The Art Walk

Every first Friday of the month we have something called the Downtown Miami Art Walk, where almost all the artists in the downtown area have their studios open for everybody and all. For me personally that means that I need to "nice up" up my studio and turn it partially into a gallery so I can present my work in a professional way. 

Once every so many months I even fill the holes and repaint the walls, so everything looks fresh and nice again. Of course I only do this in a month when I do not have many obligations and deadlines. Then we (me and the 2 other artists) prepare the rest of the floor: besides 3 studio spaces, there are 2 gallery spaces, the bar, the hallway and the bathrooms.... and you probably guess it, no more time to work on a painting. 

We made it a rule on our floor that if we do not have an opening, we do not serve alcohol. The Art Walk for us artists means that we work. We present our art, we talk art with the visitors, and of course we hope that we will be able to sell work or at least have a potential buyer come back on another day.

Last Friday was a very nice Art Walk for me as I talked to a lot of new people who showed real interest in my work and I sold 3 pieces of art. 

And when a buyer is so happy to have bought your work that he wants to show that to the world, that makes it even better!!

Art Zoo

Saturday December 3, 2011 I will be showing (and who knows selling) my two Zebra paintings at the Fundraiser Event "Art Zoo". This event is to raise money for PAWS 4 YOU Rescue.  

This is a 501(c)3 non-profit, volunteer, donor-subsidized animal rescue organization based in Miami, Florida.  Their top priority is to save animals from euthanasia at Miami-Dade Animal Services. On average 100 animals are destroyed every day at this county shelter!

Rescued animals vary from being sick, injured, homeless and surrendered to simply lost. PAWS 4 YOU Rescue give these animals a safe environment, professional medical care, training, support, hope and lots of love. The animals are sterilized, vaccinated and ID micro-chipped to prevent future loss. Some require major surgery from a specialist to repair broken limbs while others may need additional rehabilitation time and specific medical care - ranging from respiratory illnesses and skin infections to cherry eyes and heartworm treatments.

50% of the proceeds of the sold paintings will go to the fundraiser and they will share that with PAWS 4 YOU Rescue.

What is on my easel?

Just an hour or so ago, I finished another painting and will be send to The Netherlands next week where it becomes part of a private collection.

It is painted on (non-streched) canvas with acrylics and its size is 33" x 32".

Anybody who knows me a little, knows that my pictures of my work are not the best and yet again I manage to NOT capture the true colors. 

The following detail of the painting gives a better idea about the colors.

I named the painting: "OWL" 

In private collection

MOCA Audience's Choice Recipient

On April 14, 2010 I did a presentation at the MOCA in Miami for the program "5 minutes of fame"?

My 5 minutes are being extended because I was chosen by the audience as the "Audience's Choice Recipient. And that results in one of my paintings being published on MOCA's website.

I am so freaking thrilled with that!

Thank you everybody who voted for me in April and who supported me.

Transitions

At first - when I started working on these paintings - I wanted to create a series about people trying to find their balance in life. I got the idea when watching an old man, who could barely walk, literally swinging from one pole in the bus to the next until he reached the door. He was more in balance than the rest of us.

Nowadays a lot of people struggle with their balance in life and I am no stranger to that at times. But while working on the paintings, it seemed that they became more personal. I wasn't sure how or why but every time I looked at my work, it was as if I was telling myself something.

After a while it hit me: it was about me. I was the portrait of my transition from Holland to the US. Don't get me wrong, I have not regretted my move what so ever, but it did have an impact on me. I left my family, friends and my life as I knew it behind to start all over again.

The paintings are not sad - with their vivid bright colors - and it shows me finding a new balance here. Each one of them is a step towards the future. If you click here you can see the Transition paintings.

Click here if you want to know more about the presentation at the MOCA in North Miami.

Nudes

Getting Ready (12" x 12" oil on canvas)

I love the human body. I love how the light creates this beautiful effects on the skin and more so to capture that in my paintings.
By the way, each body is so unique and especially when you look at the skin tones. For me it is really fun to work with that.

Not only do I paint the female nudes but also the male. Now I know that many consider the male body not as beautiful (to paint) as the female. Perhaps the female nude is more accepted nowadays, but I find that the male nude is equally as beautiful as the female body.

Future (12" x 12" oil on canvas)

And even though the female body is celebrated for its round shapes, I find that the male body has many of the same beauty.

If you are interested to see more of my nudes, please click here.

Fresh from the Fridge (2009)

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.

To see all the paintings from this series, please click here.