Quote

There is a quote in Henk Hage's book that reads, 'The difficulty lies not in making, but in reaching the state in which it is possible to make'.

I appreciate this satement tonight while working in the studio. 

*Statement of Brancusi, often quoted by Bissier. Werner Schmalenbach, Julius Bissier, Köln, 1986, 2nd ed. p.74

Henk Hage

This morning, I took an early train to Nijmegen to meet with Henk Hage at his home and studio. Henk met me at the train station in his car, and we took a quick drive around the block to his gallery. The show was freshly hung just two days before our meeting, 17 pieces, mostly watercolor. About half of the works were framed, while the other half were hung raw with a foam board backing to give them distance from the wall. The show looked very elegant, and we arrived at a time in the morning where the natural light was perfectly sufficient for the paintings. William, the gallery owner, was there painting the exterior of the building in preparation for the opening reception on Sunday. Henk talked about each work in detail, telling stories and interesting information about their making. I was especially happy to hear about his materials, among them watercolor, gesso, gouache, encaustic, dried pigments, oils, and found objects. There were a couple paintings which he'd started in 1983, and concluded in 2013 displayed in a cabinet with a glass door, illuminated internally, that were particularly powerful.

He explained several concepts concerning the composition of works, wether it be in two moves over the course of a single sitting, or over the course of thirty years. His insights were incredible. Moreover, his excitements over pigments, mediums, and interaction of colors were charming and promising of a fulfilling life. We looked through books of his works and he explained how they were composed and for what purpose. One book featured seven tall paintings, displayed side by side on a single long page, which folded accordion-style into the spine. The craftsmanship on each book was high quality. 

Henk explained his feelings concerning art openings, that recieving compliments for three hours straight, is uncomfortable and unnatural, which I appreciated hearing. 

We left the gallery to visit Henk's house, where I met Saskia and the couple's border terrier. Henk and Saskia had a daughter together, Eva, 15, who was not present as she was at school. They live in a beautifully designed home which used to be a component of a catholic monastery. Saskia made coffee and sandwiches. The three of us and the dog went outside and told stories of our travels, as well as some art talk. Henk and I split off to visit his studio, in a building directly adjacent to the house, in a building which used to be a cloister for nuns. 

The studio was gorgeous. The windows were blown glass, and had a ripple to them, there was a substantial amount of white which reflected the light around the gallery in a diffused glow. He had clippings and things he'd collected on the walls, and his tools in perfect order. In one corner, there was a chair and a cello. 

We talked about different bodies of his work, and aspects of his thoughts about the journey. It was incredible to review a lifetime of dedicated work. The end of our time together, Henk chose to play Casal's Song of The Bird on cello. It was the perfect way to end such a great visit. Henk gave me copies of all three of his books and signed them. I was flushed with gratitude. (or grattitude, because gratitude is an attitude)

Henk drove me back the the train station where I found my train. I took a nap on the train and woke up in a station that looked very similar to Amsterdam's Centraal Station. I got off, the train departed, and I found out that I was in Utrecht. I'd wanted to go to Utrecht, but not particularly today. I took a walk around the block to check things out quickly. There was a beautiful cathedral in the distance that I would like to re-visit another day. Back on the train, I made it to Amsterdam, and rode my bike to Spuistraat where I thought I could catch Edwin, my friend who owns the gallery space. I found him next door at an art opening at a beautiful space. The works were huge oil paintings that looked about 70% finished and varying in quality and subject matter from one to the next. Edwin recognized me, but did not remember my email. A new development has come up and Edwin will now be in New York putting on a show in November. I am still permitted to have a show in his space, but I will have to talk to different management. I hope it works, and have back up plans if it doesn't. 

After visiting Edwin, I went to a show opening called Broken Fingaz. The work was great, illustration with graffiti influence. The artists were all very friendly too. They were all from the same town in Israel. They started the art collective, (and two are in a band together), and began traveling around the world hanging shows, painting murals, and playing music. I have seen that it can be done. I bought a badass shirt and traded art stickers with them. I look forward to our paths crossing again. 

I made some more moves on the big painting tonight. I believe a lot of the painting will be rendering from here and not as much wild throwing paint around. 

I don't know what kind of day the girls had, they were in for the night when I got back home. 

Drawing the Rosengracht

In the morning, I had a cappucinno at the corner cafe and drew a street scene of the Rosengracht facing the opposite direction that I'd drawn it from before. The drawing became a wrestling match, and by the end of it, I felt like I had lost. Everyone in the cafe enjoyed it and even brought it back into the kitchen to show the line cooks. I knew I would have to try the drawing again. 

I met with Josine at noon to visit the studio of a sculptor, Carlos Granger. It was wuite a pleasure to see his studio, and some insight on how he creates his art. We moved sculptures around to figure out their best arrangement for Carlos' upcoming show. 

After the studio visit Carlos, Josine and I sat down for drinks at a nice bar by the water. We talked about art theory and education. 

Upon riding my bicycle back to the house, I went out for a secind drink at the cafe on the corner, to try my hand at drawing the street scene that I'd attempted in the morning. The second attempt felt much more natural, but I used so much conte and smudging, that the final drawing came out a bit dark and muddy. I am excited to try drawing it again. 

Dunia, Anna, and I shared good conversation about political dynamics in Russia. I relished their insight.  The conversation led us to stories and experiences of our travels. Conversation was natural and fun. I really enjoy having friends in the house. 

I had a great evening in the studio, with Dunia and Anna in company. I made good progress with my large painting, and am having a blast bringing it back from abstraction, where I left it the night before. I will take much more time on this one I believe. 

Tomorrow morning, I will visit Henk Hage in his studio in Nijmegen, to learn about some of his thoughts on watercolor painting.  

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. 

Tuesday

Today I did laundry, made a sculpture, and bought groceries. I rode my bicycle to the Rembrandt statue to have a picture of me taken to commemorate my facial hair. A friendly couple took my photo, then I rode home to shave it off with a cheap razor that I bought from the corner store. Shaving a full beard with a disposable razor took a long time, but I am happy to experience some facial freedom. 

 

In the afternoon, I rode my bicycle to Henx Store to visit Giulia. We had good conversation about gallery possibilities. I showed her several paintings that I made on Amstel coasters, and she recommended some galleries that might be appropriate for the style of work. I took note of the recommendations and will pay each of them a visit tomorrow with examples of my work, to discuss show possibilities. I rode my bike to try to find one of the galleries, but came across the Harry van Gestel Gallery first. I went in and said hello to Harry. He had just showed every painting in the gallery (they are stacked deep on every wall, not to mention, they're all very large) to some visitors from Japan, who were interested in digitizing the work. We talked about his gallery operations, then about some of my work. We had tea, then he closed up the gallery and I left. 

Back at home, I cleaned up a mess that I made on the first day here; a layer of dust from sanding pieces of drywall inside. It may have been wise to not finish drywall indoors, but at the time, I was swept up in inspiration. Today's cleanup lasted about 3 hours, and I am sure that the environment is in better condition than when I first came here in August. 

I bought a Eurail pass today which will allow me to travel for any 10 days, within 2 months, within 5 countries. I chose Benelux, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, and Italy. I am excited to use the European rail system within the next couple of weeks. 

I have set up a work table on the other side of my studio, where I am beginning to map out my priorities concerning travels, and business for this European sojourn. 

Monday

I put a good day of work into my paintings and sculptures today. It took some time to generate ether in the studio, as I became somewhat impatient with the work. When I relaxed, I was able to focus, and a painting whipped together in a few moves. It was very rewarding to experience and I am happy to have another nice thing to look at from my blogging chair.

 

I have been wrestling a large painting for a few days now and I see some options for closing it up. I think this will be a good project for tomorrow. 

On a bicycle ride today, I found an incredible piece of wood that was a table top. I have it at the foot of my bed to greet me tomorrow morning. (though secretly, I don't wake up until the early afternoon, as I've stuck to my American schedule). 

I also found a two-gallon pickle tin, which I have vague ideas of applications for. 

I contacted Karen Dennis today on the phone to ask about the relationship between a contractor and a personal assistant. I have made a good deal of work here (and I intend to make more), which I cannot take home when my stay is done. I am curious wether I could make good use out of a second pair of hands in terms of organizing a show for my artwork. Karen gave me some good advice, and I am now weighing my options for potential help. 

I called my family. It was sweet talking to them and making up fake stories of what I've been up to. 

I will have visitors in a couple of days. Two young women from Russia who are backpacking through Europe will be staying in the floor below me. They are friends of the Dennis Family's, and we have been in email correspondance already. I have been cleaning the house for their arrival. 

The Lords Day

Today I began painting earlier than usual, in the afternoon. After making some moves, I went down to the Cafe to have an espresso, and to see if I could make my caoter trick work again. I drew the street view from my vantage point on the bottom of a coaster and as I was finishing, I noticed a man standing behnd me, watching. He said that he'd been watching me draw from the beginning when he ans his wife were sitting inside. I told him that I sold two coasters yesterday for two euros each and I was hoping to sell this one. He thought it was a great idea and bought the coaster. His name was Al and his wife's name was June. They were missionaries from Nova Scotia, who had done some work in another town in the Netherlands. Al and June are a part of a salvation mission team which had its own boat. He was happy to inform me that it was the largest floating book fair. We taked about my stay here, and they were sure to inquire about the red light district. I spoke clearly to then without censorship about my opinions of the controversial subjects of the red light district. I told them about the quality which is resilient within the town people, and what I thought were the benefits of having a community like the one represented here. The style of their inquiries seemed like they were in search of problems to fix. I gave the couple a card and asked them to send me an email so we can keep in touch. They blessed me and we parted. 

The art store was closed today, but I made due with what I had in the studio. I went on a walk to find coasters that had fallen on the ground. I found three, before I turned around to head home. I saw a Thai Restaurant across the street that looked great, so I went in an ordered a chicken soup with coconut milk. I had the pleasure of painting on the coasters while I waited for the soup to be made. I enjoyed the atmosphere, which helped the drawings come out nicely. The soup and rice came out at the perfect time, and made an incredible meal. 

Back at the studio, I made some more moves on four paintings, and all of the sculptures ( there are six sculptures in the making). 

I cleaned my palette and will be happy to look at everything dried in the morning, as I am working quite thick and wet. 

I will need to be productive about finding a gallery to exhibit this work in. They take up a decent amount of space, and I would not like to deal with them past my time in Amsterdam. I will also need to begin preparing the works to be hung, and sold.