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Beukenblad, bokaaltje met rood kleurpigment en warm kleurenpalet.
Beech leaf, jar with red colour pigment and warm colour scheme.
Beech leaf, jar with red colour pigment and warm colour scheme.
Gouache, water colour and Chinese stick ink.
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Ik hou heel erg veel van het werk van David Jones. Zijn letters zijn een blijvende inspiratiebron. De vrolijke en bekoorlijke letters staan in schril contrast met het moeilijke leven dat hij had.
I am fond of the work of David Jones. His letters are a permanent source of inspiration. Cheerful and charming letters stand in stark contrast to the difficult life he led.
I am fond of the work of David Jones. His letters are a permanent source of inspiration. Cheerful and charming letters stand in stark contrast to the difficult life he led.
David Jones (1895-1974) was een dichter, schilder, essayist en maker van inscripties. Er zit een grote muzikaliteit en naïviteit in zijn letters. Op de Kunstacademie bestudeerde hij in detail de belettering op de Zuil van Trajanus, een voorbeeld van perfectie uit de 2e eeuw na christus. Het is belangrijk om dit te weten omdat het toont dat zijn werk een kwestie was van keuze en niet van onkunde van de 'juiste' vormen. Jones' deed er een aanzienlijke periode over om tot deze bijzondere vormen en vormgeving te komen.
Bron: "The Inscriptions of David Jones" - Ewan Clayton.
David Jones (1895-1974) was a poet, painter, essayist and maker of inscriptions. There is a feeling of musicality and naivety in his lettering art. At Art School he had closely studied the lettering of the Trajan's Column, an example of perfection from the 2nd century AD. It is important to recognize this because it emphasizes the true extend to which his work was a matter of choice rather than ignorance of "correct" forms. Jones' lettering developed his peculiar forms and design over a substantial period of time.
Source: "The Inscriptions of David Jones" - Ewan Clayton.
Bron: "The Inscriptions of David Jones" - Ewan Clayton.
David Jones (1895-1974) was a poet, painter, essayist and maker of inscriptions. There is a feeling of musicality and naivety in his lettering art. At Art School he had closely studied the lettering of the Trajan's Column, an example of perfection from the 2nd century AD. It is important to recognize this because it emphasizes the true extend to which his work was a matter of choice rather than ignorance of "correct" forms. Jones' lettering developed his peculiar forms and design over a substantial period of time.
Source: "The Inscriptions of David Jones" - Ewan Clayton.
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Accordeonboekje over Brugge. Dit boekje is volledig gemaakt met enkel een fijne stift op Lanaquarelle HP papier.
Concertina book about Bruges. This book is intirely made using a fineliner on Lanaquarelle Hot Pressed paper.
Concertina book about Bruges. This book is intirely made using a fineliner on Lanaquarelle Hot Pressed paper.
75 x 14 cm
Detail 1
Detail 2
Detail 3
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Ik ben de laatste weken druk bezig geweest met het schilderen van deze beestjes voor de verkoop, en ik heb er, zoals steeds, enorm van genoten!
I have been busy these last few weeks creating these brand-new pieces for sale and, as always, enjoyed it a lot!
Paintings on my work table
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Mag ik blij zijn met dit uitgebreid artikel over mijn werk dat onlangs verscheen in het amerikaans tijdschrift "The Alphabet" (San Francisco, California)? Ja toch! Carl Roars leverde uitstekend werk, niet alleen met het schrijven van de artikels, maar ook met het gedurfde zwarte uitgestanste alfabet voor de kaft: mooi!
I am very proud to have a big story in "The Alphabet", the journal of the friends of calligraphy, based in San Francisco, California, USA. Carl Roars did a great job, not only with the articles but also with the black cut-out alphabet cover: beautiful!
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"Wie het verleden wil lezen, hij schrijve het neer" HUGO CLAUS
Teaser voor het etalage-project dat momenteel loopt in de Brugse binnenstad. 19 handelaars en 15 kunstenaars nemen deel aan dit project. In samenwerking met de gidsenvereniging S-wan zijn er twee letterwandelingen uitgewerkt van telkens 2 uur. Meer info op www.bruggeletterstad.eu en op www.s-wan.be.
"He who wants to read the past, he should write it down" HUGO CLAUS
Teaser for the showcase project that's currently running in the center of Bruges. 19 shops and15 artists are participating in this project. In cooperation with the S-wan association, two guided walks have been elaborated.
More info on www.bruggeletterstad.eu and on www.s-wan.be.
More info on www.bruggeletterstad.eu and on www.s-wan.be.
My project
Mijn bron van inspiratie zijn ‘pennen’. Ik ben in het bezit van een grote collectie pennetjes waaronder een 7-tal kleine doosjes met telkens 100 verschillende pennen. Ik heb ze een tijdje geleden stuk voor stuk bekeken en uitgeprobeerd en het zijn effectief allemaal verschillende pennetjes. Deze doosjes zijn tientallen jaren geleden gekocht in Londen bij ene Philip Poole. Na wat opzoekingswerk via internet heb ik één krantenartikel gevonden in de Bangor Daily News, een Amerikaanse krant uit Maine, gedateerd van oktober 1989. Daarin wordt gemeld dat de beroemde pennenwinkel van Philip Poole moet sluiten wegens een verdriedubbeling van huur. Een einde van een tijdperk. Een inspiratiebron voor mij.
My source of inspiration are 'pen nibs'. I own a large collection of pens including some 7 small boxes with a 100 different pens. I've studied them a while ago, piece by piece, testing all of them and, indeed, they're all different. These boxes have been purchased decades ago in London, Philip Poole's shop. After some research over the internet I found an article in the Bangor Daily News, American newspaper from Maine, dated October 1989. In that article I found that, due to a tripling of rent, the famous pen shop had to close . The end of an era. An inspiration for my piece of work.
My source of inspiration are 'pen nibs'. I own a large collection of pens including some 7 small boxes with a 100 different pens. I've studied them a while ago, piece by piece, testing all of them and, indeed, they're all different. These boxes have been purchased decades ago in London, Philip Poole's shop. After some research over the internet I found an article in the Bangor Daily News, American newspaper from Maine, dated October 1989. In that article I found that, due to a tripling of rent, the famous pen shop had to close . The end of an era. An inspiration for my piece of work.
The making of
Al mijn ideeën tekende ik eerst op in mijn schetsboek. Begeleidende tekst of niet, wit op zwart of zwart op wit, grootte van de getekende pennen, illustraties van oude pennendoosjes ja of neen ... Ik moest keuzes maken.
At first, I drew all of my ideas in my sketchbook. Accompanying text or not, white on black or black on white, size of the pens, illustrations from old pen boxes yes or no ... I had to make choices.
At first, I drew all of my ideas in my sketchbook. Accompanying text or not, white on black or black on white, size of the pens, illustrations from old pen boxes yes or no ... I had to make choices.
Na vele weken van uitproberen kies ik voor de uiteindelijke lay-out: bovenaan komen 3 rijen van pennen, daaronder een blok tekst, geschreven in de Karolingische minuskel. Ik maak een keuze voor een mooie papiersoort. Ik bepaal de grootte van het werkstuk. De laatste fase kan beginnen. Ik start met het schrijven van het tekstblok onderaan want daar kan van alles mee mis gaan. Daarna teken ik alle pennen uit in potlood en tenslotte vul ik alles op met een fijne zwart stift. 4 weken van ontwerp tot afwerking,maar steeds met evenveel plezier!
After many weeks of trials, I choose a layout: at the top of the page will be three rows of pens, underneath, a block of text, written in Carolingian minuscule. In the last few weeks, I have been experimenting on different sorts of paper and finally select one. I determine the size of the piece and can start the final stage. First of all I write the text block at the bottom because something can go wrong. Then I draw all of the pens and finally fill them, in using a black fineliner. 4 weeks from design to finishing, but always with the same pleasure!
After many weeks of trials, I choose a layout: at the top of the page will be three rows of pens, underneath, a block of text, written in Carolingian minuscule. In the last few weeks, I have been experimenting on different sorts of paper and finally select one. I determine the size of the piece and can start the final stage. First of all I write the text block at the bottom because something can go wrong. Then I draw all of the pens and finally fill them, in using a black fineliner. 4 weeks from design to finishing, but always with the same pleasure!
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Detail uit accordeonboekje en verschillende manieren om bladgoud aan te brengen.
Detail from concertinabook and different ways of apllying goldleaf.
Detail from concertinabook and different ways of apllying goldleaf.
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Dit is een concertinaboekje dat ik maakte in 2015. Ik neem je mee door het werkproces. Zit je met vragen? Stel ze gerust. Ik antwoord met veel plezier! Onderaan vind je de tekst die me inspireerde om dit boekje te ik beginnen.
This is a concertinabook that I made in 2015. I will go through the working process with you. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have! At the bottom you 'll find the full text that inspired me for making this booklet.
This is a concertinabook that I made in 2015. I will go through the working process with you. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have! At the bottom you 'll find the full text that inspired me for making this booklet.
I found this beautiful text and started writing it in the left upper corner of my new concertina book. I think it was a good idea to save out a round space in the block and paint the pale blue dot that represents our big small world.
Then, I added a bigger illustration of the earth. In four concentric circles, I drew the names of well-known people of the world of music, science, arts and politics. I made a mixture of good and bad people because together they make our world.
After that, I drew the hand, a typical illustration from palmistry. I also filled in the small space between text block and the earth illustration with yellow lettering.
Now I needed something to put underneath the text block and I wanted some heavy letterforms in contrast with the light weight text block. I drew the first 6 letters of 'universe' and then put a big sideways S behind to fill in the remaining space. I used gouache in two different shades of grey.
There was still some space underneath 'univers', perfect for I looked for some lyrics with a connection to the whole: "I might be born too late, or in a country with different light, I always feel a little lost, though the mirror shows my face..." from a song by Ramses Shaffy, Dutch singer. The final touch was the date indication 'made in 2015'.
Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan.
“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
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Mijn broer Kristoffel is een letterbeeldhouwer met een sympathie voor de ongeschoolde letter. Hij volgde in Gent een opleiding schilderkunst. Die voedde zijn drang naar eenvoud en soberheid. In 1989 draaide hij het roer terug om en werd zelfstandig letterbeeldhouwer. Daarnaast gaf hij les in Antwerpen en momenteel in Gent.
My brother Kristoffel is a lettercutter with a sympathy for the unskilled letterform. He trained in painting and that fed his desire for simplicity and frugality. In 1989, he turned the tide and became independent lettercutter. He taught in Antwerp and currently in Gent.
My brother Kristoffel is a lettercutter with a sympathy for the unskilled letterform. He trained in painting and that fed his desire for simplicity and frugality. In 1989, he turned the tide and became independent lettercutter. He taught in Antwerp and currently in Gent.
Grafsteen voor kat / gravestone for cat
Boek in samenwerking met dichter Leonard Nolens / book in collaboration with poet Leonard Nolens
Zie ook / see more: www.kristoffelboudens.be
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Ik krijg regelmatig de vraag hoe ik bij zo'n accordeonboekje te werk ga. Aan de hand van dit (nog niet afgewerkte) boekje kan ik dit aantonen, want het is niet zo lang geleden aangezet en ik kan alle stappen nog goed achterhalen. Om te beginnen neem ik op reis veel notities. Achtergrondinformatie zoek ik later op online. Hier ben ik begonnen met het schilderen van een detail uit een trompe-l'oeil uit de kathedraal Sainte-Cécile te Albi. Ik was werkelijk overdonderd door de vele muurschilderingen die ik daar zag. Aan de hand van de daar genomen foto's heb ik voor mijn boekje gekozen voor een eenvoudig ontwerp in grijstinten. Daarna tekende ik de tekst La Montagne noir en schilderde ik die in met gouache. Vervolgens kwamen de vuurwantsen aan de beurt. Daarvan had ik ter plaatse wat schetsen gemaakt: de hibiscussen bij ons vakantiehuisje zaten er vol van. Volgende stappen waren de naam van ons dorp bovenaan. de verklarende tekst over de muurschilderingen (gevonden online) en de namen van een aantal stadjes en dorpen die we bezochten. Ziezo, de eerste stappen zijn gezet, nog anderhalve bladzijde te gaan!
I frequently get asked how I proceed in making my concertina books. Well, using this new 'travel' booklet (not yet finished) I can demonstrate that because I started it recently and I can still figure out all of the steps. First of all, wherever I am, I take a lot of notes. When back home, I look up information online. For this book, I started painting a detail from a trompe-l'oeil from the Cathedral Sainte-Cécile in Albi (France). I was really overwhelmed by the many murals I saw there. Based on the pictures taken there, I chose a simple design in shades of gray. Then I drew the text La Montagne Noir and I painted it in with gouache. The firebugs came next. I had made some sketches on the spot: there were plenty of them on the hibiscus near our cottage. Next steps were the name of our village, the explanatory text about the murals (found online) and the names of some towns and villages that we visited. There, the first steps have been taken, one and a half page to go!
I frequently get asked how I proceed in making my concertina books. Well, using this new 'travel' booklet (not yet finished) I can demonstrate that because I started it recently and I can still figure out all of the steps. First of all, wherever I am, I take a lot of notes. When back home, I look up information online. For this book, I started painting a detail from a trompe-l'oeil from the Cathedral Sainte-Cécile in Albi (France). I was really overwhelmed by the many murals I saw there. Based on the pictures taken there, I chose a simple design in shades of gray. Then I drew the text La Montagne Noir and I painted it in with gouache. The firebugs came next. I had made some sketches on the spot: there were plenty of them on the hibiscus near our cottage. Next steps were the name of our village, the explanatory text about the murals (found online) and the names of some towns and villages that we visited. There, the first steps have been taken, one and a half page to go!