Creation of the MoonOwlith, a triad in four parts

Moonfolk creating a new moonowlith.
The tetrahedron in the hand of the right moon being seeming almost arcane, shifting in multiple dimensions.
The moonowlith illuminating the rest of the scene as you can see the dome closed around it.

This trilogy of paintings in four pieces is made on canvas,
special hinges allow the paintings to be seperated or even placed in a light curve.


This was the big piece I've been working on since I heard I had
an extra 4 meters to fill at my exposition.
Yet to be honest, since the last year of my art academy I have been designing this work.
And from that time till last summer I've been thinking about what material, what canvas to paint it on.

I've made small designs on mdf panel, even made a few small puzzle pieces of them. Yet for a big work, wooden panels usually do not work.
Yet frames for canvas won't work in such extreme angeles, especially the fourth piece is practically impossible.

I did find some frame pieces that could meet this challenge.
And though I couldn't find the previous store I got a few sample frames from anymore, I did find another store that had them.

So I spend weeks putting sawing the frames in the right size,
as you can see in a previous blog post, I even had to adjust my sawblade setup for such extreme angles, yet I made it work!

Wrapping the canvas around was actually the easiest part,
then came the slow process of applying thin layers of canvas.
And since it was a bigger piece, I used a bit thicker, tougher canvas.
This required more layers to get a nice smooth surface.

And a few taps here and there.
Also around this time I decided it needed hinges to connect the pieces.


Not just simple hinges, because that would permanently bind the pieces together.
I designed it to be playful, to be able to arranged, put together, not to be a static piece.

Thus I needed paumelle hinges, I believe in English they call it Hedgehog?

This allowed one to put them together into one piece and even place it on a table instead of hanging it on a wall as a free standing piece.
Or take them apart and put them on the wall individually. As the puzzle it was intended to be.

Of course, the scary thing was that I had to drill holes into the frames I just spend weeks fitting.

Luckily it worked out well after finding some hand drill and the right dremel drill.

Though a bit of smoke came from the hole, luckily it neither break or burn.

After that just more patience was needed in applying the first grey base coat of oilpaint layers and let it dry. Sketching and painting after was quite straight forward.

And some images of it standing on a black glass table and at the actual exposition.

And as you see, the hinges can bend both ways, thus creation many possibilities for displaying it.

Trygometric Cycle aka The Case for the increase of efficiency of the powersource through shifting the subject into a more relaxed state.

This work's working title was a little too big, and also yet to truly decide on it.
Yet it does describe the scene.

It is the cold rational scientific discussion in which the 'Philospher' moon being, the one with the long dress, proposes to the 'Scientist' that the emotional state might have a connection to the energy output.

They, the moon beings draw their energy from their 'Gods' beings which they discovered looking into different dimensions and energy frequencies. For a rational being like the folk from the moon, such a potent being has potential, not to worship, but to use as a power source.

The two classes you see here are the 'Scientist' and the 'Philosopher'.
Scientists are but observers, they study and observe, to find and gather more information.
The philosophers are the class that actually 'invent', they are the least 'rational' and the most open minded.

Within a triangle a circular interior.
The true name of this vision:
The Case of the connection between energetic output
and the emotional state of the MoonOwlith.

As one being observers the other explains the rather new idea of emotions influencing the being.
And how it under less stressful circumstances it might produce a more stable and constant flow of energy.

The well-being of another creature considered,
not out of compassion but out of efficiency.






The frame was quite interesting to make yet possible. It was a preparation for the more complex frames for the 'Creation of the MoonOwlith" scene.

After that it was making a master sketch while also applying a lot of layers of gesso to get a smooth surface and then applying a few layers of grey oil paint before making a grid and sketch.

Then after that the lineart, it was not perfect yet good enough to get a general feeling how what to paint where so it wasn't as hard to paint over it.


 
After the lineart I first put down the base shadings and after that slowly but surely the painting came together.

First quickly then as the painting progresses it slows down and will be a lot of looking and just a few brush strokes here and there until I felt it was complete.

With this painting I had the idea my brush strokes became freeër, almost expressionistic/ Rembrandesque.


As if I saw the painting in front of me and was painting a model instead of constructing it.

 

Cycladian Meditation

Cycladian Meditation

A being as seen on my other paintings, now in a meditative pose, seemingly floating in front of a black triangular hole. It has unwrapped its pants and seems to be pulling out and inspecting the wires in it.
What at first seems to be a spiritual meditation is after all just a routine inspection of its gear and cables.

The description with the painting:

"The Circle frames the triangle,
the being appears to be meditating.
Yet with a closer look,
it might just be tinkering with its wired interface."

And of course, I have made some pictures of how this painting came to be.

As you see, I first made a 'master sketch' with grid which 'matches' sort of the grid on the canvas.
This makes it easier to get the proportions right.

Of course each drawing, each painting, no matter how similar you try to make it, will be a little different. And after such a rigid sketch I do give myself the freedom to adjust.

 

The Lineart went well, it was actually quite hard  to take the next step. Because it meant destroying the lineart to make the painting. 

But you got to kill your darlings, they say.

 

After the destruction and covering of the sketch and filling in colours and shading the more pleasant process of filling in a few highlights, shading and minor corrections begin. 

And finally the signing when I feel the picture has been finished.

Nationale Kunstdagen 2019

I'll be taking part in the "Nationale Kunstdagen" this year in Nieuwegein,
today I have received the free tickets for those who would like to visit, link below.
http://www.kunstdagen.nl/uitnodiging

It will be between 11:00 and 17:30 on 9 and 10 November in Nieuwegein.

I'll be having around 9 meter of exposition space available and will be displaying quite some work, including new work of which the picture above displays on.
Yes it is rather small, the other two are bigger. One will be more then a meter long.

 I would love to see you there.
After the exposition I'll be posting some images of the expo as well as images of the progress and final version of the three new works I've been working on the last months.

Please feel free to ask any questions. :)

The MoonOwlithic Triptych Cycle

This work will be at my exposition again along with new work.

-MoonOwlithic Triptych Cycle-

The entire scene, the moonowlith framed by two groups of three moonfolk.
A fierce moonowlith screeching.
The light emanating from its belly illuminating the tetrahedron shaped ship.
Black threads from the glass tower into the very flesh of the deity.
Leeching it from its force as it lights all around it.
Three moonfolk on either side.
one holding up a tetrahedron as the others watch.
Three classes of moonfolk,
a philosopher creating,
a scientist observing,
and one standing guard.

The tryptich when it would be opened.
A fierce moonowlith screeching.
The light emanating from its belly illuminating the tetrahedron shaped ship.
Black threads from the glass tower into the very flesh of the deity.
Leeching it from its force as it lights all around it.

And at the back the struggle of the moonowlith's last cycle,
yet it also hints that it might also be the first.
Will it engulf in flames and rise as a phoenix,
or will it forever be an object of study.
A victory of science on the very force of light.

It is oilpaint on MDF panel and canvas framed with wood.
60 cm x 60 cm
30 cm x 60 cm
30 cm x 30 cm

23" x 23"
12" x 23"
12" x 12"

A bit of a teaser, the process of making queer angles.

In my quest to make my own canvas in the shapes I wanted to I struggled a lot.
Panels can be easily made into any shape, yet larger panels can warp,
as well a hanging a panel on the wall is hard, especially with the stas system at expositions.

Thus I returned to canvas frames.
Yet it is very hard finding such in any other angles then 90 degree ones, straight angles.

I consider this limiting and a little boring.
Thus three of my new works will be on canvas in which half in not all of the angles will be less or more then 90 degree angles.

This is quite something since both the saw I have as well as the canvas frames they sell, even those you can put together yourself are not made for such alternative angles.

Thus it took some adapting and can assure you that finally I got it to work.

Here some teaser of the process.

Yeah my table was quite messy, it is better now. Had to make more room on the table for applying boneglue and gesso. :)

Just a tease.

Yes, it has been a while,
soon I shall post pictures of what I have been up to.
Yet so close to the Nationale Kunstdagen I would like to pull the veil back on what I am working on.

Soon tickets for the exposition will be available at my blog and facebook,
until then, have look at this little painting.

With the lineart finished it pains to me to have to go over with paint.
Though a proper sketch is always the good base.

And like a teacher once told me, you got to kill your darlings.

My murder weapon? A brush.

PS: The website and my art on it can be found here: https://www.kunstdagen.nl/
And here: https://www.kunstdagen.nl/kunstenaar/20707/Cornelis-Dubbelaar/

A collar of solar webbing

Sneak peak of one of the newer works I made.

One of the first with a big collar with a crystaline structure,
for when, as a lunar being, you need more energy.
Why not get it directly from your surrounding?

This one will be framed and together with new and previous works, displayed at Art Eindhoven.

You can still get free tickets, as far as I know, through this link: https://arteindhoven.nl/deelnemerrelaties

Hope to see you there, and otherwise, next week I'll post pictures of the exposition and the rest of the works I made recently.

Art Eindhoven 13th and 14th of April 2019

Finally, my work will be there in my stand at 13 and 14 April.
It will open Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 and close at 17:30.
Do let me know if you are coming to this art exposition.
You can get free tickets at: Link to free tickets.

My stand will be at stand 91, you can see the general layout here: Pdf map of Art Eindhoven.

Construct study and skeletal meditation

It has been silent for quite some while,
working on quite some things.
And also another exposition coming up,
preparation for that.

Then I remember, I haven't actually scanned/posted the final stages of these.

So here they are, they were too wet to be scanned before, but quite dry right now.

 This being studies and demonstrates a model of their domed homes and how there is more then appears on the surface. The sphere is a very strong form, and for an alien mind, the cube might be more economical in space yet it severely lacks in strength. And why favour space, when you cannot secure the space from the powerful influences of space?

The skeletal structure of moon folk, positioned in a meditative posture, is it just for stability or does it have a higher purpose?

Both have been exposed at Nationale Kunstdagen and will be displayed at the Art Eindhoven.
This is the link for the early birds to get their tickets free and come visit me and more then a hundred other artists: https://arteindhoven.nl/deelnemerrelaties

I am going to expose my art at stand number 91, here's the layout of the exposition: https://arteindhoven.nl/plattegrond/plattegrond_2019.pdf?v=5
This week I'll make an official invitation, pretty picture and such. Until then, enjoy and feel free to respond. :D

Lunar landscape sketches

A few quick sketches to get a better 'feel' of the lunar landscape.
As you will see, the second has a lot less contrast. This is the first version. To allow for darker darks and greater highlights if I wanted to. And in Krita it is quite easy to adjust contrast to get a version like the first image.

Also I hid something in the middle. Like, a whole city. Or two, or even three.

 

It was also quite surprising how little colour the moon actually has, though most images we have are black and white of course, colour pictures don't actually add a lot. It is very subtle except for what we put on it.