April 10, tue
Everything is ready, let’s start week 2. I’m totally in to it. Last night I made pigment paste at home.
I’m starting to see it, the structures. I think I need a little red spot, to go with the brown. I’m glad my head is clear right now. I really needed a long weekend off. I was complete, completely messed up. Shaken.
What a bustle today. There has been a film crew here almost all afternoon. They were preparing recordings at the end of this month, so I’ll probably have to pack my things for 2 days, boooo. Nevertheless, I have worked hard, my painting has changed seriously. It has grown, but I am not content yet. Something has to happen. Coal, or red, or white, or …?
April 11, wed
Whoohoo, I asked for coal today, so Jan came this afternoon and guided me into the coal washing plant. That’s an area where I’m not allowed to go into by myself, because it’s not safe. Parts of the floor suffer from concrete rot. We collected 2 different sizes coal.
April 12, thu
There were already 2 groups of visitors this morning while I was still setting up my stuff. It’s really something special, painting in a museum. I don’t feel comfortable, so I hide myself behind my studio easels whenever I hear people.
BTW, if you want to pay a visit to this wonderful mining heritage yourself: I can highly recommend it! Visit www.mijnmuseum.be for all info.
April 13, fri
Painting is not going very well at this moment. I’m working on matte/shiny today, but I’m not getting the results I hoped for. The product I use to mattify my paint, looks matte in one direction, but very white in the other one.
The strokes I made while testing my coal pigment with different acrylic binders, come in very handy as color charts to determine what version of my coalpaint I want to use. I love this warm brown color.
April 14, sa
Today I lay my new easel flat for the first time: sweeeet! That’s really handy! I like the tray too, in which I can put my pots of coal whithout being able to bump them on the ground. Blissfull, just like the sun in my back.
Roundup Artist Residency week 2
I start feeling at ease. Not quite there yet, but it starts. My work is going a bit better, but not as it should be. Glad with the progression I made this week: I now have a translucent mat paint that does not turn white. I am relieved.
A few days ago I started a second painting. The structures in the first one were getting on my nerves, I needed to set it aside.
Occasionally I’m enjoying it here. Still not comfortable, but it starts. I’m a bit shy, I hide myself everytime a group of visitors enters. It’s so weird.
