Evening at home

Gaining at last confidence and self-esteme. Want to paint some pictures now ... perhaps this week-end.

Evening at home

I was very down this month ... but still i painted 1 picture : Open abscess. A painting on wood.

Evening at home

Problems ... problems ... problems ... when will it end ? When will there be peace in our harts ?
You can imagine that I don't want to paint now ...

Friday there will be a concert ...

Evening at the opera

'Oeudipus Rex' of Stravinsky in the Royal Circus in Brussels.
Fine opera ... very special all in Latin (except for the spoken parts). I think I prefer the Japanese version on video ... more static, mystical, dramatic, less lyric ...

Evening at home

Tomorrow I am going to see 'Oeudipus Rex' of Stravinsky in the Royal Circus in Brussels.
It must be something very special ....just looked at a Japanese version on video.

Holliday Malta

Went to Malta for a few days ... If you like visiting and like prehistorical (megalithical) age and you want to know a bit more about the knights of Malta... don't hesitate ... go for it. Don't go to Malta for beaches (there are anly a few small ones). Have done some beautifull walkings through the island ... very dry but beautifull. Colours, taste, sent, almost all the senses are filling me up with impressions ... even wanted to paint at a certain moment !!!

Evening at the opera

My god !!! Saw a concert version of St Francois d'Assise of Olivier Messiaen with Mimi. Reinbert de Leeuw was conducting the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Groot omproepkoor and Chor des Westdeutschen Rundfunk. 10 out of 10 !!!!
You know that Olivier Messiaen's speciality were birds ? In a part of the opera you realy hear music like songs of birds ... !!! Of course you have to be 'open-minded' when you go to listen his music, but it is worth-while.

Evening at the ballet

Seen 'Un jour la nuit' : a ballet of Michèle Anne De Mey. All the music was of Gustav Mahler (music I adore), 'Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen' and some movements of the 1st Symphony 'Der Titan'. Not so good compared with 'Drumming' of last month.

Evening at the opera

'La Cenerentola' of Gioachinno Rossini. I was looking forward to this one ... the setting was design by François Schuiten (very known drawer of cartoons - known for the 'Obscure Cities'-series), but what a desception !!! could have been must better ...
4 out of 10 ... As always one has to be carefull in hoping for a good moment , a lot of parameters plays with the definition of 'good moment' !!!

Evening at the ballet

Seen 'Drumming' : a ballet of Anne Theresa De Keersmaeker on music of Steve Reich ... simply superb !!!! Afterwards a little drink with Mimi and Geert ...

Evening at the opera-house 'De Munt'

Went to the opera-house for a concert directed by Antonio Papano (futur musical director of Covent Garden).
On the program :
Aria of Florestan of Beethovens 'Fidelio' ... could be better
A complete opera in concert 'Il Prigioniero' of Luigi Dallapiccola ... superb !!!
Last movements of the 9th Symphony of Beethoven ... very known as always
Fine evening :-))

Day at home

- family-visit

Other music-gifts (I asked for it) : 'Rubycon' of Tangerine Dream and 'Dark side of the moon' of Pink Floyd.

- evening at home

Put signatures on 'Midday in the canyon' and 'Here comes the flood'.
Painted a second wooden panel with finger/knife/brush in a few hours : 'Here comes the flood too'.
I've given the same name to this one while he has the same colors/structure/format as the previous.

Christmas eve at home

We decided to unpack the presents ... surprise ... CD 'Meddle' of Pink Floyd ... My god !!! ages ago I heard echoes !!!! Simply marvelous ...

Evening at the opera

Went to the new world-creation of Philippe Boesmans 'Wintermärchen' an new opera in 4 acts adapted from Shakespeare 'The winter's Tale'. It was snowing outside and on the scene ... fine production with superb setting and voices and wonderful music. For me the 3rd act (integration Jazz-music from Aka Moon - even improvising on scene) was not necessary : it broke too much the opera in two parts. Understand my point of view. I am not against integration of other kinds of music in the opera-house, it just irritated me. A superb Dale Duesing, Susan Chilcott, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Cornelia Kallish and even Heinz Zednik (known for his Loge/Mime interpretation in Cherau's Ring)... all by all a fine opera (but not as strong ad Boesmans previous opera Reigen).

Evening at home

Painted a wooden panel with finger/knife/brush in a few hours : 'Here comes the flood'.

Day at home

- afternoon

Prepared the wood-panels of most part of the panels by giving them a coat of gesso ...
Thanks to Bernard and his Malvica-camera I could take some pictures of Wotan ...

- evening

Put 'El Greco' of Vangelis as music and painted 2 panels with a sort of bleu-green-yellowish landscapes - give them the title : Midday in the canyon

Morning

Bought some wood and let it cut into different sizes ...

Evening at home

Just worked on the new painting for about 10 minutes. Added the front part of the spear of Wotan, the red-shine on the rocks below Wotan, changed some 'flame'-directions which were disturbing and filled in some 'gaps' ... added my signature too in the left-bottom corner. I don't think I'll touch this painting again ... I've got to leave some imagination to the viewer too ...

Evening at home

I was angry ... very angry ... Took a canvas (90 cm x 90 cm) which I was preparing for fine painting, laid it on the floor, emptied on it left-over of oil-tubes (cut open with knife) and had a go on it with my fingers. Added some colors of other tubes and finished it in about 90 minutes.
Put the canvas up, sat down and looked at it. Saw immediately the figure on the left ... which reminded me of Wotan after he kissed/put to sleep his daughter Brünhilde and demands Loge to create/be a magic fire around the rocks where she shall sleep until a mortal men shall wake her.
I think I have to put a bit yellow into the red (flames/Loge) and highlighted the figure of Wotan and perhaps even Brühnhilde ... perhaps the next session. I'll put the oil on the net as soon as I've got the image ...

Down ...

A very bad period for the moment ... I am down ... luckily I got my music to get me to higher levels ... no painting for the moment ... simply waiting for the next day ... if there is one ?
The only things I see in the near future is an opera on December 19th and perhaps new-year's eve with friends ... never been so down in my whole life ... don't see the purpose of it all ...
Is this what they call the mid-life-crises ?

Evening at the opera

Saw 'Carmen' of Bizet. Superb in the Royal Circus in Brussels. Normally I don't like to see an opera outside the opera-house. This time 'De Munt' used the setting of the Royal Circus to recreate the arena (so important in Carmen) and it worked ... Everybody with me agreed ... only the male voices came less over but for the rest ... superb !!!! Performances until November 25th ... Go and see for yourself ...

Evening at the opera-house 'De Munt'

This time to see a ballet : 'Just before' from Anne Theresa De Keersmaeker. Wonderful - too much to look at ... so looking from one thing to the other ... Beautiful live music performed by the Ictus Ensemble : John Cage, Steve Reich, Iannis Xenakis, Magnus Lindberg, Pierre Bartholomée, Thierry De Mey and even Claude Debussy - especially 'drumming' of Steve Reich ... Text from Jolente De Keermaeker ( by the way : I've noticed that I had problems to look at ballet and listen to text at the same time, perhaps it is the perception in the mind that causes this ... strange though !!!)

5 days in Bourgogne (France)

Food, wine, sleep, colors (especially the vineyards in their autumn-colors) and history (from prehistorically paintings in caves and dolmens of the Celtic age till the 18th century in Dijon ...) : absorption of many thinks into my head ...

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 ...

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.

Evening at home

Worked on the first upper golden leave on the golden leave shrine nr 1 ... gives a good effect ... but still a lot of leaves to do ...

2 days at home

Finished the grass on the golden leave shrine nr 1. Liked the way I did it.

Evening at home

Started with the grass on the golden leave shrine nr 1.