What a day!

Yesterday was an important day for me. I took two paintings to the gallery for a new show called "Word and Symbols". I really liked the subject and I know that it will be a good show because every artist will interprete it in a different way.

One painting called "Change your words and you will change your world" where the text starts on the side of the paiting and finishes on the front.

The other is "Listen to the colorful words of my silence".

The second painting (and I apologize for the poor quality of the photo's... but hey I am not a photographer) is inspired by a converstation I had with a close friend of mine about lack of communication... which I translated into silence.

Now the real challenge for me is how to take two paintings of 24" x 24" to the gallery with the bus-bus-metro-bus in the rain. I looked around the house if we had any plastic bags big enough which we did not have of course. But I found those plastic coverings from the dry cleaners and guess what... it works to protect the paintings and at the same time if could carry it like it was plastic bags.

On my way to Coconut Grove, I met a man carrying a sign saying "Be a role model" around his neck. After working so intensly on my paintings referring to words, it made complete sense to me. I asked him why he had this sign around his neck and he replied: "Each morning I make a new sign to carry around, because each day I learn something new and I want to share this with other people." That is a very positive idea and I really like it. Does it mean I will do the same? I don't know... It takes guts to do this and a very great smile to pull it off.

Of course I was excited about the upcoming soccer match between Holland and Brazil. My toe nails are orange (yes, I root for Holland, suprise!!! lol) because "We kick ass!". In the bus, when he noticed my orange toe nails, a Brazilian fan told me that his team would beat the Dutch team with 2-1. I replied with a bg smile: "Bite me and good luck!".  Everywhere the yellow/green from Brazil was dominating here in Miami. When I finally got to work - where they showed the match on tv - it was 0-1 for Brazil. My heart dropped onto my orange toes, but at the same time I knew the match was not lost yet. I saw the Dutch team hunting for the ball.

And boy did they hunt... Holland won... 2-1 from BRAZIL!

I wonder if the Brazillian fan will remember what he said to me...

10 of 10 and a painting I am working on

Here is my little artwork for the book of Doreen. No the colors are actually different in the book but you know that I distort my pics so there will be an element of surprise when the owner of the book can see it him/her self.

Tomorrow I will dash off to the post office again but this time I will add something to the package. A wonderful initiative by Carmen. She has send me a book... to be honest she has send me a second book as well... I have read both of them but I will keep the first one... I just love the book and cannot part with it.
The second is a wonderful book as well. Now the deal is simple: read it and send it on... or don't read it and send it on... or (and here is a new "rule") read it and keep it... but find a nice book to pass on. That last part, I will submit myself to it and hopefully with the next shipment of the 10 of 10, I will pass on another book.

I love to read and I think it is a wonderful idea (thank you Carmen!!!)

During the last two weeks I was crazy busy and not always in the best way. But I did find time to keep painting and below is a painting I am currently working on... some of you saw the sketch on canvas in Ily's blog and here is the result so far....  it is not yet finished so it gives you another opportunity to guess what he is looking at...

Spanking with a Feather

Last night I was in South Beach with my good friend Ily. Whenever we are there, we like to have some dinner together, a little wine and - how could one not like it - just talk about all and nothing. It is a great way to just break away from the day-to-day ups and downs.

So we sat down and shared a bottle of Pinot G. and then the strangest thing happened: Ily saw Johnny Depp!

"Where??" I asked her

"There..." pointing at some shrubs across the street. I saw a Latino looking man...

"That's not Johnny Depp... That is Juanito Depp."

"That is Johnny Depp... I tell you"

"He doesn't even look like him"

 "No, no... that is Johnny Depp... trying to disguise that he is Johnny Depp... "

(Wait, wait... there is a logic to it)

"If you were Johnny Depp wouldn't you want to be able to walk around without everybody (read: the screaming herds) following you?" She continued: "So with glasses, a wig and a different walk, nobody would recognize him."

(I told you there is a logic to it)

I could not stop laughing. That man was very, VERY good at not looking like Johnny Depp.  

After we left the restaurant.. we sat down with coffee and my cigarette (get over it... I am European...lol) A few feet away a man sat down as well to smoke a cigarette... I looked at him and turned to Ily and said:

"Look Ily... There is Mickey Rourke trying not to look like Mickey Rourke..."

And now to the title of this post... "Aaah Finally..." I hear you say. I found that a lot of times people try to out scream each other to have things done. You know the boss that is screaming and bitching, the impatient "Come on" if somebody writes a check at the supermarket, the yelling at the staff if something is not in stock...

You probably all know the expression "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar". But who want to have flies in their honey? So I changed the expression a little bit and turned it into "Spanking with a feather" and it is all about being persuasive in a sweet gentle flirty way. And it sounds so much better than the flies in the honey thing

Why is it in the title... oh well... it sounds great and for sure it got your attention...

10 of 10: The Continuing Story

This time I had the book of Coby (sounds almost biblical if you say it like this and please imagine the MGM-like voice over saying ... "And Holland was working on the Book of Coby, and she knew it was good...")

Yes it was good... I was on a roll and actually filled 1 page on both sides. Sorry folks, I am not showing the whole picture here... have to leave some for your imagination.

I having fun with this project, going outside my box... although I have to admit... the abstract part is much like I used to paint back in The Netherlands, and it was great to do that again... It was actually so much fun, that I will do it on a large canvas.

Until next time...

(MGM-like voice over: "She closed the book and put it in the envelope, which was already labeled with the proper addresses... Now she had to wait until the post office was open.... -dramatic music-)

And now something completely different...

Today my partner, The Hitman, send me this message....

and still I hear the song and see those guys with bad perms and wearing spandex in my head.... What did I do to deserve such thoughts?

Blue Velvet

Once upon a time, in a far away country called The Netherlands, I was on a romantic date with a handsome man. We went to the fair downtown The Hague and he kissed me - the first kiss - in one of the rides. We both felt very romantic and even in love... you know those early butterflies in the stomach but it can still go either way... love or lust.

After the fair, the night was still young, we walked around and passed by an artsy cinema. One of the few that only shows underground movies or productions that are not "middle of the road".

We went in, looked at the posters and decided to go for "Blue Velvet" because it looked romantic. I hear you laugh especially the ones who know David Lynch and/or this movie, but we both did not know David Lynch, the director, and obviously unaware of his movies.

We sat down, he put his arm around my shoulders and we were all set  for yet another romantic pass time. The movie started, soft music with people smiling. A firetruck passed by with a fireman waving at the audience and the camera moved on the the field behind him... into the grass... and a close-up of a cut off ear.

I whispered in his ear: "I guess this is not going  to be a very romantic movie..."

"Hmmm..." he replied in agreement.

And then the movie turned into one of the best I ever saw. It was a roller coaster and I was so into it that I completely forgot my date... Dennis Hopper scared me bloodless and Isabella Rossellini was just freaking beautiful.

My date didn't like the movie at all.. He wanted a romantic chick flick to get me into a certain mood... and I came out of the cinema all hyped, energized and not in a romantic mood... I was still in the thrill.

That evening I did fall in love... with Blue Velvet.

What is your favorite movie?

10 of 10 another one

Again I only show a part of the little painting. But it was an unlucky 10 of 10 book for me.

I run out of clue so I was unable to glue the artwork into the book. Therefor I could not send it to Oklahoma on Monday.

On Tuesday I had everything prepared... I had to go to Target to get the glue and then next to Target is the post office. What could go wrong, would one say.

Let me tell you what could go wrong: I forget to bring the address labels with me!

So I went today... with address labels, money and the book. And it did go to Oklahoma today.

Today I also received a new sketch book: Coby's.