Original oil painting by: Grandfather’s wife
His wife, Tatjana van Beckhoven Blakeslee, has been an inspiration and helpmate to him for the last twelve years.
In addition to being a first-class gardener, interior decorator and gourmet cook, her career in fine art has been notable and is summarized in the following biography and sampling of her work:
Tatjana was born in Tilburg, the Netherlands, in 1941, and she remembers the German occupation. Her mother couldn’t take her outside because she was likely to start singing anti-Nazi songs to German soldiers that her uncle (a member of the underground resistance) had taught her.
When she was three, she drew a portrait of Beethoven with her older sister’s pencils, which she was supposed to leave alone.
She lived in Germany and France for awhile and traveled throughout Europe, eventually studying sculpture under Professor Vlad at the American University of Art in Paris.
After emigrating to the US she studied painting and sculpture at the Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia, under Professor John Bannon, who taught by having the student copy an old master of the student’s choice, using the original oil medium. Tatjana chose Vermeer.
She graduated magna cum laude in 1984 and continues to copy Vermeer, along with doing her own original paintings of contemporary themes, mostly portraits. In 1985, she studied art restoration at the University of Delaware.
In 1986 she attended the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia majoring in sculpture and minoring in painting and anthropology. She often worked overnight into the early hours of the following morning, producing tables full of sculpture, which she did to assure making the dean’s list! Her crystals and sculptures were produced during this period.
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1988.
Self portrait of the artist, with “Poopsie”
The artist’s daughters.
Ice skating in Holland.
Stained glass, sunlight backlit
Bas relief plaque, plaster
Interior decoration, our living room
Bas relief and figures, clay
Angel and child, crystal, backlit
Vermeer copy, The Music Lesson
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is a nonagenarian in West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Mr. Dave,
Your wife is truly gifted. The details in the carpet make it look like a finely woven antique. I can almost feel the soft nap.
Her self-portrait is beyond words. The painting of the ice skaters looks almost like a photograph.
The face of the angel in the glass work of Angel and child looks like it was molded from a live person.
I hope she has painted beautiful things in your heart.
Bill, I chose that Vermeer copy because the fabric rendition is remarkable, as you observed.
Her portraits are done for clients from photographs of their choice, but they have enhancements that she perceives as part of their character.
On the other hand, she says her sculptures occur naturally to her in a subliminal fashion. She discovers what she has created after twenty minutes or so. It’s a very swift process. But it is hard for us ordinary mortals to imagine how the clay figures, the bas relief and the angel with child could be conceived without models, isn’t it?
It’s a gift from Heaven.
Tatjana is very talented! Thank you for sharing her wonderful work.
In behalf of both Tatjana and Me, You are welcome, Susan!
Nice work. Is the “Ice Skating in Holland” a painting or a photograph? My wife says a painting, but I think it is a photo.
It’s a painting, Ted.
Tatjana uses photos in the course of painting portraits, but they are not otherwise part of her art.
Darn. Me and my gloating wife thank you for sharing. I could never be an artist.
Truly amazing talent, I am in awe of all of her work. I thank you for sharing her work.
You’re welcome, David – from Tatjana and me.
Mr. Dave,
Before the photo loaded, I saw the title of painting was “Self-portrait with Poopsie”. I thought it might have been of the two of you. (wink) Oh well. You can’t win them all.
I’m a dogman, Bill. Tatjana’s a catwoman.
But she does call ME “poopsie”!
Mr. Dave,
If I knew you in person, I’d get in trouble. I’d give you a sign to hang over the door to your shed. It would say, “Poopsie’s Pad”. hahaha