How art saved my life.
I have always felt freedom in expressing myself through art, integrating creative energy with my own principles and integrity. But I didn’t always realize this-- first I needed to find myself in order to let my true potential exist. I had a dream, which I focused on and allowed me to become a reality. That is where I am today. However, in order to get there, I had to travel a long and difficult road.

A visit to Museum Voorlinden had a huge impact on me. A large-scale, digitally animated piece at the museum drew my attention and inspired me. The size of the piece was what interested me, representing how overwhelming and challenging life can be. This was relatable, as my own life has been challenging, even from early on. I grew up in a devout Christian family in a small village on the coast of Zeeland. I had hoped that my life would improve when leaving my family home, but unfortunately, that wasn’t so.

I left my hometown to search for security but instead I was always on the run for myself. Last 10 years I fell down in the deepest hole of my life after ending my marriage. I left everything behind and got into debt restructuring. During my seven years of the financial crisis, I started working on myself to become a better person. In my dreams, I created a mood board with positive desires. One of them was I need to paint it!

My whole life I had the dream to make art and last year I decided, it was the time to start painting. At that moment it was as if I was reborn, resurrected from the dead. I discovered a new way of communicating, a way that I could truly express myself, to tell my story about my position in life, and about what I have overcome. I have been liberated and can now define what it means to be a strong and beautiful woman.

My work itself reflects recognition of my own extroverted personality, expressed through abstractions and intense, robust colors, as well as stormy movements and a wide range of forms and details. Those details reveal themselves, as the viewer gets lost in the work. They unfold in the layers of paint, like the personal history that I’ve left behind, but is still apart of who I am today.

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