The North Sea

The North Sea

Born and raised in Haarlem/The Netherlands, I grew up on the beach of Bloemendaal. We spent long summers there, rain or shine. It was almost inevitable that later in life the North Sea would play a role in my art. The longing for that sea in it’s cool light and with it’s specific smells and sounds is always carried with me.

Washed Ashore

Everywhere on the planet the beaches are littered with trash that is being spit out by our seriously polluted seas. Here a broken, weathered green bottle is lying between the shells, a lovely seagull’s feather, a scissor of a crab and some seaweed. A bit further a piece of turquoise nylon rope in the shape of an Ypsilon lights up between a pair of shells in the warm yellow sand. And then a kobalt blue plastic little fork entwined with some seeweed is in strong contrast with the naturally coloured shells. A tattered red balloon is being pretty next to a white shell. The loveliest compositions are being arranged by sea and wind, all ready for the artist to be translated with paint into a still life on canvas or panel. For those who look carefully there is always beauty, there is always consolation…