Portraits

I received my first portrait commission in Italy. The owners of the farm where I rented an apartment wanted a painting of their three adult children, two daughters and a son. I suggested to make three separate portraits so that later they could each have their own portrait. They all thought that was a good idea and so it happened. I took a few photos of them in the late afternoon light and imagined painting the farm's surroundings as a continuous landscape behind them, making it a triptych. I started working on it at home in the Netherlands in the winter and brought the result to Tuscany the following summer. The portraits were received with love and enthusiasm and now, some 20 years later, this painting "An Italian Family" still hangs at the same place in the living room of the farm.

More portrait assignments would follow later in the Netherlands, see most of them below. It is always an honor to receive that trust and great to work on, but I also find it a heavy responsibility and therefore keep it limited.