Evening at home

Started with the grass on 'golden leaves shrine' nr 2 (did almost a third). Listened to 'Wish you were here' of Pink Floyd and a part of 'El Greco' of Vangelis.

Evening at the opera

Went to 'The Entführung aus dem Serail' of Mozart. For me it was a very good performance. Singers all right (Elzbieta Szmytka as Konstanze was not so good in the first act, but she did very very well in the second act). Scenes and costumes also good. The only think that bothered me is that they build a platform that came partly above the orchestra. This way they cut the whole scene in three parts : a platform in front, a pit with an oriental water-fountain in the middle and a 'background' in which they showed in each act a different landscape (1st act : serail-room, 2nd act : a garden at night, 3rd act : garden landscape during day with broken column ?). I didn't understand why he wanted to build the platform and almost not use the second-pit-scenery. Apart from this negative issue I had a wonderfull evening.

Evening in Tournai

I was invited to the closing-concert of the 'Festival de Wallonie'. They had no luck ... First of all the cathedral in which the concert was planned had structural problems which resulted in changement of the location ... (acoustically not so good) and after that Jose Van Dam (famous Belgian baritone) had to cancel (suicide of his son two days before) and has been replaced by the mezzo-soprano Petra Lang. Van Dam planned some months ago to sing Gustav Mahler's Kindertoteslieder (songs of the dead children ... premonition ?) !!!!!! This part was very good ... I think I like more and more Mahler's lieder. Afterwards the 4th symphony of Anton Bruckner : I was very tired and yes it happened ... I almost fell asleep !!! Afterwards invited as VIP to the drink and discussed with an impresario and an artistic director ... very interesting to hear their side of the festival ...

Evening at home

Started to paint again : golden leaves shrine nr 2. I think it is best I prepare the background and paint this one first, it is completely finished in my head (the nr 1 is not). With pencil draw the lower decagon (ten-sided figure) in perspective (same as golden leaves shrine nr 1). Painted the whole sky. The construction will be floating above the clouds ...
Listened to 'Les contes d'Hoffman' of Offenbach.

Evening at the opera-house 'De Munt'

Went to a concert in 'De Munt' opera-house. Program : Dvorsak (variations op. 78) , Mahler (Superb 'Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen' sung by the baritone Peter Mattei - the best one of the evening for me and Mimi) and Schumann (symphony nr 1).

Evening at home

Painted the first brown layer of the grass on Golden leaves shrine nr 2. I've done it this time with the knive and afterwards flattened-out. Listened to Vangelis (The city and El Greco).

Exhibition at Longueville - Vagabond'art 1999 (3 days)

My god !!! What a week-end ... Full of emotions (art-speaking and private) ... Too much to tell everything. First friday : framing the golden leaves nr 4 (almost forgot the signature), transferred the paintings to Longueville and installed them - the location is superb - saw there was a lot of space left and decided to come back to home to fetch other paintings - evening : private opening of the exhibition - already some good reactions of other artists and had long discussion with Johan (even went to the exhibition and turned around the golden leaves nr 3 - impossible to look at as the perspectives are wrong).
And then the exhibition itself ... Had some great reactions (nothing sold, but I think that isn't the point). Especially 'The unexpected visitor', 'The golden leaves shrine nr 3' and, of course, 'Dead water' were the ones the people looked at ... some people liked more the abstract ones especially the autumn series. I think all by all there must be over 1000 visitors on the whole week-end.
Very tired but satisfied ... now the private problems ...