About me:
I was born and raised in a place called the 'Eilandspolder' in the Netherlands. Surrounded by an abundance of pastures, tall grass, the birds and hares that flock to them, and the intricate network of creeks and waterways that are unique to Holland. There is a stillness to these regions that allows me to fully take in the colours and sounds. When I walk through the landscape I always pieces of it home for my own reflections and to incorporate in my work.
A small ode to them is to be found in the 'Northern end' series of Photographs.
Creativity and the visual has always been deeply embedded in me. My father as well as my grandfather are both extraordinarily skilled in artistic as well as technical crafts. They have generously taught me from a young age, and are largely responsible for the versatility and eagerness I maintain within my own crafts. I don't remember a point in my life where painting and crafting wasn't a key element to my life, and I am very grateful to them for it.
It is my passion to learn and improve. I strive to always go a little bit further. To look at something I've made or done and think 'this is good. now how do I make this better."
My art
The purpose of creating an artwork for me essentially lies in the exploration of a surface.
It is comparable to walking through an invisible landscape that slowly becomes visible.
It starts out with nothing, a flat white desert. But then you take a step and a tree appears, and then a rock, and then paths start to form and you need to make choices; do I go left or right? how do I cross this river, or manoeuvre this trail? what if I try this brush?..
When I visit a gallery, pieces that require an above average amount of academic knowledge to appreciate tend to irk me a little. Not out of rebellion, but because I know the range of works that I could and couldn't appreciate before going through art school myself. There's a certain discourse around art that can stand like a brick wall between enjoyment and the viewer.
For this reason, I don't want the viewer of my own pieces to have to work harder on my paintings than I did making them. But I do want to give them enough material to be able to choose to. I want the viewer to be able to toy and interact with the work freely and indefinitely if they want to. I want to offer a piece of that explorative joy, and I want my paintings to be approachable. Ideally, I want them to be inviting. So that the mystery and innovation of contemporary art can be present without being hindered by that wall.