Overwhelming

a tiny part of 'Summer in the city'
YES!
I finished a new painting, Summer in the city, started with another one and a few new art-bags are ready!
Pictures of them still have to be made.
Last Tuesday I sent a newsletter to all of my contacts about Portable-Art.eu and I was really surprised by the amount of reactions. All positive and enthusiastic. Very overwhelming.
Tomorrow I'll continue the new painting, already looking forward to it!!!

hollandartavenue.nl

A nice article about my exhibition at Jules and Jeremy (if you can read Dutch)
http://www.hollandartavenue.nl/?menu_id=1&album=17

My latest project

The pictures of the project I've been working on since the end of August are online now. With special thanks to www.studio63.nl for making the pictures and the quick delivery of the website!
http://www.portable-art.eu

Yes... portable art.
Why?
It occured to me, once again, that it's important to make the difference.
With all the Ikea's, H&M's etc.. in the world (which are great enterprises by the way), you should be able to compose your own personal environment. Not only on the interior and exterior of your house, but of course (that's why there's so much fuss about fashion) in the way you dress. Why not make it more personal... make it unique and carry art with you?
Not by wearing 1 out of 20 worldwide (quite exclusive) or 1 out of 100 (still exclusive), but a unique piece! So you're the only one in the whole world wearing it!
That was the idea... next I had to implement it... and real quick I found out that this was not going to be easy. Quite a challenge to me, LOL!
With every new piece I made, I learned and improved and it takes tremendous much time to create one. But I'm pleased with the result uptil now.

I'm going to continue with this, of course!
But after all these small pieces of art it itches... I've GOT to start a large large painting!!! There's a lot going on also, so I'd better get to work!

Jules & Jeremy

Yesterday Jules Ponsioen, one of the owners of Jules & Jeremy Art & Design in Utrecht (NL) came to collect about 15 of my paintings for my exhibition in their gallery.
The show, together with Michael Behrens, a German artist who makes great glass objects, will run from October 1 until December 1.
Vernissage on Sunday October 11, from 15.00 hours. You're very welcome!

Jules & Jeremy are young, enthusiastic and driven art designers who know eachother for more than 30 years, and work together in design since about 10 years.
Their aim is to find a balanced combination of simplicity, timeliness and functionality and they like to play with contrast, structure and art.

Design furniture can be seen as art and also be placed like an art piece in the interior. Art and design play a major role in the interior and should complement each other. This is why they have art exhibitions in the showroom. The combination of art and design is a wonderful combination and is inspirational to them.

Their showroom / gallery is located in the Utrecht Museum Quarter, on the Oudegracht 259 (between Tivoli and 't Oude Pothuys) but you can also visit them on the famous Dutch Design Week from October 17 until 25 in Eindhoven (NL). More info on www.julesandjeremy.com

Itch

I am completely absorbed by the new art project that I am doing. Something completely different, though with paint.
Can't tell anything yet, be patient!
In between I've made some new paintings as well... when it itches I've got to act upon it!

The extended life of my jeans

A few of my jeans on the floor of my studio.

All of my jeans (and the ones of my daughter) have a second life. I wear them when I paint, so I don't have to be cautious with the paint. I wipe off my hands, palette knifes and brushes without having to think. I can splatter with the paint, I can feel free to do as I please. The textile is thick, so the paint doesn't get through it and ends on the skin of my legs.

As you can see on this picture, after a while thick layers arise. Sometimes it feels like leather. Anyway, it's a nice rough skin. They can be washed in the machine, no loss of colors! Great quality, the paint I use! I continue to wear a pair of jeans until they get too heavy. I'm very glad my daughter is convinced that she's got to wear the latest fashion models, so I never run out of new old jeans.

Mess

Although it's summer, today I was spring-cleaning my studio. It had become such a mess! When I'm at work the only thing I've got eyes for is the painting I'm creating. I don't notice where I put the pot with paint after using it, I don't care on what things I wipe the paletknifes and brushes, I don't mind that the paint splatters around... I'm not aware of these things because I'm concentrating on my painting. That's nice... but the consequence is that I often have to search for the things I've lost, not knowing where I put them. Quite annoying when you need it to continue painting and you were just doing fine. It's not even a question of remembering. Like the palette knife I was just holding, but where is it now? Where did I put the titan white? Oh #$%&#, I forgot to put the brush in water, now it's all dried up and I cannot use it anymore... Because I am like I am, that behaviour will not disappear with a spring-cleaning. But it's nice that everything is in order now. Ready to start again after a satisfying summer break.

Every artist's dream: Herb & Dorothy Vogel

HERB & DOROTHY Trailer from Herb & Dorothy on Vimeo.

Special thanks to The Gallery Diva of Monkdogz who pointed me (and the other followers of Artblahblah.com) to this ordinary/extraordinary couple. I cannot wait to see this documentary!

DailyArtFixx

Lately I keep getting more mail from art lovers and artists, writing they like my work. I'm really very flattered every time and again. Everybody likes to receive compliments and so do I.
A few days ago I received a message from a Belgian fan with a link to DailyArtFixx.com. This is a blog from Canadian art enthusiast and artist, Wendy Campbell, residing in both Tokyo-Japan and Toronto-Canada. At the end of June she published a blogpost about my work.

http://www.dailyartfixx.com/2009/06/29/esther-barend-abstract-art/

I appreciate this very much. Especially because, after seeing the blogpost she's written on other artists, I feel privileged to be amongst such good company. Wendy's got an eye for art and great taste!

I recommend her art blog: http://www.dailyartfixx.com
I'm going to read it every day from now on!

Who would you pick?

So give your opinion on http://artblahblah.com/?p=749

A very interesting art blog anyway!!! created by Monkdogz Urban Art Gallery (http://www.monkdogz.com)

Jo Baer

Jo Baer, courtesy of Petrovsky & Ramone

Last Friday I visited the Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven with my friend (and visual artist) Ameli Viaux. The museum it self is every artists wet dream to be able to exhibit in. Enormous and (sometimes extremely) high white walls, big enough but not too, so it gives you the feeling of intimacy. The classification of the area is very playful and everything besides the floor is white.

There were 3 solo-exhibitions of female artists and one of them, Jo Baer (born in Seattle, now living in Amsterdam), to me was the eye-catcher. She was born in 1929 and started exhibiting when my parents still were children. But what she's created in all those years and recently, definitely is of all times. When I look at her oeuvre I feel just like a rookie, still wet behind the ears. With this exhibition you travel through a selection out of 50 years of her art which changes from abstract expressionism to extremely abstract minimalistic to radical figuration. Being on top of her success in 1975 she dare to turn away from abstraction and started examining and experimenting with figurative forms. Her goal was to connect social reality and illusion.

I endorse her statement: "All of the so-called abstract artists always have a tissue of meaning. I always did certainly... I meant layers. I meant boundaries. I meant very specific things always” Jo Baer, 1987

Technique

Part of a new painting which is under construction.

A lot of people ask me how I am able to create the textures in my paintings.

My paintings are made with paint on canvas. Nothing more, nothing less. No acrylic gel medium, no sand, no glue, no textile, nothing of any other kind of 'aid'. I build my paintings, sculpt them using palette knifes, brushes and my fingers. That's why there is so much paint on my pants, and that's how the reliëf rises on the canvas.

Before I start to paint, I've got to free my mind. If I don't succeed in that, the painting will not be good. It's not always easy to free your mind when you're tight up with the issues that confront us on a daily basis, especially when they are more serious and numerous than average. In that case it takes a lot of concentration to 'step up' but when I succeed it's a perfect get-away from daily life. The result of my paintings, though not figurative, always is autobiographic. But everybody can 'read' them using their own interpretation.

Simon Vinkenoog - expert in the Art of Living

Saturday evening I read that Simon Vinkenoog, a famous Dutch writer en poet, was dying. He had an enormous brain haemorrhage. Sunday early in the morning he died, his family was with him.

Simon would have become 81 next week and was a lightning example for humanity in positivity and staying young in his head. Always happy and full of energy. I admired him and his lifestyle at his age. He was a bright light and still performing on stage with Spinvis. He was not only an artist, but also an expert in the art of living! Or as we say in Dutch 'een levenskunstenaar'. You would not have given him 81 at all! Also he was the ambassador of marihuana, smoking joints every day til the day he died.

Lately I saw a documentary on television (made by Hugo Borst) about Jan Ykema, a former Dutch professional skater who, after finishing his career, was heavily addicted to cocaine and speed for some time. A black period in his life. He rehabilitated, but not without his 'medicin' as he calls it... smoking a joint from time to time. It calms him down and lightens him up. People who suffer from chronic pain also benefit from this medicin. In the Netherlands marihuana is not forbidden, like in many other countries. But under pressure of European laws etc... the laws about buying and growing it are getting tighter. Hugo interviewed Jan, and also his son (a teenager) who was very happy that he got his father back and understood that smoking a joint is not that bad at all. Drinking alcohol every day, is much worse.

Jan Ykema's demented father is staying in a home for the elderly. He was sick, getting sicker and did not want to get up and could not walk anymore... until Jan one day decided to put marihuana-leaf in his tea.. In a few days the old man recovered, got out of bed, started walking again and was much happier....

Maybe we should give the elderly who don't enjoy life anymore, the choice to drink some marihuana-tea from time to time and brighten up their days! Life would be much more beautiful for them and I think it would save a lot of costs in medication and sleeping pills as well!

Why not learning from this?... Why not trying to learn the art of living? Just like Simon Vinkenoog! Why does everything has to be so strict and why can't everybody loosen a bit?
Get a life!

Uncertainty

Wiped out

The weather last week was warm and sulty. It was 32 degrees Celcius/90 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature is this high it tears the energy and inspiration out of me. I've worked very hard lately and said to myself that taking a week off would do me some good. So I did some jobs in my house, slept in the shadow of the nut tree in the garden and read this beautiful book: 'La sombra del Viento' of Carlos Ruiz Zafón... (English title: The Shadow of the wind), which has already been read by at least 15 million people worldwide.

I can tell you, I've read a lot of books, but this is absolutely the most fabulous one I've ever read. To me Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a fantastic artist. I envy him for his talent, for his imagination and the strength to compose it into a book. It took him 7 years to write the next book: El juego del ángel (The angel's game) which I'm absolutely going to read and immerse into this promising story. I cannot wait! I wonder, does Carlos ever feel uncertain? Does he ever doubt himself, feeling small, just like me?

It happens to me every time after taking 1 or 2 weeks off.... I get uncertain and find myself thinking that I lost 'the magic touch', that I cannot do it anymore. This goes skin deep, every time again. Up til now I've always retrieved 'it'. Today I stepped into my studio again.... and screwed up. So now I'll be giving myself some peptalk and start over again tomorrow.

Dare to be UNIQUE!

Heartbeat, 100x120 cm/39x47 inch, follow your heart, not your head.

On Artblahblah, the blog of the gallery who represents my work in New York: Monkdogz Urban Art, the Gallery Diva wrote a, in my opinion, very interesting article. Essence of the article (and quote): "People are buying art for the monetary value, more now than ever. They’re buying a known commodity, limited availability and safe. It has nothing to do with understanding the language of art."
For more: http://artblahblah.com/?p=586

I agree with her view on this phenomena.
In the USA sales are under pressure even more than in Europe, but galleries and artists overhere who live from the sales of their art all are having a hard time now. A lot of my colleague-artists who were in a rising (or sometimes established) position up til the beginning of 2009, are confronted with a lot less sales or no sales at all!
I've been lucky I think, because up til now it has not been that bad for me, but I know that I'm not going to dance away from this crisis.
Most of the people who are buying art now, do this not because they love the artpiece, but for the monetary value of it... So they invest in 'established' art. Most of the time these artpieces are at least 40 years old, and older.
Even though they've got enough money, they don't dare to follow their heart and buy art they really love. They rather buy art that has been valued by others.

Apparently in times of crisis people react primitive. This is pure biology, the animal in us shows herd behavior more than ever. In times of abundance it's more easy to distance yourself from the rest of the crowd. There's not much to lose (in terms of money) when things go wrong. It also is a sort of luxury to (try to) be unique, different than the rest of the world. But when times are rough, we act primitive and there is not much we can do about it. This shows that we're so small, so humble, only a tiny part of the enormous universe we live in and we are dragged into the maelstrom.

For the people who don't have much to lose during this crisis, speaking of money, I urge you to make the difference. Be unique, choose the art you really like and which hits you, not the amount of money that it represents. I like the way the Gallery Diva puts it: 'What about being part of history?'... Wouldn't it be great if a contemporary artist becomes more known, and later on maybe even famous, and you were the one who discovered and believed in this artist back in 2009? Or would you rather be part of the crowd, just like sheep or ants and play it safe? Think about it. You might be making a better investment than you could have ever dreamed of, besides the fact that a good piece of art, which you fell in love with, can bring so many moments of happiness in your life!

Pop-ups in the open and Ivo Daniëls

Close up of 'the beauty of ignorance' from the pop-up series

Today my handsome webdesigner has put the images of the new paintings from the Pop-up series on my website. More new Pop-up-paintings are on their way! Some of them still only popped-up in my head, some of them are under construction yet.


One of 'The nothing between the something' illustrations from, and courtesy of, Ivo Daniëls.

Yesterday Ivo, a young old friend of mine, came to visit my studio. He lives in Amsterdam but was in the neighborhood and we had an inspiring talk. Ivo recently graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven and is working on a few projects right now. He's one of the most distinctive persons I know, always following his own feelings. The consequence is that his path is not the most easy one, but the results are the ones you would not have thought of. He's always looking for challenges and is very inventive. If you want to visit his website and discover more about him: www.ivodaniels.nl

Open letter to Brad Pitt

courtesy Georgios Kefalas

Dear Mr. Pitt,

Congratulations with the pieces of art you bought on Art Basel 2009 (June 10-14, 2009, Basel, Switzerland).
I like 'Etappe' a lot (and also the other work of Neo Rauch) and I adore the fantastic art and architecture of Atelier van Lieshout from Rotterdam. You've got an eye for it!

My art is represented by 8 (soon to be 9) renowned galleries in the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA, and my paintings are sold on a regular basis. They are still very affordable because I've been hiding them for the top-galleries who are able to present themselves at 'top of the bill' art fairs like Art Basel, Frieze Art Fair, or Art Basel Miami.

Of course, once you've bought a piece, the value of my art will rise, just because YOU bought one.
Maybe that could make it possible eventually to realize my altruistic ideals.
I can assure you that you won't have any regrets! Also everyone who has already bought my work will be thrilled!!! Can you imagine how many people you would be making happy?

So if you do like my work and you've got some money and empty walls in one of your houses left, please do not hesitate to contact one of my galleries (1 is located in New York City, I think you're in the neighborhood sometimes) or me in person. Of course I'd be more than pleased to deliver my work at your house personally (without ulterior motives!)

Sincerely yours,
Esther Barend

P.s.: If so, can I bring my youngest son? He's 12 and adores Angelina!
--
http://www.estherbarend.eu
http://estherbarend.blogspot.com

Gallery & Studio Magazine

New York City - June 2009
Image search.
Part of my art on the 1 page advertisement of Monkdogz Urban Art Gallery in the summer edition of Gallery & Studio Magazine. Proud to be one of their artists.

For more Monkdogz:
www.monkdogz.com and www.artblahblah.com

Pictures of my exhibition at Suite Gallery

My paintings do fit wonderful on the walls of Suite Gallery, Bredestraat 2 in Loenen aan de Vecht, Netherlands.

'Mettlesome', 'Atmosphere' and 2 of the 'Panoramic'-series

It looks like some walls are black, but when you take a close look, you can see that they are purple, intense purple.


'Turbulence' and 'Life's a rollercoaster'


Cute girls... in front of 'Agility'


'Coziness' and 'Felicity'

If you want to see more and for real: Suite Gallery is opened on Thursday and Friday 11-17.00 hours, Saturday 10-17.00 hours.

Pictures courtesy of Suite Gallery

Art fair - ART LAREN 2009

Yesterday the 14th edition of ART LAREN started. This art fair is in open air under the trees on 'De Brink' in Laren Noord-Holland, the Netherlands.

27 galleries present the art of about 150 artists, curated by a commission to guard the quality of the presented art on this fair.

WARNARS & WARNARS (Naarden-Vesting) represents my work at this art fair which runs until Sunday June 7 from 11.00 - 18.00 hours.

Free entrance! For more info: www.artlaren.nl - www.warnars-warnars.nl

Pop-up

Love poem in black & white, 39x23 inch/100x60 cm

I've been busy the last few weeks with my new series 'Pop-up'.
While experimenting, and not being entirely satisfied about the result, the idea came up to continue with an experiment I started 3 years ago. Of course I had to adjust it to the developments I've made ever since. And so the first painting in the Pop-up series arose. The painting appeared first, and then the name of the Pop-up series popped up.
There are 11 paintings now in this series, smaller and large ones. My head is filled with variations on them and I cannot wait to implement them. It's a pity that I cannot project them directly from my head, through my eyes to canvas... that would be really nice!!

Sometimes I'm too impatient and it takes a lot of energy to keep focussed on the canvas if it does not grow as quickly as I would like it to do.
On the other hand... I love to watch what comes out of my hands.
It's amazing to experience that sometimes it's like the painting paints itself and I've got nothing to do with it, only my hands working.

I'm feeling very happy in my studio with all these new paintings surrounding me. Often I find it difficult to give up my paintings when they are sold or going to one of the galleries representing my work. The knowledge that I might never see it again.... So I'm very happy that I still do have the pictures!

Exhibition at Suite Gallery

Next Saturday May 30, my exhibition at Suite Gallery in Loenen aan de Vecht will get started. My newest paintings will be shown, together with art-photography of Karen Kaper. I've delivered my paintings so I'm ready for take off now!

I already had a lot of positive reactions on the series of small paintings in the series 'Panoramic', 'Sign of the times', 'Landscapes' and 'Passage' and now I've started a new series the 'Pop-up'-series.... maybe more about that next time.

Garbage and art

The use of garbage in art is wellknown. Recycling is a good thing, so why not use garbage or old things to create art? One thing is for sure: we've got LOTS of garbage!

At Studio Hergebruik in Rotterdam, you can buy creations of artists and designers who used old and broken things which would normally have ended on the rubbish dump. I think this is a great initiative. For example: Artist Iri5 makes art out of old cassettes and Matthijs Vogels makes bowls made of leek waste, coffee or tea, etc... There are so many possibilities and it starts to itch heavily when I think about all the creations I would like to make... I think I'd have to divide myself in at least 4 Esthers if I wanted to produce all of the ideas flying through my head.

Jimi Hendrickx, made by Iri5, courtesy of Iri5

Platform 21 has made a 'repair manifesto': "Things should be designed so that they can be repaired". "Don't ditch it, stitch it". They prevent the recycling because if you repair it, recycling isn't even necessary. If you want to read it all www.platform21.nl Good initiative!
courtesy of Platform 21

You can also use a complete rubbish dump to make a statement, like I saw at 'Palais de Tokyo' in Paris last year. (a very nice museum!)

Trash in Palais de Tokyo, Aug. 2008, Paris

Yesterday I went to the opening of the final exhibition of Chloé who's in her 6th and last year on secondary school, specification graphics. Each student had to make a campaign for the municipality of Overpelt (where her school is located). The assignment was to make a clear campaign to stimulate people to throw their garbage in the trash can, not on the ground (like, it's unbelievable, a lot of people do ????????). The exhibition took place in old sea-containers on the market place and also there was an exhibition in the school from the art-department. I was really surprised by the great ideas and concepts from the talented students. The municipality is actually going to make a choice out of the campaigns.
Chloé (right) and a classmate in front of a train made by cans (project of another classmate)

Gallery Delfi Form and Warnars&Warnars

'nayika eye keeper', 100x160 cm Ton Mertens, courtesy of Delfi Form and Ton Mertens

Yesterday I had to make a long trip through the small Netherlands. 'Long' because travelling in the Netherlands is really aweful. One traffic jam after another... I like driving, but I hate it when you have to stop for about a 100.000 times! Feels like we're living in/on an anthill.

First I went to Gallery Delfi Form in Zwolle to bring new work. The gallery director, Jan Buizer, runs his gallery for about 2 decades and is a real connoisseur!
I like his gallery very much. It's located in the ancient heart of Zwolle. He really has got a beautiful collection and works with great artists. I'm very happy that my art makes part of his collection.
At this moment there's an exhibition of the paintings of Ton Mertens... Wow, this artist has not only got a lot of imagination, but he knows exactly how to reproduce it on canvas. If you want to read more:
http://www.delfiform.nl/kunstenaar/7/ton-mertens/
Sorry, it's only available in Dutch.
If you want to visit the exhibition it lasts untill June 4. Also Delfi Form always has paintings in stock.

Next I went to Naarden, which is near Amsterdam to deliver new paintings to the Warnars-brothers, Arnold and Bernard. Arnold immediately installed small paintings of the series: "Sign of the times" in the display window.



Warnars & Warnars is located in the centre of the lovely Naarden-Vesting (the old fortress is still there), close to 'Het Arsenaal' of the famous designer Jan des Bouvrie. They've got a long history, are very enthusiastic and represent old and contemporary artists, classic and modern. I like very much the work of Jan Scholten. He's a contemporary painter and his paintings (Dutch landscapes, but you've never seen them before in the way he makes them) are as beautiful in a classic design as in a super modern environment.
For more info watch http://www.warnars-warnars.nl

Good opening weekend at Gallery ART-ist

The start of my exhibition at Gallery ART-ist in Geel has been a success. There has been sold, there are some options and the amount of people who came to the opening weekend and their reactions on the show were great. Frans and Nicole, the gallery owners, are very satisfied with the result. It brought a lot of new visitors as well! It was very nice meeting the people who had already bought one or more of my paintings and those who are so enthusiastic about my work. It gives me lots of positive energy to hear and see what my work means to someone.

A day of contemplation

When I am in the middle of starting a project, a new series of paintings etc... I'm not there. I'm there physically but in my head I'm somewhere else. And I'm restless, very restless.

When I am in that state of being, I'm not the nicest company in the world. I have trouble sleeping, or I even dream about the new idea and I don't feel comfortable.
Next I start worrying. In my head the painting or series of paintings are already made... but then I have to make it real, put the paint on canvas. What if I do not succeed? What if the paintings cannot be made like I've seen them in my head? There is a decrease of my self esteem... I start wondering if I will even be able to make another good painting ever again.... This has its negative effect on my work, so I have to get over my doubts. I can only do that by taking a few days off or just start to paint. Sometimes I waste a canvas. It's a pity. I have to pick up myself, talk some sense into myself... and then... suddenly I realize that 'it' is back. I'm never aware of that at the very moment, but always afterwards.
That is one way...

I also have days that I'm totally relaxed. I start painting without doubts, without thoughts, just painting, I forget everything, I forget me ... and at the end of the day I'm surprised by what I have made and I wonder if it was really me who created it.
The next day I still wonder...
Sometimes I start a new painting and when the beginning is okay, I can dance through the day. It's like the painting paints itself.

The only similarity is that either way I lose track of time, and because I ignore my physical signals, it sometimes exhausts me. Yesterday and the day before.. and the day before I felt so tired.... that is why today I did nothing but enjoying the beautiful weather, reading, sleeping and contemplating.
It helped... I feel great! Tomorrow it's time to start with a new painting... again!

Preparing the last things for the next exhibition

I've made a few new series of small paintings. This is new for me... from the very beginning I made large paintings. I cannot help it, I just love 'big' art. I think this comes from the fact that I get overwhelmed every time again when I'm in front of a big piece of art, that I like, in a museum and I would like to get in to it... lose myself in it. On the other hand, this does not mean that I cannot get hit by the beauty of small art. It was really fun making these small paintings, and since I made series of them, they can be hung together... that makes big too!
Some of them will be shown at the new exhibition at Gallery ART-ist in Geel, Belgium that will start Friday May 1.

Article about my work on ARTBLAHBLAH

I'm very proud that the Gallery Diva of Monkdogz Urban Art Gallery in New York City published an entire article devoted to my work on their Artblahblah blog.

If you're interested: http://artblahblah.com/?p=325

Exhibition Gallery ART-ist in GEEL - Belgium

On the cover of a magazine

Next Friday, May 1, my exhibition at Galerie ART-ist in Geel, Belgium, will get started. The gallery will have special days on May 1, 2 and 3.
Sunday May 3, I will be attending the exhibition from 13.30 until 18.00.
Everybody is very welcome.

Next to the paintings that are already present at the gallery, also new work will be shown from a new series.

The making of...

Applying the first layer.

Next I start playing with the paint.

Adding new colors

Continuing with details. Lots of details.. this takes a lot of time.

The finishing touch... (always takes longer than I plan)

Finished
'Propulsive', 90x110x4,5 cm / 35x43x2 inch