About Chelva Archives - Page 2 of 5

16 July 20165 September 2018

No homesickness, but nevertheless…

It’s not always that bad staying away from home for a while. No homesickness, but nevertheless…

On return I appreciate my everyday environment even more. I see it all with a renewed look.

Early in the morning, before the day begins, I help my wife in the kitchen garden. And it will be clear, when you see this picture, how privileged we are living in this beautiful environment. You can imagine how happy I am, being back home again.

Pretty soon I will take in hand my brushes to start afresh.

Usually I start by clearing my studio space. Clean everything really well. Checked all paint and canvases. I see this activity as starting the engine. I enjoy fiddling in my studio before the real work begins.

Being a portrait painter

I am a portrait painter you know by now. The last twenty-five years I have dedicated almost exclusively to this specialization. I have really enjoyed my job and thank goodness, I’ve always had plenty of commissions. And I´ll continue of course, as well as keep creating video tutorials about portrait painting and everything that comes with that.

Continue reading “Being a portrait painter”

6 December 2015

Olive picking in Chelva

The olive picking in december — Photo by our friend Carmen Garzon

In the village where we live almost everyone has an olive grove. Or more than one. Small or large plots of land which have been family-owned for generations. The harvest is mainly destined for the production of olive oil. These weeks are picking time and the village is buzzing with activity. Whole families go out to their olives with sticks and nets, boxes and carts. And walking across the market, or queuing up in the bank you can hear always someone say ”Have you done all your olives yet?” Continue reading “Olive picking in Chelva”

11 October 2015

Portrait painting video & PDF

Painting a portrait and shooting at the same time — Painting and shooting at the same time

Soon my new blog will be launched, with a new design, and adapted to the requirements of Google for mobile phones etc. It’s a big project and I am working on it with my friend Bas in France. Apart from this project I also have a list of commissions to be painted and delivered by mid-November. So you see, I’m really busy. Barely time to write you. But what I want to tell you is that we have started again with our weekly portrait painting from life sessions. For two hours each week I work from a live model with a number of fellow artists here in the village. It’s really fun to paint together.

I´m planning to make a short video or a PDF file from it soon, and will keep you informed.

4 October 2015

Painter´s studio

Portrait Painting is my daily work, you know already. I spend much of my life in my studio, behind the easel. It is therefore very important that my workplace be ideal. Not only in terms of lighting, but the spatial layout should be well thought out and the materials must be of good quality. That sounds obvious. Yet I sometimes see workplaces that are far from good. I do not understand that. Even when painting is just your hobby, plan everything that this entails in such a way that it is optimally organised.

Time line for painting a portrait

Someone once said: “A good portrait starts with what you had for dinner last night”.Think it over

1 August 2015

Portrait painting and imagination

watercolour portrait — Watercolour demonstration for the children.

This week my friend Julian Despaigne came to visit me with a group of children from the village. Every year he organizes a kind of summer school, now children are on holiday. They do amazing things. Visits to the village monuments where he explains and tells stories from the history, treasure hunting through the streets and much more. Last week they visited the village blacksmith, and now they have paid me a visit in my studio. I told them something about portrait painting and mixing paint. In a five-minute demo I made a watercolour of the portrait of Julian. The children were spellbound.

It reminded me of a beautiful story that the famous graphic designer and illustrator Milton Glaser told in an interview with his friend and fellow artist James McMullan.

“There was a very specific moment when I was about four or five years old. My cousin came in with a paper bag and said, ” You want to see a pigeon?” I thought he had one in the bag, but he didn´t. Right before my eyes, he just drew it on the paper bag. At that moment the idea of inventing an image – it was the first time it had ever occurred to me that you could invent something and give it life – became clear. That was the moment of decision for me, and I never deviated from that. The only thing I ever wanted to do was something involved with making images.”

I myself as a child had a similar experience that made me decide that I would become an artist. (I will talk about that occurrence next week). If the children who visited me will go into art I do not know. Perhaps, who knows…

By the way, Julian is an amazing guy! Don´t forget to visit his website.

10 July 2015

Preparing Basil Pesto

Our kitchen garden now produces huge amounts of basil. I am preparing a little jar of pesto for good friends here in the village, where we are invited for dinner tomorrow.

Hereby my recipe.

Basil. As much as your garden produces.
Garlic. As much as you dare.
Olive oil. As much as you find delicious.
Salt. As much as you can tolerate.
Parmesan cheese. As much as you can afford.
Pine nuts. As much as you have. I had nothing and it was too hot to go to the grocery.
Mix everything in a blender and you’re done.

1 July 2015

Country life

I have often shown you our vegetable garden and cannot resist doing so again. As much as possible, we grow our own vegetables. In the warm Spanish climate we can plant and harvest all year long. At this moment onions are ready for drying. Potatoes are stored inside and heads of garlic are strung up. Soon we will gather the tomatoes, carrots, kohlrabi, fennel and the beans. And in winter, of course, oranges. It is a luxury to grow everything you wish for your dinner table in your own garden. We really enjoy the country life!

1 February 2015

Me as a carpenter

carpentry kitchen — Finishing the home-made kitchen

I have told you before that, as a little child, I wanted to be a carpenter. Even though I went into art, portrait painting, the love of joinery has been a thread throughout my life and over the years I’ve done much carpentry. Now, we are finishing the house for the artist in residence rental. Much we do ourselves: electricity, water, stucco, tile work. Not because we have to but, on the contrary, because we can´t resist. In the picture you see me putting the final touches to the kitchen. With a little planing the natural-stone worktop can be installed.

18 January 2015

San Anton´s bonfires

San Anton: This weekend people in Chelva make big bonfires, to celebrate the feast of San Anton. The village also hosts an international oral storytelling festival: Cuentanton. Fantasy weaves around our homes. Imagine you are walking behind a magician through the narrow mediaeval streets. Suddenly, the group stops at a small square. Somewhere a window opens and a narrator starts telling a beautiful tale. The window closes, the procession continues then halts again as another window opens for a new story. It is completely enchanting.

Afterwards people return to their own bonfire. (More than two hundred fires will burn in the village). Then grills emerge and local sausages are roasted on the fires. Wine flows freely. But beware, not too much because at midnight the old tradition of empujon begins where young and not so young clogg the narrow streets with their bodies, gently pushing and jostling as shouting and laughing compete with folksongs.

On Sunday morning, domestic animals are blessed by the priest and you see a procession of horses and donkeys, cats and dogs, canaries and turtles, goldfish and hamsters and more go by. San Anton is one of Chelva´s traditional fiestas that I like the most!