How I Classify My Paintings Gallery

I have grouped my oil paintings by subject, collection, project or idea. Most groups, or series, are not intentional. Since 99.99% is oil on canvas, it is not divided into materials. Sizes can be important information for buyers and for that I will add a filter later on. Because my paintings vary from 10x10cm to much larger.

Painting Collections: Universal Investigations

The collections “Emotional Forces” and “On Creation” were - and still are - developing stories. I had no clear set up for the paintings that belong to these collections. The paintings painted themselves as books can write themselves. But since these groups exist, I will add more works intentionally.

Painting Collections: Private Investigations

Series such as “Angels Now” and “Scenes From My Life” form autobiographical collections of paintings. I do not deny any autobiographical influences in other paintings because there are many. The difference is that I have set up the paintings here intentionally as a tribute or as a way to deal with my past. I have also added self-portraits to “Scenes From My Life”.

Painting Collections: Thoughts

A project like “The Thinker” is my idea around one subject - the sculpture by Rodin - but the execution is merely unprepared. “The Thinker” shows up as a detail in more of my paintings and that is how I got the idea of giving the image its own series. Am I painting about cause and effect of the process of thinking?

Painting Projects: Human Madness

“Human Madness” is something else. The painting I begun with, is the one in the middle. It was a stand alone work that I created during covid, but the underpainting is a few years older than that. It evolved into a project around a monumental ninetych. I hope I can bring that project to completion in 2025.

Painting Collections: Deconstructions

“Ceci N'Est Pas Un Veló” and “Couleurs De La Côte D'Azur” are based on ideas I have that can be found in the areas of intuition and concept. It is the opposite of Plato's cave. For the first idea I am inspired by the trade in fake Picasso paintings and the need for bicycles. And what Henry Matisse said bout the colors of the Côte d'Azur (loosely quoted: simply azure, pink and gold, but hard to capture) inspired me to dive into that. I create these deconstructions of bikes and colors spontaneously.

Painting Projects: Darkness vs. Light

The last project that I mention for now is called “Divine Comedy”. This triptych handles the work by Dante Alighieri. Part one, “The Gates Of Hell”, is completed. I see no funny elements in it, but perhaps watchers do. The use of vibrant colors - that will stick for ages thanks to the Old-Holland oil paint - is my attempt to cover up the dark dirt. With the other two parts, “Disco Inferno” and “Paradise Ain't So Nice”, I continue the story in the next years. Without darkness there is no light, and, “always look on the bright side of life”.

Oil Paintings' Lightness

And there are “Follies”. Lightness and brightness, again, thanks to Old-Holland and its chemistry. These paintings are just fun to create. Gifts. I paint a bouquet for your birthday. Just a try, just a cat, just a strawberry, just a nut… (I can always turn these into series later on).

Unfinished Oil Paintings

I have no separate group for my unfinished oil paintings. As soon as I am fine with the state of it, I drop unfinished and ongoing work in the groups.