Quiet Valleys and Symbolism– Painting the Italian Stillness
Italian landscapes with sneaky sunflowers
“Captured” on small surfaces, painted in the Italian countryside around Orta.
A place we return to often. Always green, always alive.
For a collaborative art project, I was asked to work with the theme of the big yellow flowers.
At first, I thought: hmmm…
That’s not really me, working with a theme that doesn’t originate from within.
But that very tension led me somewhere else.
To intensely painted landscapes.
Hidden sunflower fields in an Italian valley.
In my versions, the sunny flowers were quietly tucked between all the other beauty.
Italian landscapes
An Italian series was born.
Quiet, layered, never loud.
What do you see?
Discover the art series at exhibition august 2025
Galerie de Pomp – The Netherlands Dorpstraat 38 – 2361BE Warmond 31 july t/m 2 august
Colors appear on my canvas intuitively.
They present themselves without prior planning.
Yet gradually, a sense of harmony emerges, a dialogue between what I see, what I feel, and what unfolds in layered paint.
That’s why I rarely work from fixed compositions. Instead, I follow the rhythm of light and movement.
Curious to see the hidden sunflowers up close?
You’re welcome in my studio
Italian valleys
I’m especially intrigued by how light behaves in the Italian valleys,
for instance, in Orta, a place we visit often.
Summers there are sultry, slow, hazy days interspersed with sudden thunderstorms rolling in with force between the mountains.
Because the town is nestled by Lake Orta and surrounded by steep green slopes, a unique microclimate has formed.
landscape full of contrast
The result is a landscape full of contrast: soft and sharp, bright and dark.
You can see this reflected in my paintings, where weather, the rhythm of the seasons, and the motion of water leave their mark.
For artists inspired by nature, this kind of environment is an endless source of wonder.
Orta also holds a rich cultural layering.
Its architecture is elegant and intimate, with a nearly regal atmosphere.
There’s even a small island on the lake, built entirely in medieval style, once used as a film set for a classic movie from the 1970s.
I’ve forgotten the name, but the feeling has stayed with me.
hidden gem
Unlike crowded tourist destinations, Orta still feels like a hidden gem.
Precisely because of that, the landscape resonates deeply, in silence, in stillness, in rhythm.
When I’m there, I’m often on the water, paddling across the lake, wake surfing, or wandering along forgotten trails, seeking those places where stillness and movement meet.
Those are the places where my work begins.
Not planned. But found.
Bron en fotocredits: https://sognoitaliano.nl
Orta for artists
For artists and art lovers inspired by nature, stillness, and symbolism, Northern Italy, especially the region around Lake Orta, offers a unique source of sensory richness.
Thanks to its subtropical climate, high humidity, and the ever-shifting light, the landscape is in constant transformation.
This makes the area particularly fascinating for those working with themes such as transformation, cycles, and intuitive perception.
In this way, Orta becomes the perfect context for contemporary, intuitive art.
Not as a subject, but as a sounding board.