About
Growing up in a family of dockworkers in Rotterdam Zuid and attending a Protestant elementary school shaped me in ways that still show in my art. As a child, I had an imagination so vivid that the boundary between dreams and reality often blurred. I remember drawing pictures to accompany my hand-written psalms in school, and even though I wasn’t always allowed to draw things like tornadoes or UFOs, those early experiences must have influenced my style. Those old stories, combined with the intense dreams and shadowy figures that visited me at night, captured my attention in a way that continues to inspire my paintings today.
Like ancient cave paintings that tell stories from long ago, I think my paintings serve as a window into my past and present. I still read old stories, and they feed into the pictures I paint. My paintings, in a way, reflect who I was as a child and who I’ve become. They act as a space where my dream world and the real world meet, a blend of wonders and mysteries as seen through my eyes.
I also love the craft of painting, and I think there’s something deeply personal about making my own paint. I often use chalk, wood dust, and even flower to create the perfect texture and color for each piece. Making my own paint adds another layer of personal touch to my art, making it even more a part of me.
My paintings are not just snapshots of my own experiences. I hope when others look at them, they will find something familiar, symbols that also speak to them. That’s what makes this journey so special for me. It’s like exploring an unknown land but finding signs that others have been there before. In this process, I continue to discover new things, much like the child I once was, still blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s imagined.