Find out more about the inspiration behind my artworks:
Point of View no2.- fox and chicken
130x70cm (2 panels), oil on canvas
Point of View - stork and frog
120 x 100 cm (2 panels), oil on canvas (sold)
This work is an ode to the circle of life, and more to respecting another's "point of view."
The fox/stork needs to eat, likes to eat chickens/frogs, and thus nourishes itself and its young. The chicken/frog is on the menu here and doesn't want to be eaten, but in another instance, flies are on the chicken and frog's menu, and it does the same as the fox and stork. What is the fox/stork's "point of view," and what is the cicken/frog's? Ultimately, it doesn't matter who is "right" here, and they have an equal right to be in this game of life. Everyone sees the world differently, has different experiences. As humans, we can judge others or we can make an effort to understand each other’s perspective; it's never as simple as it seems at first glance. And in this painting, your eye is ultimately drawn to the point of light in the middle…somewhere between the 2 animals, which symbolizes the fact that often the truth lies in the middle, and that we are not separate, but that everything in this world is ultimately one.
150x120cm, oil on canvas
'The Visitor' is one of my bigger size paintings, and one of my favourites; When I was at a crossroads, determining what direction to take my life, I had a very vivid dream of a wolf. I thought I woke up, and saw a wolf sitting quietly in the corner of my bedroom. It startled me and initially I was scared, but then I felt the wolf meant no harm and was just visiting, looking friendly at me.
Now, years later, I decided to paint this image and started to do some research into the symbolism of the lone wolf. To my wonderful surprise, I read that one of the meanings of the lone wolf is to choose your own path, and that it’s okay to be a loner by choice.
Furthermore, this painting also tells the story of the balance between light and darkness. If you look at this painting, it portrays two wolves - the real one, and the shadow wolf... You may have heard about the Native American Indian story about two wolves fighting - the white or 'good' wolf and the black or 'bad' wolf. A child asks their father which wolf will win the fight, and the most common answer is: "the wolf you feed will win". Implying that if you feed the 'good' in yourself, it will win. But I discovered this is not the real answer in the story.... The answer should be that you need to feed them both exactly right - as much as they both need - and both wolves will win. It means that if you only focus on or 'feed' the good in yourself, the shadow of that 'good' wolf will grow even bigger, resulting in negative or bad behavior coming out unexpectedly. An example is for instance the stories we all know about guru's abusing their followers etc. So people, remember to do some shadow work, have some fun and be a bad boy or girl now and then ;-).
100x80cm, oil on canvas
I am always amazed by how people can view the world. That is one of the things I love about art - everyone sees something different; a piece of art only exists in the interplay between the piece and you, the viewer. Take the little robin: one person might see a cute little bird, and another might see a message from a deceased loved one.
I wanted to paint this scene to explore our relationship with nature and wild animals around us; if you find this scene scary - then that might say something about how you view the natural world, and in this case the wolf. I feel most of us are taught to be afraid in our current world. This painting is about the dream I have of a world where humans return to be keepers of mother earth, where we live in symbiosis with the trees, plants and animals around us. So this is my fairy tale: "A long long time ago, back when the world was young, and the humans and animals could still speak to each other…when wolves used to be part of our family, guarding our family space and cared for our kids…"
From the Shadows, Into the Light
180x100cm, oil on canvas (sold)
This large painting portrays a story of the red stag and magpie; the stag has for a long time been the symbol of being in touch with the heavens via their antlers.
Many ancient cultures revered the stag as something god-like. For instance, to the ancient Celts, it held a particular mystical energy inherent within nature. The ancient Celts didn’t just observe nature, they were a part of it. This means they held reverence for every aspect of the earth. They honored all creatures because they believed each possesses a spirit and consciousness - this definitely resonates with me and how I experience the world. Of all the beloved creatures of the forest, the stag was a major symbol of power, magic, and transformation.
The magpie’s spiritual symbolism is often associated with courage, good luck and change. They are black and white - symbolizing the balance of light and darkness, Yin and Yang.
In this painting the stag and magpie are encouraging us to explore our own shadows and darkness, in order to find our light. Without darkness, there cannot be light… the world is not black and white, let's try to look for the greys, or even better…the colors.
50x70 cm, oil on canvas
The inspiration for ‘Open Arms’ and 'Here and Now' came when I was still in my corporate career, driving to the office in a rush after dropping off my son at daycare, often ending up in a traffic jam... I was longing for a life full of freedom, that was more in balance with my family, passions and nature. Where I could decide how to spend my time. And so many times when I felt stressed in my car about the gazillion things to do that day, I would spot a cormorant standing like a statue on top of the lampposts next to the highway and spread their wings to dry. I just love this image, as if time stood still, and it immediately brought me back in the here and now, enjoying nature's presents...
No matter how gray, or industrial our surroundings sometimes can be - these birds always remind me of nature and freedom.
180x80cm, oil on canvas
'Wake Up' is a painting of a vivid dream I once had: I was in a beautiful sunny meadow when I suddenly saw the most magnificent golden horse. As it was running as a truly free horse, I was awestruck by its' beauty and strength.
But suddenly the horse started galloping towards me and I felt it was going to run all over me, so I turned and tried to run away as fast as I could. While I was running for my life I suddenly stumbled on a river, and when the horse was just about to trample me…. it stopped! I could feel their powerful breathing on my face and was just in total awe of this powerful magnificent horse - and then I woke up.
The message the horse gave me was that it was urging me to wake up - not from the dream, but from my fears, and own my strength and light. Something I read in a poem really describes this message:
‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us’.
- from Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson.