away and back X 2

Our internet connection failed for about a week, we've got it back although we still don't know what caused the problem.

Two weeks ago we were away for a few days. Zürich-Switserland for my husband's work and - travelling by car - returning over Basel and the Alsace in France. I visited musea and galleries and three artists' studios and came back with my mental batteries fully charged and the camera filled with pictures (so many that the computer could not take them all, its capacity is full). That is what will come up the next days. I just need looking for the right links to include in the posts ... meanwhile, here's a stroll through Zürich.

a nice 25C° during the day, with snow capped mountains beyond the lake

window of a local diner - text on tureen : fresh soup

functional or not

Remarks I do get sometimes : what is the function of your columns? What can you use them for?

These remarks keep surprising me. I never ask a painter of how his painting should be used. You hang it on a wall, and occasionally you have a look at it, no-one asks how a painting should be used. Same goes for sculptures; I hear no-one ask what you should do with a sculpture. You put it on a stand, the floor or on the dresser and that is it.

My columns are primarily not build to have a function. I'm playing with shapes and colours and build a 'sculpture' with them. But, with a bit of creativity a function can be added. In winter I will have them standing in dark corners with big candles on top of them. Some of them can be topped by glass to make a stand, HERE is a detail of how they are used in a eyewear shop. A friend who - over the years bought two of them - uses hers in this way and changes the decor according to the season. Others have fruit on it or have their businesscards lying in it.

The two latest Honderdwaters definitely do have a function; or not if one prefers just to look at them like they are.

The picture above is the first Honderdwater build as a table. The next one can be used in many different ways.

1. a plant stand


2. topped with a glass plate to make a table

3. just as it is without anything added

4. my preference goes to the following



A votre santé

veiled virgins and other new works

The months previous to the open studio days I started a new series of stAAApelgek - Honderdwaters. I hoped to finish them, but unfortunately did not get the necessary material in time. It takes weeks to finish one as there is a lot of work involved and luck to find the right parts. In these cases I did not find it.

So ... the unfinished columns are veiled to keep a bit of mystery.

and some new columns in the black-red-white series, which I will continue.

I will have to update the slide-show on the Honderdwaters. The latest works are not on it yet.

happy visitors

It is not my habit to make portraits or pictures of people, you will rarely find one. Here are two exceptions.

Dutch artist Josje Schroot from the Netherlands is my first visitor during the open studio days.

And here is one happy customer leaving the studio with a Honderdwater column. I can tell by the way she holds it that it will be cherished. I wasn't allowed to wrap or pack it.
......................

The weekend was a success. I did not expect too many visitors as my studio is well out of the way of the others. Still many visitors managed to find it - not obvious - and those who did were enthusiastic and interested.

the studio during the open days

It took me weeks to clear and clean the studio. These images show a rare view, I almost don't recognize it myself.
I have new ideas in my mind, and once I'll start realising them, the studio will be upside down again. The Honderdwater columns will be covered and the Good Mood Lights will be removed and stored to keep everything away from saw- and sanding dust.

Next year, the studio will - hopefully - look completely different with new works. I'm still brooding.

The first part of the studio is the part where the rough work is done - sawing, drilling, sanding ... the dirty work.

The second part of the studio is used to put works together, to 'assemblage' and 'mix the media'

table is set to welcome the visitors during the tour, so this is not the usual set-up

We regularly have our breakfast here when the weather is nice, but just too cold to sit outside. The light is just gorgeous here.


The third part of the studio is intended to show my finished works, but is in general just as messy as the other parts once I get to work again.

getting ready

We've been away for about a week. The pictures of the open studio days are posted with some delay. But here they come, and more the next days.

My man preparing the parking space for the visitors. We were allowed to use the meadow from our kind neighbour.

The stoneman for Anita at the end of our driveway.

Tables and chairs in the courtyard for the brave bikers that come all this way. Only on the picture did I see there is a link between the chairs and my work on the wall.

View on the courtyard from the studio. Weather looks promising but it turned out te be cold the first day and rainy the second.

Door to the studio.

please come in ....

welcoming the visitors

The week previous to the open studio days, Anita Huybens' partner delivered all the stones gathered by many of her friends. Some time in the future, along a walk trail passing her home, a stoneman will rise to commemorate this unique person. Walkers and bikers will be able to add more stones and pebbles to keep her memory alive.

In the meantime I started a small version with the gathered stones . It welcomes visitors and will remain here until it finds its proper place in a public place. I only could spend half an hour to make it, still so much clearing and cleaning to do in the studio before the weekend

Two weeks later ... it still stands

Open Studio days

this weekend

April 25 & 26

from 10h00 until 18h00

Open Studio days

Bloed-ernstig of stapel-gek, ingetogen of uitbundig, sober of speels ... licht, hout, ijzer, steen, spiegel, textiel, plastiek, keramiek, pigmenten ... stapelen, verbouwen, combineren, ontwerpen, creëren, ... assemblages met een eigen visie.

not finished with the setup of my works, likely to change until the weekend -this is a view of one of the many corners of my studio. There is much more to see than this, don't have time to make decent pictures. Still very busy with clearing the mess (look at the next pictures, that is how it was just a few days ago) and cleaning the sawdust from every nook and cranny.

40 studios of artists in various disciplines are open for the public
all the info on :
www.Kunstroute-leuven.be

Hope to see many enthusiastic visitors and I wish everyone a fascinating tour and all the participating artists a successful weekend.