About me

I grew up in a culture and arts loving family on the west coast of The Netherlands. The Hague, Scheveningen, Amsterdam and Bergen were the inspiring décor of the first decades of my life: a mix of historical buildings, modern architecture, dunes, parks, forests, beaches and the North Sea. The many museums, theatres and concert halls were frequently visited and the jewels of classical and modern art, dance, literature and music were thoroughly appreciated.

 The colourful flower parades in the springtime of my childhood left a profound imprint. Chariots with castles and windmills in wonderful colour combinations made of thousands of flower heads; on top of all this splendour princesses smiling in sparkling dresses, farmers firm in traditional suits with wooden shoes gently waving at me. The air filled with the scent of spring flowers. Life was amazing.
Later the creative and colourful hippy and flower-power time of the 60’s, the out of the ordinary 'Happenings' of the Provos with Amsterdam as it's 'Magic Centre', the innovative ideas and novel actions of the Kabouters (Goblins) in the spirit of sustainable living, and the inspiring International Festival of Fools in the 70's and 80's, all these resonated deeply within me and are still of great influence in my work and direction in life. The creativity, colour, humour and energy of those days remain important sources of fascination and inspiration.
 The multicultural society of the Netherlands and contemporary art forms offered a fascinating sounding board for developing innovative visions, inspired by a growing environmental and spiritual awareness. The many travels throughout Europe, the Caribbean and in Asia brought me into contact with different cultures and a world of new ideas and inspiring art forms.

 My mother always stimulated artistic expression on all levels and my childhood was filled with creative art. The Haque's Montessori Lyceum offered a broad playground for creative development with many inspiring workshops and the school had an excellent painting and craft department. I've spent many hours in the craft studio and was taught to work with a variety of materials. 
 In the 1980’s I studied Art at number of institutes in Amsterdam including The University of Amsterdam (History of Art – 1979/1981), Rijks Academy of Arts (Painting - 1982), Teacher-training School ‘d Witte Lelie (Arts & Crafts – 1983/1984) and Wooden Furniture-making School ‘De Jordaan' (1985). I regularly attended the model-drawing sessions organized by the Union of Independent Artists and studied with the painters Jan Spoek, Bo Thi and Siegfried Dorée in Amsterdam. In 2002 Joke Verburg introduced me to the basics of silk painting, a medium I continue to explore.

 I moved to New Zealand in 2006, travelled around with my camera and lived at various places of the North Island. 
In 2010 I settled down in the Waitakere Ranges near Auckland where I took up drawing and painting again and set up my silk-painting studio Shesilk. Recently I have moved to the beautiful Far North. Greeting cards of my art works are available under the label of ArtiNz, together with the range of my Colourme-in Posters with themes of New Zealand’s flora and fauna.