Field notes & Studio Diary
Observations and reflections that arise while painting en plein air in the forest or in the studio. Notes on color, pigments, materials, and wildlife encounters. A slow diary of thoughts, written while standing at the easel.
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Tree stump with lichen and moss
Over this past week I have focused on a tree stump overgrown with lichen and surrounded by moss. You can read about the experiences of the separate painting sessions in earlier posts of this blog (day 1, 2, 3 and 4). The tree stump with the mint-green lichen is already a somewhat abstract structure, so…
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Olterterp – 30 July 2026
7:58 – I was thinking about the painting I’m currently working on yesterday. It’s a very challenging subject to paint because the color values (light-dark) are very close together. And so far, in terms of details, I have paid a lot of attention to the tree stump with the moss itself, but less to the…
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Olterterp – 29 July 2026
I slept well last night, and for the third day in a row, I am sitting here on a blanket next to a large oak tree. It is a beautiful, calm summer morning, and as I write this, I can hear various birds: a robin, a chiffchaff, a great spotted woodpecker, a willow warbler, and…
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Olterterp – 28 July 2026
I woke up very early, so I went to the forest just before sunset. As I woke up this morning, I was thinking about the painting I am currently working on. One of the things that appeals to me so much about moss and the forest floor in general is the different textures. And I…
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Creating oil paint from natural pigment
During our trips, I bring along small samples of stones and soil that contain pigments I could use for oil painting. Last year I brought different ochres and also green clay from Sweden. I use these when I think a painting could use something extra in addition to the commercially available paint. Right now I…
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Olterterp – 27 July 2026
I am sitting now at the spot where I am going to paint today. It is the third time I have been here this morning. Once to look for the subject I want to paint, once to get all the supplies, and another time to pick up the blanket I am sitting on now but…
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Beetsterzwaag – 23 July 2026
I have just set up my easel to continue working on my painting of blackberry bushes. This is probably one of the last times, but maybe not. In the painting, I want to show how the bush proliferates and how you get lost among the leaves. And while painting, I certainly got lost. It is…
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Wijnjewoude – 21 July 2026
There is something primitive about it. The different shades of green and brown are all so subtly different, yet they do something to you; it all fits together. I hear a bird sound that I don’t quite recognize: high, long, soaring, pure tones. To see what it is, I turned on the Merlin app, but…
