I was born in the Netherlands and studied fine art at SISA, Belgium, from 1993-97, followed by a year at Fontys Academy of Fine Arts in Tilburg. From a young age, I was fascinated with observing beauty in nature and people. As such, my early interest as an artist was in developing my ability to reproduce realistic detail.

After graduation, I worked as a freelance decorative artist, creating murals for businesses, homes, and occasionally theatre, with further commissions for watercolours and portraits. I also assisted in a stained glass workshop, restoring old windows, and designing and creating new ones. While my painting was both representational and decorative, I started to struggle with feeling limited in my expression. This was in contrast with my sketching, where lines, shapes and colours were less governed by realism. During this time, some Dutch artists encouraged me to be more expressive with my painting and I started to develop a more personal style.

Working mainly in acrylics, I now try to look beyond the physical detail of a subject, and to discern the underlying forces in a particular relationship or circumstance, on both a spiritual and emotional level. While I build the art pieces layer by layer I aim for strong compositions of colours, shapes and lines. I am increasingly interested in involving other media in my paintings and using other settings than the traditional canvas.

Turning Point 4, 2006

Turning Point 3, 2006