Pedestrian with Red Jacket

Last time I told you about the painting I was working on: a guy with a red jacket, walking towards the ocean. Well, here it is:

Pedestrian with Red Jacket, oil on panel, 40 x 120 cm

I must say, I really enjoy this new direction my work seems to have taken. I always avoided the human figure, because I wanted the focus to be on light and space. When you introduce a figure the painting becomes a narrative, like a still from a movie. The funny thing is: that is exactly what I like about it now. What on earth is this guy with his red jacket doing there?

It has been a while since I painted a human figure   (almost 40 years I guess) so I was a bit out of practice. Still I enjoyed it a lot. The problem often is to make the figure  a part of the landscape. It should not be isolated, like it's a separate world. To solve this problem I painted the background just over the edge of the figure and the figure on top of that. Of course the reflection in the water also helps. 

Feedback is welcome!

Rømø Beach

As promised in my previous blog entry, here's an oil sketch of a beach scene on the Danish island Rømø.

Rømø Beach #1, oil on paper sketch, 30 x 40 cm

Maybe you remember the triptych I was working on last July. Each of the three images had a human figure in it, which is quite exceptional for me. Since then I've been thinking about doing more of that. Got some encouraging reactions to the triptych and  when I showed it in an exhibition at the Møhlmann Museum (a privately funded museum of contempory Dutch realism) all three paintings were sold within a week. 'I must be on to something here...' I thought. Lots of different ideas went through my head and at the moment I'm working on a painting with a guy in a red jacket walking towards the sea. Hope to show you the result in my next blog.

Rømø Beach #2, oil on paper sketch, 30 x 40 cm

Anyway, I wondered what the Rømø sketch would look like with a few figures in it. 'What's the worst that can happen' I said to myself and I added  three guys walking on the beach. I'm not sure about the result. Did it get better? Please let me know what you're thinking!