Our studio and its surroundings
Our house and studio are in the Dutch flower region, surrounded by bulb fields, greenhouses and open land. Keukenhof is close enough to reach on foot.
The place
The surroundings are in constant motion.
Seasons move over one another, colors appear and disappear, light shifts by the hour. The bulb fields follow different cultivation cycles, and even the greenhouse changes throughout the year.
We walk and move through this landscape every day, with our animals, boots on, heading outside. Across the fields, over our own piece of land.
What happens outside finds its way into the work, although I don’t paint the landscape literally. The westerly wind from the sea I grew up with has always held my attention. It is something I carry from my father. And to me, it belongs to this region. And now, to this studio.
Working in this space
I do not work towards a fixed image. What emerges does so in relation to what is already there, on the canvas, in the material, in the space itself. Paintings stand next to each other, influencing one another, pushing and pulling. Sometimes there is stillness. Sometimes there is friction. And that suits me well.
I am never alone at this place. Our studio dogs and cats are with me, even at a studio photoshoot.
Visiting the studio
Visitors can see the work here in the place where it is made. Paintings may be hanging, standing against a wall or still in progress. It is not a gallery, but a working studio.
You can read more about visiting the studio here.