong; ^))
begon ik aan de opleiding Interieurarchitectuur aan de Kunstacademie
een van de opdrachten was; 'ontwerp en teken verbindingen'
één daarvan moest bestaan uit drie afzonderlijke elementen
dat is degene die je hier ziet, (en de enige die ik kon vinden)
het was die leraar die me een bedrieger noemde
omdat hij de tekeningen in eerste instantie goed vond
en pas later ontdekte dat veel verbindingen onmogelijk waren

ik heb de opleiding niet afgemaakt, na een jaar ben ik gestopt
jaren later ben ik opnieuw begonnen, toen de richting 'vrije kunsten'
schilderen, tekenen en etsen
en vond het geweldig

De Schoolmeester

and on that same very windy saturday i visited De Schoolmeester
the last wind powered papermill in the world!

craft paper is made,
Zaans cardboard from rags, flax and ditch water
and of course i bought some sheets  ;^))

in the 18th century there were more than a thousand windmills on the Zaan
nowadays there are only about 15
here you can read more about the mills of the Zaanstreek
and here a short film of De Schoolmeester in operation
boy! how i love traditional crafts




en op diezelfde winderige zaterdag bezocht ik De Schoolmeester
de laatste op windkracht werkende papiermolen ter wereld!

er wordt ambachtelijke papier gemaakt,
Zaans bordpapier van vodden, vlas en slootwater
en natuurlijk kocht ik een aantal vellen  ; ^))

in de 18e eeuw waren er meer dan duizend windmolens aan de Zaan
tegenwoordig zijn er nog slechts zo'n 15 
hier kun je meer lezen over de molens van de Zaanstreek
en hier een korte film van De Schoolmeester in werking
man! wat hou ik van oude ambachten

Stichting Lettergieten

last saturday i visited Stichting Lettergieten te Westzaan
in some spaces of an old school i found the most beautiful old machines
(all working!), letters, enthusiastic volunteers and more

Stichting Lettergieten is a foundation about typefounding
they manage a historic Monotype collection:
molding machines, Monotype preposition molding machines, 
Monotype keyboards, molds and parts

new on my wish list:
a typecase Grotesque Condensed 383, corps 30



afgelopen zaterdag bezocht ik Stichting Lettergieten te Westzaan
in enkele ruimten van een oude school vond ik de mooiste oude machines
(allemaal werkend!), letters, enthousiaste vrijwilligers en meer

Stichting Lettergieten is wat de naam zegt
ze beheren een historische Monotype-collectie:
gietmachines, Monotype zetselmachines, 
Monotype toetsenborden, matrijzen en onderdelen

nieuw op mijn wensenlijstje:
een letterkast Grotesque Condensed 383, corps 30

drawing challenge 166: stars

for this drawing challenge
i show a piece called 'Girl with Star' by Kiki Smith
which i think fits the theme perfectly

a kneeling girl
spreads her hands in awe
as a metaphor for the child in us
that the contact with nature
still holds

for the links to the other participants please visit Veronica's blog here



voor deze drawing challenge
toon ik een werk genaamd 'Girl with Star' van Kiki Smith
waarvan ik denk dat perfect past bij het thema

een knielende meisje
spreidt haar handen vol ontzag
als een metafoor voor het kind in ons
dat het contact met de natuur
nog niet verloren heeft

                                     

monthly QUOTE: may

'The trip was easy. It was no more dangerous than crossing the street, 
or driving to the beach, or eating peanuts. The two important things that 
I did learn were that you are as powerful and strong as you allow yourself to be, 
and that the most difficult part of any endeavour is taking the first step,
making the first decision.'
                                                  Robyn Davidson


when i visited Australia in 1990 i read the book 
'Tracks' by Robyn Davidson
since than i have been reading it several times
and Australia became one of the inspirations for my work