Water has always been one of the four elements that have fascinated me. Combining different disciplines, I’ve found a way to solidify this intriguing everchanging form of nature. The waves series is painting and sculpting with light, having the historic marine paintings by Van de Velde & son and the seascapes by William Turner in the back of my mind. By portraying the sea by brush strokes of pure vaseline, it’s an oil painting, only with a difference.
The series ‘Stilllife with shells’ is derived from the paintings by the Dutch artist Adriaen Coorte (1665- 1707). His masterly way of working with light seemed to match with the light sensitivity of alabaster. Coorte has painted a series with shells, each unique one carefully placed on a stone surface. In his days shells were precious and unusual exotic objects, coming from overseas. They showed the wealth of the owner. Nowadays the situation has changed. Because of extinction one isn’t allowed to take certain shells out of their habitat. In a sad way they’ve become precious again.The shells on the photos are based on the ones I found when I was young and living in the tropics. Meticulously remaking them in alabaster, these shells are future fossils.