Haarlem Clouds Painting

Lydia van der Meer started her career as a press photographer and, for more than a decade, worked in London for the Financial Times, one of the world’s most influential newspapers. Capturing the simplicity of reality with composition and light is a hallmark of her work. After 30 years of photography, light remains key to her work, and is as important in her work as a painter, as it is in her photography. Her paintings include still-lives, landscapes and portraits. “I divide my time between both disciplines; photography and painting. I love the variety, jumping from one thing to another. “I also like working at two different locations: my studio, near Amsterdam, and my office just outside Haarlem. That helps to keep my focus on either photography or painting, dependant on what I am working on that day. “My work is often inspired by my immediate surroundings: daily life, walks, music, the simplicity of things around me, and everything that catches my eye and imagination.”