Twelve Old Men

Now I am getting close…

I don’t want to get too detailed. Below is a close-up of one section.

Now I will let this rest some time and maybe I will come up with something else to do.

Surprising progress!

I was working in the studio yesterday, feeling sad and lost. I mostly wanted to destroy the painting and then I started working on the background with reckless disregard, like I had nothing to lose. Oddly enough, that liberated me and led me on to experiment in way that I may not have dared otherwise. So I continued with the same courage on the suits, the shoes, the shirts, etc. This is how it looks now:

I will go back and work more on the faces and hands, as well as the chairs. And then what?

Slow progress

I have been distracted by other matters and progress is slow, but here is a new picture. It is almost scary to show how it looks now. Hopefully I can improve the work.

The photo of the painting is not perfect. The colors are not quite as bright and I will try to darken and dull the entire painting.

12 old men…

I have started a very ambitious project. I am going to paint twelve gentlemen based on an old photo I found in our house. I have no idea who they are, but they are all dressed up for a very special occasion (maybe one of the gentlemen has received an honorary medal?) and it is an interesting picture. The beginning is always very tedious and tiring, as I have to be very concentrated while drawing up the outlines and main details. As soon as I start painting it is a lot more fun…

This is a section of the work. The entire piece is 80 x 120 cm

How the west was won

I have added a light touch of sepia and rubbed away some of the paint on the background. I have also been thinking of a suitably mystical name: How the west was won.

Size 65 x 50 cm. Oil on plywood. Now it will dry for a few days and then I may sand off some of the paint on the ground, if I don’t come up with a better idea…

Another Indian from the past

I have been active again.

I wonder how it will look when the paint has dried? Probably more grain will show. Have to come up with a suitable name… And a suitable continuation…

The Yuma

I have finished the painting of the indian. The painting is based on an old photo by Edward Sherrif Curtis, a legendary photographer who documented the American Native peoples. I have added a couple of layers of varnish and have painted the sides English Red. The glossy surface creates an interesting contrast to the aged looking plywood structure. I have already started on another indian painting…

Beach Art, Surfing and good times in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Back in action after a wonderful vacation in Costa Rica! A few pictures. Enjoy!

After a very long journey down close to the equator, no wonder it is hard to decide how to turn the camera.

Guess what we found?

A great place for another Facial!

Freddie Meadows carving a great turn.

Freddie showing off his back…

Dancing the waves.

Wow! My buddy is airbourne!

Peter Meadows decides to return into the wave.

Simon Skalleberg is seeking some shade from the sun.

Simon is trying to sit on the wave. Not very successful?

Oh, yes!

The artist is humbly riding a baby wave…

Somehow I am always late in life. Started late with art, surfing debut in middle age…

Say hello, smile.

More succesful without a surfboard.

Maybe I should paint this?

I can still laugh, there is hope…

Andrea is showing off great potential and fixin´ to get bruised.

Crowding the water for a morning surf lesson.

Early morning on the great Santa Teresa beach.

Beauty on the beach, returning after a long morning walk.

A moment of up-side-down contemplation.

More relaxed contemplation… man, life can be sooo hard.

Walking on holy ground, with Deck flip-flops by surf legend Herbie Fletcher.

It takes a very long time for nature to make holes like these.

But it takes only a moment to detect beauty!

Of course I am talking about the pelicans. What did you think, baby?

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Our proud neighbour George.

The howling monkeys kept us awake!

There is a time to count your blessings…

… and there is a time to go home.

Good bye, beaches of Nicoya Peninsula. We had a great time! Hope to see you again.

Good bye, Tortuga Island.

Good bye Costa Rica, a cargo ship heading out into the Pacific Ocean.

Inbound to the International airport in San José.

Safely on the gound after a great flight and a fantastic vacation in Costa Rica.

Happy New Year!

It is New Years Eve and I am cleaning up in the studio. This is how the Arizona painting looks now:

I will let it rest for a while, probably add a few layers of varnish and paint the sides in English red.

Art for Arizona

I am trying something new again: art inspired by Arizona.

80 x 40 cm. It was really a lot harder than I expected. I will let it dry and se what else I can do…