Evening at home

Added a piece of wood and some submerging twigs. Had some difficulties to listen to music (headphone batteries empty) ... listened to El greco of Vangelis when everyone was upstairs and had to put the volume quite low ... Tomorrow will be the last day to finish the painting ...

Evening at home

Now I finished the previous painting (golden leaves shrine nr 3) I can work on the next one - golden leaves shrine nr 4 : painted a few golden leaves. Three in the upper right corner a fourth lower at the right side. The leaves are sunken, which means that I didn't paint part of the leaves, this way the contemplator can imagine in what they are sunken. Is it water ? Is it the sky ? ...
I think I can finish the painting tomorrow or at last Wednesday-evening. Frame it and 'ok' for the exhibition. I think I'll paint next to the golden leaves pieces of reed and wood (the tree) also submerged in the water-sky ... I am thrilled for the opening of the exhibition Friday.
Listened to 'La finta giardiniera' of Mozart and 'El Greco' of Vangelis

Day at home

- midday

Framed the Golde leaves shrine nr 3.

- 18h

Went with my wife to "A midsommernight's dream" of Shakespeare, in French, played by the 'Balladins du mirroir'. It is in our village that these people played it in their 'circus'. It was a subtle mixing of theater and acrobatic movements above our heads. A superb presentation ... It is a pity that these were the last presentations of this work. They had it for several years on their program. Next year a new piece will be given and they even will go to Canada with their circus. We are lucky that they reside in our little village ... I surely will go to their other works ...

Day at home

Finished the painting of Golden leaves shrine nr 3 : added some other objects around the tree and added the signature. Listened to several music's ... too much to mention.

Afternoon at home

Worked on Golden leaves shrine nr 3 : finished the golden leaves and added some floating objects around the tree - pieces of reed and parts of the grass-object.

Evening at home

Painted on a new painting - I turned the second golden leaves shrine around a I clearly felt that I was looking at water. So I started a new painting by painting a sky-background and turned it around. I am not sure to paint golden leaves or reed in the water ... we will see. I think I maintain the golden leave theme for the moment ... Listened to Tancredi of Rossini and the first act of Turandot of Puccini (3 times ... - this one I really suggest to everybody who likes opera and painting - painting a background on this music is a must ...)

Day at home

Painted on the third golden leaves shrine added the golden root-leaves ...

Day at home

Took the day off to activate the paintings ... worked on the second big golden leaves shrine (actually nr 3). Added the tree .... listened to a lot of music : 'The turn of the screw' of Benjamin Britten and a lot of others ...

Evening at home

Painted for a few hours. Filled in other gap of golden leaves and added the reed at the other corners (6 out of ten done now). Listened to 'Peter Grimes' of Benjamin Britten ... I think you noticed that painting and music are really linked within me. Music reaches to something inside me that is emotional ... a certain mood is created ... the stronger the music is emotionally, the better painting goes on ...

Evening at home

Filled in the gap of golden leaves behind the tree and added the reed at the bottom two corners also behind the tree. It's starting to look good now ... Listened to 'The city' of Vangelis

Evening at the opera-house 'De Munt'

Went to a concert with my good friends Mimi and Johan (South Africa). It was the first time Johan saw the opera house from inside ... he is right to say that it is beautiful. French Music : Dusapin (too rough), a beautiful 'La mer' of Debussy, the superb 'Shéhérazade' of Ravel (sung by the mezzo Beatrice Uria-Monzon - very good !!!!) and Bacchus and Ariane of Roussel. It would have been better that they did not play the additional numbers (march from Damnation de Faust of Berlioz and 2 pieces of Carmen de Bizet). Afterwards went for a drink and talked about art ...

Morning at home

Painted the tree ... the real subject of the painting ... or not ?

Evening at home

Started with the reed on the right end of the painting - I am satisfied. It is going all well now... next time finish the reed and start the main subject in the middle. Afterwards I've got to finish the golden leaves. Listened to Macbeth of Verdi (almost completely - this means a 3 hour paint-session)

Evening at home

Worked for a couple of hours on another leave on the upper side of golden leave shrine nr 1. Slowly but surely ...
Listened again to Turandot of Puccini

Evening at home

Worked for a couple of hours on another leave on the upper side of golden leave shrine nr 1.


Listened at the same time to Turandot of Puccini : my god !!! this is a very strong opera. Each time I listen to it it seems stronger and stronger, especially the first act. I think the origin for the beauty of the piece is not only the music, each time I listen to it I remember the settings of the representation at the Flemish opera house in Ghent.

Evening in Brussels

Went to a concert in 'De Munt' in Brussels : a little to structured Piano concerto nr 24 of Mozart and a beautiful 5th symphony of Gustav Mahler.

3 days ill at home

The problem is when I get ill, I am really ill - laying in bed, fever, hot-cold feeling, can not work on the paintings - three days lost.