I just came back from living in Amsterdam for a month. The weather was fantastic (I was not supposed to see the sun). I discoverd biking is truly the most freeing version of transportation, provided that the city treats the biker as a first-class citizen and not an afterthought. I could say a lot more about the museums (artsy) and the people (ex-patsy), but I'll take a slightly different approach. Inspired by the big names, I'll describe some highlights through my art.

An Afternoon Break

The first day I visited Vondelpark, a marathon was being held. Runners went by, friends cheered in support, and I waited for someone else to lift the tape and cross the path before I decided it was an okay thing to do. I didn't have to wait long. As I got away from the crowd and the sun started to dip, I stumbled upon a man eating by a tree. His bike was parked next to him. The afternoon glow was soft, and I felt a kind of peace about him. The moment seemed worth capturing, so I did.

Windmills

I'm taking liberty with the article title because not every subject of my paintings is from Amsterdam. "The Netherlands Experience" didn't sound as good. Maybe "The Dutch Experience" would have done it, but it felt misleading. Anwyay, a day trip to Zaanse Schans, a historic neighborhood in the town of Zaandam, was an easy train ride away. It's a glimpse of Holland before the industrial revolution. One of the main attractions here are the windmills, which are set up to power various industrial processes. There's a paper mill, a paint processing mill, a wood mill, and more. I was concerned the weather would not cooperate, but luck was with me. Blue skies, light cloud cover, and brisk air -- I couldn't ask for much more.

A Friend by the Canal

As I was riding back from a musuem visit, I took some time to sit at a bench by one of the many canals. I took out my sketchbook, saw a duck, and put pen to paper. After a few minutes I looked up and realized that a woman had sat down on the bench to my left, and she had taken out some kind of book. I caught a glimpse of what may have been a drawing. A sketchbook, maybe? I hoped so. Why? I really wanted to do a painting that involved a figure as the strong focus, but to do that I needed reference. And by reference, I mean I needed to take a photo of someone else. I barely take photos of myself; I have absolutely no experience asking others if I could take their photo (I am not an influencer). But who could better understand my burden than a fellow artist (maybe)? So I introduced myself, and as luck would have it (again), she was an illustrator! We talked a little a bit about life in Amsterdam, she recommended a few places for me to visit, and she gave me permission to take her photo. Her art is unique and fun, and you can see more of it here.

Nature

Aforementioned new friend said I might enjoy visiting De Hoge Veluwe National Park because inside it is the Kröller Müller museum, which hosts the second largest collection of Van Gogh paintings. I decided to rent a car to get there, and though it was raining in Amsterdam, it was not raining in the national park. I made a day of it -- got there in the morning, ate some food and had a coffee at their cafe, walked some of the trails in the park, and spent time in the museum. The musuem had a lot to offer -- the Van Gogh collection was large, but they had many other artists and mediums on display, including a large sculpture garden. One of the most interesting exhibits, however, was by a modern artist named Vincent Dams. It was an exhibition of the life of his self-imagined filmmaker Enzo Diga. It's worth a whole article unto itself, but what I will say here is that I found myself laughing softly the whole time I was in that exhibit. I've never done that before.

I wanted to make a painting of the forest, but the overcast lighting made me pause. I could have invented some light and painted what I didn't see, but having worked through my fear of poor lighting scenarios (with some help), I decided to go for it anyway. That said, I'm still allowed some creative liberty.

This isn't the first time I've done a series of paintings for a location I visited. However, I recently stumbled upon the concept of the self appointed artist residency and I thought it would be a neat way to frame the work. Maybe I'll host a viewing at my home, who knows.

I met some old friends, made some new ones, and generally think I made good use of my time in Amsterdam. I'll forget some of what I did as the years go by, but everyone has ways of holding on to memories. They make scrapbooks, post photos on Instagram, or put together videos. I … make art.