From freaking out to cloud 7

Yes, I was nervous. I could not deny it... and nervous was maybe an understatement. At the same time I was really excited about the opportunity to present my work at the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Miami.

And all my dear friends who came to support me told me that I had nothing to worry about... Excuse me? Who are you talking to? Sure, but I am the one who is standing there later this evening....

Anyway, I was the first one to present my work. I took a deep breath... the lights were off, the beamer on, the microphone was working and I... went on a roll. I talked about Holland -born and raised- and my first nudes that I painted here

I moved on to the "Fresh from the Fridge" series and then I actually heard a whisper from the audience "look how beautiful"... I was so relieved and realized that people were actually enjoying my work and my presentation.

Then I continued with the last 3 paintings in which I tell the story of my transition from Holland to Miami. 

I was glowing and so happy, especially when I received compliments for my paintings and my presentation. I was completely on cloud 7.

Click here if you want to view my latest work "Transitions".

"Fresh from the Fridge" goes to The Mutiny Hotel

Here are some of the paintings that will be for sale at the Holiday Art Bazaar on December 5, 2009.




















Besides the above paintings from the series "Fresh from the Fridge", I will put several nudes for sale.

10% of my sales I will donate to the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station. This is a wonderful organisation dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife in and around Miami's Biscayne Bay.
I have visited their facility several times and I have seen the great work they do.
(http://www.pelicanharbor.bizland.com/)

So if you are in the neighbourhood and feel like doing a bit of artistic Holiday shopping and at the same support a great cause, please come to see and buy my work at the


Holiday Art Bazaar
Exclusive, One Night Only, Meet the Artists, Buy Art!
Type: Music/Arts - Exhibit
Network: Global
Date: Saturday, December 5, 2009
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: The Mutiny Hotel, 2951 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133

And sometimes...

In a previous blog I mentioned the fact that I was going to have a exposition in a restaurant in Coconut Grove in Florida. That was suppose to be in June. Luckily, and I mean that, I was given some more time to be able to create work that is up to par to what I want to show.

I am not the kind of artist that produces a painting per day like your average Plein-Air painter who is forced to paint this fast because of the limited time Mother Nature gives him/her to work on a painting.

Normally I set up a painting quite quickly and with set-up I mean the initial sketch on canvas and the underpainting in two or three colours. I use underpainting because in this way I can block the larger schapes on the canvas without "losing" myself into details at this stage. Also because the colours in the underpainting will deepen the final colours. Nothing is definite in this stage, as I start to observe it. Is the composition the way I want it to be, do I need to change or add anything to make it "work"? In this phase of my work it is very easy to change anything if I want to.

My next step is to work on the background and a little bit on the subject itself. Again I will not go into the fine details but I work on the colours and shapes. I work on the balance between the background and the subject . The background is very important to me because I want the background to enhance the subject - no matter if it is a nude or a pair of apples - not to overpower the subject neither to just let it be a colourfull filler of canvas. This is the part where I look at my painting for hours at a time without actual painting.
This frustrates my partner a lot as to him I am doing nothing and often he remarks: "I thought you were going to paint today..." "I am." is my reply and I see him thinking "Whatever, next time I will stare at the dishes and tell you that I am cleaning them."

In the third stage I am working on the little details and finalizing the painting.

So what are we talking about time wise? I normally work about 2 to 3 weeks on a painting (which includes drying time as I work with oils). Because I know that it takes me time, I usually work at two paintings at the time - not more because of limited space.

And sometimes ... I paint one in a day, from start to finish, like I did yesterday. In less then 8 hours from start to finish I painted Pullo, my red cat, out on the porch.

Just to contradict everything I said before. Oh well, that is life!

Fresh from the Fridge

When I knew I would have a solo at the Focaccia Rustica in Coconut Grove, I also realised that this would not be the place to hang nudes. It is after all a family restaurant. And this implied that I had to come up with a new body of work. To be honest, I went blank at first. For days I stared at two empty canvases and all that came to mind were nudes.

One afternoon my partner asked me why I didn't start painting and I replied: " Paint what? I have no other subject on my mind than nudes."

He suggested to go out and look around the house, to see if anything would inspire me. But I am not a plein air artist - ok, I never tried it and the large amount of hungry, bloodsucking mosquitoes outside doesn't make it very inviting for me to try a landscape out there.


Then he said to me: "Why don't you look in the kitchen, maybe there is something in there that will give you ideas."

And so I did, not that I am normally so obedient, but I was blank and he tried to help me. I opened the fridge... nothing yet, no celestial flash of inspiration. Then I opened the vegetable drawer in the fridge and I saw a variety of fruits and vegetables, each with their own colours and shapes... and there it was... my source of inspiration: Fresh from the Fridge.


I know it will be a great show, ....if I can save my models from being eaten.