I was born in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands, but grew up most of my life in Belgium. I currently live in Alphen where I can combine the best of the Netherlands and Belgium, both privately and in art. Both countries have produced many masters of painting who can still inspire me. Creativity, crafting and drawing have always been the common thread running through my life. Although I was more or less destined to pursue a technical education, in line with the expectations of those around me, drawing has always occupied an important place in my life. So at 25, I started an evening course in drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Turnhout. I did this with great pleasure for 2.5 years, until my first daughter was born, making it difficult to combine this any longer.
Many years later, at 49, the urge for the creative in me began to take over. I felt a huge need for inner expression that I could express through painting. At that time, I only had experiences in black-and-white drawing and had to get over applying colours in my works. I still find the possibilities of using the materials Acrylic and Oil paint and the enormously wide range of colour palette you can create yourself with mixing them fascinating! In my paintings, I always try to find a balance between contrast, colour and variation. These 3 things make a painting interesting and alive. My technical training as an engineer where everything has to be done within the boxes combined with my, already 4-year training at the A
