"Let's explore" Painting

Raised in an upstairs apartment in Amsterdam, I had a great view at one big tree from my loft bed. I was fascinated by how the movement of that tree made the wind visible for me. It was almost a form of hypnosis.

My whole life I have the urge to lift stones and tiles to see in detail what is living underneath. To see in detail how an insect moves, how that little body works.

On holiday we we always went hiking in the mountains where my father was walking in front of us and I was the delaying factor, because every flower, insect or beetle had to be investigated.

The memories of these moments are very dear to me because most people lose that pure form of curiosity as they get older. Your life becomes more hectic. There is less room for the surprises that nature has to offer. Yet I can still be extremely happy with a walk in the forest or flowers in full bloom. An explosion of color, sent, smell and shape. All my senses are on high alert during these walks. They connect me with the feeling of that childish enjoyment that I never want to lose.

After the Academy of Arts and my work as a graphic designer for 20 years I needed a new artistic challenge. Painting has always been my silent love and in the end the urge became so great that I needed to give in to that.

My paintings are a personal interpretation of how I experience nature. In nature intuition plays a greater role than in everyday life what I find fascinating.
By painting the colors one by one in transparent layers, the canvas itself becomes the palette. This transparancy of my work shows the vulnerability of nature but also the flexibility what makes nature so strong at the same time. Nature will always win. I find that a comforting thought.