Category Archives: _Patricia

Patricia: February

Potted plant

Pencil on paper, 35 x 28 cm

Study of a tiny pineapple plant. I liked the growth pattern and the shapes of its drying external leaves.

Still life with watering can

Oil pastel on paper, 30 x 23 cm

I rediscovered my little viewfinder which is a great tool to develop bold compositions. It greatly helps me to crop my objects in unusual ways, whereas otherwise I tend to create very conventional arrangements.

Winter Market (R)

Coloured pencil on paper, 29.5 x 42 cm

The Farmer’s market in Midtown Manhattan. During the winter times the market only comprises a few pavillions. I found it interesting to depict the somewhat abstract patterns of people and merchandise in the midground. The drawing was inspired by Natalies ‘Black Entrance’ painting, I responded to the concept of a ‘street scene’.

New York Lights (Male figure) (R)

Oil on paper, 60.5 x 46 cm

This painting was a response to Natalie’s ‘Thinking Man’, with a lot of subconscious work going on. I think I was inspired by the irregular, patchy colour patterns and the male figure in Natalie’s painting. I developed a colour pattern phantasy in warm yellow-orange-red-brown spots and the idea to somehow integrate a male torso. The colour pattern was created as an acrylic underpainting, and the process was very intuitive and very exhausting. I was ready to abandon the torso idea but the painting looked incomplete and unbalanced. After I added the transparent torso, the painting felt complete, that vague initial idea had materialized.

Still life with squash, zuchini and onion (R)

Oil on canvas, 19 x 39 cm

A kind of practice still life inspired by Natalie’s ‘Jam’ charcoal sketch, of which I liked the bold and simple composition. In my painting, I focused on developing shades of the local colour to emphasize volume, and tried to keep colours fresh. Overall I think the painting would benefit from a more elaborate context – the white and beige background is a bit dull.

Abstract composition (Interior view)

Collagraph print on paper, 21 x 30 cm

I developed the composition for this print with the viewfinder. I was looking for interior views with interesting compositions which would lend themselves for an abstracted treatment. The printing plate was made by glueing cut paper shapes onto cardboard, then sealing with shellac. This is the final of a series of six prints, where I experimented with the technique. It combines the intaglio method of wiping away ink from the relief (dark blue linear elements) with relief inking (red areas) and was printed in a single run through the press on slightly damp cartridge paper.

Patricia: January

Sunrise over the city

Watercolour and ink on paper, 32 x 24 cm

An attempt to capture the colourful morning sky using a watercolour wet-in-wet technique. I made a series of about 15 practice watercolours of only the sky until I saw some technical progress, then added the black ink for the silhouette of the houses. I was fascinated by the strong contrasts in the light situation.

Manhattan Highrise surface fabric (R)

Acrylic on paper, 40.5 x 50.5 cm

Since I’m in New York, I’ve been intrigued by the surface fabric of the highrises that dominate the city’s appearance. Natalie’s ‘Apartment Blocks’ (Incubator period) inspired me to take up the topic in a painting. In the future, I’d like to develop the approach further towards a more abstract interpretation.

Snowed-in planters

Charcoal on paper, 45.5 x 60.5 cm

In awe of the massive amounts of snow in this winter’s first snowstorm, I sketched the snowed-in planters on the terrace, as seen from my studio window. I wanted to depict form through the different shades of white in the snow.

Snowy terrace with wooden stool and planters

Charcoal on paper, 35 x 27.5 cm

A second sketch of the snow, here with an emphasis on the graphic qualities of the composition. Inspired by Richard Diebenkorn, I started with a very basic linear sketch which I completed by adding tonal values. The composition might work nicely as a print, too.

Yellow, green and blue abstract patterns (R)

Watercolour on paper, 38 x 55.5 cm

This piece is part of a experimental watercolour series where I responded to the organic flow of lines in Natalies ‘Sea rocks’ sketch (Incubator period).

Imaginary landscape (R)

Oil on paper, 33 x 51 cm

This piece was inspired by Natalie’s ‘Round Stones’ sketch (Incubator period), which I interpreted with a focus on landscape composition and abstraction. I responded to the peaceful and slightly mysterious atmosphere of the original sketch and built on my current fascination with Richard Diebenkorn’s abstract, colourful landscape paintings.

Patricia: Incubator

The pheasant

The pheasant, watercolour on paper, 9 x 12 in (23.5 x 30 cm)

After a photo made in the Bronx Zoo, where the pheasants are allowed to roam freely on the grounds. I was fascinated by the colourful feathers and the relaxed gait of the animal. I made several sketches in pencil and watercolours, using liquid watercolours for the first time. I tried to preserve the brightness and brilliancy of the colours and not overmix.

View over Central Park from Belvedere Castle

Pencil sketch and watercolour on paper, 9 x 12 in (23.5 x 30 cm)

From a photo of a recent visit to Central Park, a view from Belvedere Castle over the turtle pond. The sheet is from a series of attempts to capture the essence of a landscape composition in small format by simplifying the shapes as much as possible.

Alligator

Pencil sketch on paper, 11 x 14 in (27.5 x 35 cm)

Sketch of a Mississippi Alligator, after a photo from the Public Domain (Wikimedia Commons). My starting point was the idea to sketch a Dinosaur skeleton. Researching images, I wondered how real Dinosaurs might have looked like in their times, and imagined them as huge reptiles. They were predators and may have looked a bit like alligators, and have been similarly dangerous. Researching alligators, I was fascinated by the leathery skin and the posture of the animal in the photo I chose as a source for my sketch.

A shed at Muscota Marsh, New York

Watercolour on paper, 9 x 12 in (23.5 x 30 cm)

Watercolour sketch after a photo I made on a trip to Muscota Marsh on a hazy autumn day. I wanted to bring out the red-brown autumn colours more vividly by contrasting them to the blue-greenish shed.

Marble head of a man

Black and white charcoal on paper, 8 ¼ x 12 in (21 x 30 cm)

The idea to draw after Greek and Roman statues was inspired by recent acquaintance with Charles Bargue’s classical drawing course. This drawing is the third attempt of drawing from photos of busts published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The aim was to model the form three-dimensionally by highlighting and darkening, using the gray paper as midtone.

Still life with book and glasses

Still life with book and glasses, pencil on paper, 16 x 20 in (40 x 50 cm)

A simple still life arrangement, the pencil sketch is a study towards a painting. It depicts the book I’m currently reading, a biography of Vincent van Gogh.

Collaborative Art Project

2016 (Devel)