Small is beautiful

We just got back from a short vacation on the Croatian coast. Great scenery, lovely weather and nice people. Now that I'm back I find it hard to get started again. The weather is hot (and that doesn't happen very often in Holland), the summer vacation just started and everything slowed down, including me.

What I did do was make a very small painting of 10 x 15 cm (4 x 6 in). I'm plannng to make a series of this size. I'll tell you later what I have in mind. 

Beach With Cirrus Clouds, oil on panel, 10 x 15 cm

Making a painting this small, is quite a challenge. You can't paint as many details as you're maybe used to, at least I can't. There's simply not enough room, unless you're painting with a one haired brush. So you're forced to leave the details out and at the same time produce a painting that convincingly suggests light and space. I may need some more practice...  

Taking a short vacation also gave me a fresh look at my tryptich. In my previous blog entry I told you about the doubts I had about the left- and right wing. These doubts simply vanished. What a little distance can't do...