Found A Gallery

Today I woke up in proper Dutch time. It was a business day, and the top priority was to find a potential gallery to have a show in. I rode my bike around to find a few places that had been recommended to me by friends, but before I found any of them, I was distracted by a huge wall of street art. I got off my bike to walk around and soon found a door that was disguised by artwork. There was a little paper sign that read 'always open', so I tried the door. It was locked.  I continued to walk down the street, reading graffiti etc., when I heard the door open. A man came out to have a cigarette. I approached him and told him that I'm looking for a gallery. I intended to follow up with the name of the gallery that I was searching for, but he bursted out, "This is your gallery! Here it is!" 

His name was Edwin. I walked through the doorway to see his gallery. It turns out Edwin was right, the gallery was just what I needed to have a pop-up show. Edwin had open dates that worked well for me, and as a gallery owner, seemed accommodating and respectful. We exchanged contact information, and talked about the German language for a while (the root of the topic being my family name), before parting. 

In the evening, Dunia and her friend, Anna, arrived from St. Petersburg, Russia, on a short break from their school. I was happy to meet them. They were kind and well spoken. I went outside for a walk while they unpacked, and found a giant sized coaster (used in the basin of a serving tray) that I thought would be great to draw on. I sat down close to the Dennis Residence to draw the Westerkerk Cathedral from across the canal. While I was drawing, a man approached me to casually ask if I wanted to go on a boat ride. The pitch was that he and some friends have a sort-of under the radar tour company that they book by word of mouth, and street promotion. He explained that it's a small boat and the ride will be about an hour and a half. I happily agreed and went inside the house to invite the girls. Within a few minutes, I was on a boat with Dunia, Anna, a couple from Germany, a lovely woman named Maggie, and out two captains, Jesse and Neil, (who were transplants from Berkley, California). Our boat tour was phenomenal. It was casual in all of the right ways, but informative. Jesse and Neil brought beers, sausage, cheese, and tobacco. I brought a chocolate bar that was quite popular, and the German couple brought cashews. We had something of a picnic and saw Amsterdam by way of canal while the sun set. 

Dunia and Anna made dinner while I worked on paintings. Our dinner was fantastic, we talked about education systems, and differences between students in the US and Europe. Interesting opinions were voiced, and I appreciated the outside perspective. 

I made nice progress in the studio tonight, but had to cut it short in order to meet with Josine at an appropriate time tomorrow. I am very excited, as Carlos Granger has offered to open his sculpture studio for me to visit. 

Below is an underpainting for one of my larger works. I feel liberated when painting in this loose style, knowing that I can choose when and how I want to interpret the painting as it evolves.