|
Biography
I was born in Maastricht, Holland, in 1953. I was always a creative boy and I remember from a very young age, being allowed to stay with my grandparents often for a couple of days at a time. My grandpa always encouraged me to draw. He could draw, paint and model like no other and he was my early inspiration. Unlike my father who, with all due respect, was one of the most clumsy men I ever knew.
After graduating from art academy in 1979, I was a high school art teacher for 28 years. In 2011 I became a full time artist and since then I have had several exhibitions in Holland and I still exhibit larger works at Kunst & Co in Amstelveen. My wife and I moved to the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire in 2012. I mostly sell my work to tourists, who for reasons of transport, only buy small works. In an attempt to broaden my horizons, I aimed for exhibiting in Miami. Art Fusion Galleries offered me the opportunity to take part in a group exhibition and I can finally meet the challenge of creating works on a monumental scale. Where this is going nobody knows, but in my dreams my work could become even larger than what it is now. I think I have the most exciting job possible.
Artist Statement
"Ever since the beginning of my professional artistic activities I have been fascinated by things that show the traces of a long existence. My travels all over the world provided me with a valuable source of inspiration. First, I started making ceramic mummies and old temples. After a series in mixed techniques, in which I made objects with a religious/ritual background, I started my 'Habitats'; architectural objects, inspired by old cultures and far away countries. In the end this led to the 'Favela's ' (piled up slums), that appear in many of my art works...
One can discover endless little details and to me every new piece challenges me to find my way from the bottom up to the top, using mixed materials such as wood, branches, palm leaves, card board etc. The things I make are not realistic but the result of my fantasy, whilst I try to find different angles of incidence. Though everything has a clear third dimension, all my works are hung on the wall."
|
|
