If You Would Live in Belgium, You Must Carry the Sun in Your Heart Print

As an artist, I am self-taught. My work is drawn free hand, often started on site, or "plein air" and finished in my studio using photographs as a reference, particularly to freeze the shadows. The selection of my work shown here was done with dry pastels, but increasingly I work in acrylic (and am developing abstractions inspired by landscapes) to allow me to tackle some much larger scale peices. Landscapes and seascapes originally inspired me to put them on paper and canvas from an emotional response to their beauty, an impulse to freeze time and light and make the moment immortal. I felt an awe for the restorative powers of nature, of its process of growth and renewal, and of its ability to provide both inspiration and solace. Over time, however, my interior crept into my work, and often without my realization until after the work was complete. A symbolism emerged unconsciously, hiding but alluding to my thoughts, emotions, and ideas quite outside the subject landscape. My work has been exhibited in Belgium and Germany and has been commissioned by individuals in Belgium, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.