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Born in 1962, I grew up in the Netherlands, where I was raised in a multicultural family. I recall being an imaginative, pensive, and intensely curious child, who expressed creativity and emotions through artmaking and daydreaming. A formal education in the classical arts made me realize Art is indeed my life path. Despite following art academy, I consider myself predominantly self-taught.
I feel an irresistible attraction towards Realism. I love looking at it, as well as creating it. The challenge to paint with great precision and tightly executed details seduces me into continuously conquering new boundaries and mastering new skills.
It is a commonly accepted myth that painting Realism is mere replication, imitation. To me, painting is about making choices. I do not copy while painting, I synthesize the composition into an ideal reality of my own.
Currently, I focus on two of the most meticulous of the fine art genres, namely trompe l'oeil and photorealism. Both styles allow me to go back and forth between sharply focused close-ups and the challenge to create intricate life-sized compositions.
Symbolism infuses my compositions with what is for me an essential freedom of expression. This allows me to convey my thoughts and beliefs, while still implementing the subtle but exact techniques of Realism.
My compositions reveal my desire to capture the fascinating interactions between colors, light, shadows, textures and reflections. I seek to capture those fleeting moments in my artwork, when light is just perfect, when colors and shadows and textures unite in visual poetry. When there’s a story to tell.
Among my professional affiliations, I am a Charter Member in the International Guild of Realism, a Full Member of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, a Signature Member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters, Member of the National Acrylic Painters’ Association of the UK, and I am allied with the Asociación de Pintores Realistas de España.
My artwork has been published in United States and international art magazines, including Southwest Art, International Artist, and American Art Collector. My sculptures have been published in a Dutch book entitled Beeldend Wassenaar, my illustrations are shown in the book entitled Artikel 12* published by the Center for Peace in Belgium, and my trompe l’oeil paintings can be found in an American museum catalog entitled The Reality of Things: Trompe l’Oeil in America, published by the Vero Beach Museum of Art. My art can be found on many websites, including the RKD or Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, a leading international art-historical data base and an indispensable reference source for art historians.
During my twenty-five + year career my artwork has been exhibited in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. My paintings, drawings, and sculptures reside in numerous collections around the world. I am especially pleased that five of my bronze statues enjoy permanent public installation in the Netherlands. My paintings are currently exhibited in a number of fine art museums and galleries throughout the United States and Europe. Most recently, my work appeared in the art history book by Professor Katlijne Van der Stighelen entitled Vrouwenstreken, Unforgettable Female Painters from the Low Countries from 1550 until today.
I presently live and work in Antwerp, Belgium.