Reflections
ON AN ARTISTIC JOURNEY
Benefits in starting later in life
I wasn't lucky enough to be raised by artistic parents or grow up in an environment particularly supportive of the creative arts. Art was, however, an early passion of mine that was put on hold out of necessity as the years went by. I spent most of my time on other priorities and responsibilities yet there are certain advantages in “jumping in“ late....
Insatiable motivation to learn
I was relentlessly determined to learn and took any help I found along the way with serious intent. Given that I was so motivated to learn new skills, I was able to soak up everything I found, which has given me a wealth of knowledge to draw from as I move forward.
Meaningful messages to share
Art that is connected to a message is a strong creative statement. After going through a number of life experiences, I think it's valuable to share personal views : thoughts, feelings and impressions created by choices made and lessons learnt. All this flows into my work.
Perseverance and patience in my endeavours
Much of the success in creating art is based on two character traits: Tenacity and the ability to be patient. We live in a world that constantly entices people with the lure of quick recognition and easy reward. Resilience is an important part of learning any new skill. Activities such as restarting a painting or any task that was close to being finished, or facing rejection at some point in life are integral parts of a lifelong learning process
Failure is not intimidating
The younger you are, the more afraid you can be of not reaching goals. Failure is an important part of the human experience, and it is a powerful teacher. Anyone who takes artistic risks has to deal with failure on a regular basis. The more familiar you become with the experience of failing to excel, the less perturbed you are by it. Any experience where you feel like you've failed at something is beneficial to you as an artist. You can always paint over it or start over now that you know what went wrong. A healthy portion of humour is always supportive in this area.
Not being easily swayed by others
Creating visual art is a deeply personal endeavour. When you bring a fully formed self with opinions, ideas, likes and dislikes, you can enrich your artwork. Unlike activities that are primarily physical, art exercises the mind, which develops and changes as you grow older and try new things. I now look at what I've gained so far from all the choices I've made throughout my life.
UNDERCOVER
The hidden artist revealed
I have always felt the need to do something artistic with my life. A shy nature and protective parents who once claimed, “A proper career that puts food on the table should be valued for that simple fact”, held me captive for a large part of my life. Still, the thoughts were always there: “I am more than this”, “I can do more than this in my life!”
Unquenched artistic inclination
Being artistically inclined, imaginative and passionate about what I wanted to do, but having to spend most of my time within the bounds of a sensible career choice was challenging! But, thankfully, these days it's all different. I've learned that it's never too late to dig deep and find the lost, untapped artistic development that may be lurking somewhere beneath the surface, even at a later stage of life. If you put in the effort and focus, it is indeed possible to find creative avenues. It's uplifting to know that if you want to pursue your passion for art and have the determination to do so, you certainly can.
Captivated by the artistic flow
This experience is the innermost treasure of art, it is a flow that captures you during the creative process, a phase in which you create effortlessly and with free-flowing ideas. It's the feeling of weaving a fabric that comes from deep within your heart. It's about sowing the seeds with tenderness and reaping the harvest with joy. It's about charging all your sprouts with the breath of your spirit and giving them the shape of your soul.
Inner peace and gratitude
For me, living a creative life is a unique opportunity to have my own personal space, my own cosmos, for which I am very grateful.
ON A MISSION TO CREATE FOR MYSELF
From a cosmopolitan perspective
My art is a reflection and projection of myself, it is diverse and stems from a cosmopolitan way of life and world view. In my creative urge, I delight in the abundance and magic of the visual world. My work has a variety of creative sparks, life itself is my main source, mostly life circumstances or events in the world, but also imaginative themes that trigger creative expression. Depending on the phase, different styles can be found in my creations, which is quite normal for artists. They cover a wide range of interests - social and cultural themes play a major role.
With validation in creativity itself
My art accompanies the highs and lows of my daily life, which I find very comforting, encouraging and regenerating. I express what I feel inside in my art. I find freedom in not being bound by rules that inevitably affect most of our daily lives. My validation has always been the artwork itself and the process of achieving it. I have never been interested in painting for profit, I have been on a mission to create for myself my whole life. I have always been in search of pure artistic expression intrinsically for myself and have never been influenced by art school, the art market or commercial galleries, but instead have always been in search of my own journey and my own artwork.