Seaside Summer

Seaside Summer

Original painting
Acrylic on canvas
8x8 inches / 20x20 cm.

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 Sold

Another painting from the town of Cassis in Provence, Southern France.

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Boats at Low Tide

Boats at Low Tide

Original painting
Acrylic on canvas
8x8 inches / 20x20 cm.

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 - Available from my Etsy shop, click here.

This is the town of Cassis in Provence, southern France. It was lunchtime and many people were enjoying a glass of cool white wine and some lovely fresh seafood at the restaurants along the harbor. I remember the sent of the ocean and the fresh seafood. And I remember the sounds of seagulls and calm music playing in the distance.

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Calm Waters - Boats at Cassis

Boats at Cassis

Original sold, but prints are available from my Etsy shop.

Mini Art Canvas print 4x4 inches 
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Fine art giclee print on paper.

Van Gogh, Nazis and a Japanese eccentric - the journey of a painting

A couple of years ago I was doing some research on the art collection in the Musee d'Orsay when I came upon this fascinating story of a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. The story reads like the plot out of an Indiana Jones movie but these are in fact the historical facts.

Portrait of Dr. Gachet. Oil on Canvas 1890. (1st. version) 

Towards the end of Van Gogh's life he was living in an asylum and one of the doctors, Doctor Gachet, was an art collector and also became a personal friend of Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent painted two portraits of Dr. Gachet during the last months of his life leading up to his suicide. The first version was sold by Van Gogh's sister in-law in 1897, seven years after Vincent's death. The painting had several owners over the next 13 years until it was bought by "Statische Galerie" in Frankfurt, Germany and it remained on display there until 1933 when it was put in a hidden room.

In 1937 it was confiscated by the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, an arm of the Nazi government that wanted to rid pre-war Germany of so-called degenerate art. It found its way into the hands of Hermann Goring (second in command of the Third Reich) who quickly sold it to a dealer in Amsterdam.

The art dealer sold the painting to a collector, Seigfried Kramarsky, who brought it with him when he fled to New York. While the painting was in the possession of Mr. Kramarsky it was often on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art until 1990 then his family put the painting up for auction.

The painting became famous on May 15th. 1990 when Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito paid US$82.5 million for it at Christies in New York, making it the most expensive painting in the world at the time. Ryoei Saito, a 75 year old eccentric millionaire, caused a scandal when he said the he wanted to have the painting cremated with him after his death. He later claimed that what he said was not to be taken literally but he was just trying to express his intense feelings for it. Saito died in 1996 and the current whereabouts of the painting is unknown.

Portrait of Dr. Gachet. Oil on canvas 1890. (2nd. version) 

Above is the second version of the portrait of Dr. Gachet which is in Musee d'Orsay in Paris. I wonder how many people pass by it every day and if they know the story of the other portrait of Doctor Gachet....

Musee d"Orsay in Paris, France. November 2006

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Painting in Provence - in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh

Some years ago I visited Arles in Southern Provence, and ofcause I had to try and visit the sites in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh. Here I am sketching at the upper level at the hosptal in Arles. From there is a most beautiful view of the whole courtyard.

Photos by Petite Malou

Source

Café Terrace at Night by Vincent van Gogh 1888

 Ladies of Arles (Memories of the Garden at Etten)

Field of Flowers near Arles 

The Garden at Arles

Le Vieux Port, Marseille SOLD

Acrylic on canvas. 5x7 inches. Copyright 2009

Private collection in Marietta, Georgia.

It was an early morning in Marseille in Southern France. The fishmarket on the harbour front was underway and people were starting to come out to buy fish and seafood. Here I choose to fucus on the sailboats and their reflections in the water.

The original is now sold but prints of this painting are available from my Etsy store. Click here to see the selection.

Mini Art Canvas Prints

My new Mini Canvas Prints. I'm so happy at how these small reproductions of my original paintings turned out! I make each one entirely by hand from the best materials by the artist herself, that's me :-) The prints are very detailed and the colors are beautiful and bright.  Now available from my Etsy shop :)

Her er de så endelig - mine nye Mini Lærredstryk. Hvert billede er fremstillet af kvalitetsmaterialer og håndlavet af kunstneren selv, nemlig mig :-) De er blevet rigtig flotte og farverne er smukke og klare.
Kan købes i min Etsy shop :)

Lavender fields - Lavendel marker

Well maybe not quite a field - but enough to make a nice big bunch to hang up and dry. I love the smell of lavender, it reminds me so much of Provence.

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Godt nok ikke en hel lavendel mark, men dog nok til at jeg kunne få plukket et stort bundt og få det hængt til tørre. Jeg elsker duften af lavendel, det minder mig om duften af Provence.

 Lavender is sometimes added to the French herb and spicemix called Herbs de Provence. Here is the recipe to make it yourself. ~ Lavendel bliver nogle gange brugt som en ingrediens i den franske krydderiblanding, Herbs de Provence. Her er opskriften og blandingsforholdet.

• 3 tablespoons oregano leaves / Oregano
• 3 tablespoons thyme leaves / Timian
• 1 teaspoon basil leaves/ Basilikum
• 1 teaspoon sage leaf / Salvie
• 3 tablespoons savory / Savoy
• 2 tablespoons lavender flowers / Lavendel blomster
• 1 teaspoon rosemary/ Rosmarin 

Mix well and store in an airtight container in a dark, cool place. Some recipes contain fennel seeds or marjoram, experiment and find your own favorite combination. 

Blandes godt og opbevares tørt og mørkt  i en lufttæt beholder. Nogle opskrifter indeholder fennikel eller anis. Prøv dig frem og find frem til din egen favorit blanding.

Recipe from food.com 

Source

Scandinavian influence in the South of France.

Source

What a gorgeous vacation home in Provence, a perfect place to relax and unwind.

Where would you like to have a vacation home?