Painting is simplifying, as a painter you choose what to show and what not to show. Sometimes I see how far I can go with this simplification without losing the recognisability.
This hare look I met on an evening walk, the red sky gave his fur a beautiful glow. He looks at me inquisitively, and I feel a little intimidated. After all, I am a guest in his territory.
After several difficult years, the hares in the Netherlands are doing better again. They are adapting to life in the increasingly crowded country and are increasingly emerging as nocturnal animals.
Connection is the overarching theme in my works. In my paintings, I try to capture the moment of my encounter with a bird or another animal. Those few seconds of contact, sometimes fright, but also surprise or curiosity. The beauty of everything that lives, and the connection I feel with everything around me I try to capture on my paper or canvas
Much of my childhood was spent in the forest near my parents' cottage. There, my love for birds, the forest animals and the rustling wind in the trees was born. The forest is still a place I love to visit, I immediately feel relaxed, can breathe.. Read more…