Theduchess

LATEST ARTICLES ( 134 )

• Positive Learning

  

  The pace of Vienna immediately imposes itself on me: after the bustle of travel, of train connections and ever-changing beds, Vienna lures me into Kaffeehäuser... Read more

  Posted on 23 January 2015 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Der Schönste Beruf

  

  Minotaurus © 2011 Ruprecht von Kaufmann Ryan and I had the great fortune to meet and talk with the formidable painter Ruprecht von Kaufmann while in Berlin. Read more

  Posted on 11 January 2015 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Memory

  

  The more I work, the more I realise how crucial a tool memory is to the painter. In circles of representational painters, it is a point of pride to paint from... Read more

  Posted on 05 January 2015 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Heightened Vitality

  

  Museumsinsel, Berlin I was so smiled upon by fortune that I lived, for the month of November, in Berlin, with someone very dear to me. Read more

  Posted on 21 December 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• It’s Taking Over Everything

  

  © Samantha Groenestyn (oil on linen) Based purely on observation and my own experiences and without recourse to hard research, I’ve come to hold the wholly... Read more

  Posted on 16 December 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Glasgow, Imaginatively

  

  Glasgow is in the midst of celebrating one of its staunchest defenders, the artist and writer Alasdair Gray. I had the pleasure of visiting the Kelvingrove... Read more

  Posted on 05 December 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Ruskin, Visual Collector

  

  I’ll be upfront: I’ve yet to really read any John Ruskin. A British art critic in the nineteenth century, a well-travelled Oxford scholar, a prolific writer... Read more

  Posted on 19 November 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Keine Grenzen

  

  Heather © Samantha Groenestyn, oil on linen For two months I’ve adopted Scotland, once more, as my home, learning the rugged streets of Glasgow, adopting the... Read more

  Posted on 28 October 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• The Vortex of Style

  

  I’ve happened upon one of the best sketch clubs I’ve ever had the good fortune to attend in tough and vibrant Glasgow, tucked away behind an inconspicuous back... Read more

  Posted on 20 October 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• The Squirrel

  

  Hyndland house © Samantha Groenestyn, oil on canvas Sometimes it would be really excellent to have access to an art education, but sometimes you have to find a... Read more

  Posted on 29 September 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Fabled Cities

  

  My triumphant return to Edinburgh reduced me to a giddy five-year-old. The city had become part of the fabric of my dreams: otherworldly, symbolic, a... Read more

  Posted on 10 September 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Of Respect and Respectability

  

  Lavender Gardens © Samantha Groenestyn; oil on canvas I lately find myself floating untethered across Europe, of unfixed address and relying on the kindness of... Read more

  Posted on 31 August 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Art as Scholarship: Towards an Artistic Methodology

  

  Picnic for one © Samantha Groenestyn (oil on linen) The world of art is more than a little unnerving. Something like a manifestation of Alice’s fantasy world, i... Read more

  Posted on 30 July 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Visions

  

  I was delighted to see Amanda Sage talk about her work at a homey vegan café on Neubaugasse last week. With strong connections to Vienna, Sage is a... Read more

  Posted on 01 July 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Peace and Love, and Capitalism

  

  I’ve had some acquaintance with the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art through their open life drawing sessions twice a week during term, so I was happy to hop... Read more

  Posted on 21 June 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• The Perfectionist

  

  The time traveller propositions his past self © Samantha Groenestyn The apologetic cry, ‘I’m a perfectionist!’ is repulsive to me: a virtuous-sounding excuse fo... Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Waylaid

  

  Copy after Lotte Laserstein, Im Gasthaus I was on my way to Berlin, buzzing with ambition, when I was seduced by Vienna. This proud city, with its somewhat fade... Read more

  Posted on 09 June 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Suited up

  

  This little guy is happily framed in his peachy, frosty jacket, all suited up for a big night at the Pine Rivers Gallery on Brisbane’s northside. Read more

  Posted on 09 May 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Zwischen Zwei Städte

  

  Wanderlust © Samantha Groenestyn (oil on linen) Suddenly Rosita comes in with breakfast and brings me a piece of news that throws me into a joyous ecstasy. Read more

  Posted on 05 May 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE

• Mud

  

  Having fallen headlong in love with sculpture, I resolved to start studying it upon my return to Brisbane. And so, once a week at the Atelier, Ryan has been... Read more

  Posted on 26 April 2014 ART & DESIGN, CULTURE