My self-appointed, unofficial artist’s residency at our local National Park
Including a behind the scenes painting video
A little over a year ago I decided to take along my sketchbook on one of our regular family walks in our local National Park. The Zuid-Kennemerland National Park is a beautiful combination of forest, dunes, marshes, bush, coast, lakes and luxury estates that stretches over 3800 hectares. It is one of my favourite places and has such a variety for your senses to feast on.
After shuffling along for a bit - children tend to vary their walking pace quite dramatically - I saw this beautiful and interesting tree with its roots creeping over the side of the hill. I decided that I needed to draw it, so that I could remember it forever. So while the kids played with in one of the designated play areas in the park, I went to work, trying to capture the tree in my sketchbook. Unbeknownst at the time, that tree was the start of a big project that I am still working on.
Since that day I have been spending every available moment, sketching in the park, often combining it with a hike to get to the areas that you cannot get to by bike. The type of sketch I make will vary, depending on the weather, but I have sketched in pretty much everything except a storm. Give me rain - I sketch in watercolour. In the middle of winter - make it smaller and with just a marker. Give me a sunny day, and I take out my big case of coloured pencils and markers.
In one of Amy Steward’s recent notes she spoke of her self-appointed unofficial artists’ residency at a park close to where she lives. As I was reading it I realised that that is exactly what I have been doing. Up till that point I have just been referring to it as a ‘big personal art project’, but “artist’s residency” gives a much better idea of what I have actually been doing, be it unofficial and self-appointed.
At the time of writing this I have already amassed 38 full sketches, spread over three sketchbooks. After my youngest started with school at the end of last year, and winter had diminished my opportunities to make elaborate sketches in the park, I knew that the time has at last arrived for me to turn some of these sketches into larger paintings. So I started by selecting which ones I would paint and made a trip to the art supply store for some canvases in the specific sizes that I thought would work for each painting. What you will see in this video is me in the process of working on two of these paintings.
I enjoy this process of turning my sketches into paintings. I don’t expect all of my sketches to become paintings, I reserve it for only my favourite ones. Knowing this gives me the freedom to play when I am making the sketches without the pressure of expecting it to be usable for a painting afterwards. I find that mindset crucial in my process.
The two sketches on which the paintings in the process video is based:
As the year progresses, I will give you more behind the scenes peeks into this self-appointed, unofficial artists’ residency. Who knows, maybe one of you knows someone at the Dutch National Parks that could turn this into an official artist’s residency. Regardless, it is something that brings me so much joy, that it will be hard to stop me from working on this project.
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May your creative endeavours be filled with joy!
Nino
“Show notes”
My two favourite albums that I currently listen to when painting:
The Chopin Project by Ólafur Arnalds and Alice Sara Ott
the world is finally quiet by Ólafur Arnalds
Oh, I simply love the idea of the “self-appointed, unofficial artist’s residency.” This is how I now want to call my ongoing personal projects, too 😊 It truly gives the personal project a right mindset and perspective, with a helpful dose of lightness, I think. And yours is such a beautiful project, exploring a narrative of a place.
Ok, I am going to admit it. I have googled 'artist residency national park', since I read your post. Because I love the idea and would love it if this was an actual program in the Netherlands (haven't found it here).
I was reminded of the Dutch line by Lucebert: 'Alles van waarde is weerloos' (crude translation: everything of value is fragile) in relation to the protection of nature (which the national parks do) in our current political climate. I could really see some initiatives that even celebrate or emphasize that 'weerloosheid' with art, which is also weerloos.
I'm seeing some connections here ... very interesting!