“There, in the chords and melodies, is everything I want to say.
The words just jolly it along.
It’s always been my way of expressing what for me is inexpressible by any other means.”
– David Bowie
For me, it’s colour and texture
Latest Activities…
Aquarius: The Urban Sketching Box and meeting Roman Szmal
Meeting Roman Szmal Last Summer I met Roman Szmal, the man behind the lovely Aquarius watercolor paint. He invited me to meet him at Kunstburg. That's the Dutch art supply store that sells his paint. And although it's all the way on the other end of the country, I...
Unlaunching
Last week I decided to unlaunch my Patreon, to pause it indefinitely. Why? Well, the short of it is that it's time for me to go back to basics. The long of it is that... ...I need to practise 'Amor Fati' When I launched my Patreon my head was bubbly and sparkly with...
My Lost Bear and a word on digital vs real painting
A few weeks ago Ana Goldberg, a YouTuber I’ve been following for a while now, proposed to her Patrons to do a zine together. The topic would be “Our most cherished items and why we keep them”. Ana left her home country a few weeks ago and had to leave behind most of...
And some more activity…
A little laughter of hope
"Awww, you..." Darkness Sometimes hope gets eaten alive. It was the morning after Russia had invaded Ukraine. I sat reading the news with an ever heavier heart. This couldn't be happening! War doesn't belong in our time. War is something of far-away places and of...
De lente brengt hoop in De Kleine Grote Wereld
Iets nieuws in deze tijd? Het juiste moment kiezen om mijn De Kleine Grote Wereld project te starten, was niet zo makkelijk. Eerst was er corona met alle onzekerheden die dat met zich meebracht. En nu voltrekt zich plotseling een oorlog in een land waarvan de...
Witness on my Blog
"Witness" on the drawing table - watercolor and color pencil Back on the Blog Hello dear reader! Are you still here? Maybe you can give me a little wave or smiley reply to let me know you're here reading? I've been away for so long that I can hardly believe anybody's...
The IDEAL Watercolor Palette
Last Summer I began composing my ideal watercolor palette. I needed one very much. I had collected so much paint over the years that I reviewed watercolor on YouTube that I needed that one go-to box of colors I could paint almost anything with. Having a lot of paint...
Patreon….here I come!!!
It's high time for an update, don't you think? Well, I've got one. Patreon!!! This past covid year has been…hmm…let's say I feel a bit like Rip van Winkle at the moment…waking up to the world after a loooooooooong nap. I was finally released from isolation by my covid...
Rembrandt granulating watercolors
Exploring Rembrandt further, this time I've painted swatches from their granulating watercolors and compared them to other brands that used the same pigments. I included Daniel Smith, a comparison many people asked for. https://youtu.be/WqX8WdfX2Ek Below you can find...
Rembrandt vs Van Gogh watercolor comparison
Having both the complete Rembrandt and Van Gogh watercolor collection, I could now do a comparison of sorts of the both. Here's the video: https://youtu.be/dwZlNl17I0Q And here are the three hi-resolution color charts. Remember that digital reproduction inevitably...
Do you want a Hug from me? You can have it!
A personalized Hug Did you like the Hugs that I posted online last week? And would you like to get a personalized Hug for yourself or for a loved one? You can! I've decided to draw Hugs for other people who really need one or who would like to give one to someone they...
A week of Hugs
A week of Hugs is what I have for you today. Hugs because I mis hugging my friends and family. Hugs because I know you might miss that too. Many people do. So, let's start by a hug from me to you: Hugs, India ink on Bristol paper, © Mandy van Goeije, 2020 My week of...
Back to black with Inktober
Normally I don't do challenges anymore because I don't like how they intrude on my own flow, but Inktober is different. Just like writing Tanka I love limiting myself to just one medium. Creative wings are often born within limitations. It happens with writing poetry...
Maximum extraction in translation
As it happened, I was reading Zucked by Roger McNamee when I heard that celebrities were sending a signal to facebook by boycotting it and instagram for a day with the #StopHateforProfit campaign. I immediately remembered this tanka I drew and wrote last year and...
Cobalt Teals compared
One of my favorite pigments to work with, was PG50, a bright cobalt teal, or bright turquoise that is very much in fashion in art today. It holds a super vibrant and bright middle between blue and gold, although I prefer those that lean more towards the blue. I say it...