It’s not all grey in grey

I thought I would be more creative during lockdown and the pandemic in general. I should have called this post “The myth of being productive in the times of crisis”. On social media you’d see people using all their new freetime for creative tasks, more exercise, self-improvement and what not. But fact is the crisis is a bad time for creativity, at least mine. One doesn’t leave the house, so there is a major lack of inspiration. Even though places are opening up again and we can go wherever we want outside, home office hasn’t changed much. So the result is that I produced a whopping two paintings since March. Two paintings. And one isn’t even finished yet. I should really be proud, two is better than none.

So instead of complaining I want to present you a painting I created for a good friend of mine who asked for the colours of grey and violet to match with her interiors. That was fun! Since grey and violet are not primary colours and also not shades I currently have I had to mix them. And I love that, creating new colours with other colours is all what painting is about for me. The painting doesn’t have a name but I had a lot of fun painting it. It is always a boost when you paint for someone, because you already know that you will (hopefully) make someone happy with it. Of course, there is always the risk the person doesn’t like it but with my friend I wasn’t too worried as she already owns a painting of mine.

It’s oil on canvas and I used linseed oil to dilute my colours. I used to use turpentine for diluting but linseed oil has a less strong smell and might possibly be better in general. When looking at the painting, it reminds me of the mountains that I so love. A thunderstom in the mountains. The weather in the alps can change very rapidly and you really need a lot of meterological knowledge when hiking or skiing in the wild. How did I move from talking about my art to the weather in the mountains? Anyway, inform yourself before you go into the mountains.

Most importantly though, my friend really liked the painting and it looks great in her living room. So if you feel like you need some abstract art in your home comment on the post below and I will get in touch.