9 Jan 2016

At Blankenese

by Astrid | 1

This pastel painting shows the view at the river Elbe at the famous town of Blankenese/ Hamburg. This place has something very special about it and I fall in love more and more each time I paint there.

The big pastel piece was done in the studio, but the idea for this one originated in a plein air study I did in oil. The more I paint plein air the more it amazes me how well I can recall colors and shapes. Such a nice feeling.

At Blankenese, 68×44cm, Pastel © 2016, Astrid Volquardsen
sold

from the 17th of January 2016 at the Elbschloss Residenz Hamburg

View to Ness-Sand, Oil, linen mounted on canvas
© 2015, Astrid Volquardsen

Werner Osterrath

12th, January 2016 - 07:20 PM |

Faszinierend …….
Dich bei der Arbeit zubeobachten…
als wenn du an einem Fenster stehst und die Welt malst..
Deine Pastellbilder werden langsam Fotorealistisch, ich kann keinen Unterschied zu den Fotos feststellen.
….wie vor einem Fenster..die Elbe sucht die Nordsee..
die Wolken bringen den Regen für die Pflanzen… ein Schiff sucht seinen Weg…
ich bin gerade an der Elbe…….Kindheit stellt sich ein……
Viele Grüße aus Hamburg Werner

About me

I am fascinated by the light conditions of the countryside, particularly in Northern Germany. I grew up in Hamburg so I am used to the rugged countryside and sometimes bleak weather and light conditions. The light in northern country landscapes is very special and it is indescribably beautiful. It touches my soul and opens up my heart when I visit the coast and feel the elemental force of the sea.
As opposed to my seascapes, I am very interested in the closely cropped views of the harbor and its endless diversity of shapes and colors.

With pastel painting l have found the ideal medium to artistically and creatively transform these special conditions of illumination. I love to spread pigment on paper without anything else in between.
Pastel paintings come alive when you put different layers of colour on the canvas. This is a great artistic stimulus for me. Which combination of colour pigments can be used to achieve precisely the effect of light and shade that I want? During the artistic process, layers of colour are continually built up and removed until the light situation has been captured and the picture can unfold its unique illuminating power.

Werner Osterrath