With all kinds of different materials I have collected, I make my mixed media paintings. Now I was recently also asked if I could make a painting with personal items.
This time it was intended for a 40th wedding anniversary and the mother/grandmother was also 70 years old. The painting was a gift from her children. I was given children’s drawings, fingerprints of the babies, pieces of fabric that grandma had once used to make clothes for the children. Old photos of the wedding day and photos of the grandchildren. I used all this in combination with my own collection of fabrics, paper, paint and ink.
When I work on commission, it is an extra challenging process, because the person who orders the work from me still has an expectation. So the moment when I show the work when it is finished is always very special and exciting for me. It always strikes me that the work evokes a lot of emotions. It becomes such a personal monument, with things that are immortalized in a painting forever. The idea that the work will be passed on to the next generation within a family adds even more meaning.
If you see the painting from a distance, you mainly see flowers. Only if you zoom in, you will discover the children’s drawings, photos and personal items. Because of this, it is not just a collage of a family, I think it is very important that the image is powerful enough by itself and that it can appeal to everyone.