Artist Life

Artist Life

Elegant summer sandals I’ll wear all season

By |2026-07-19T20:39:41+02:00July 19th, 2026|Artist Life, Style, Travel, Wardrobe|

There are a few items in my wardrobe that I reach for every summer without even thinking about it. Elegant sandals with a small heel are one of them. I have always loved a refined sandalette with a kitten heel. They're feminine without trying too hard, comfortable enough to wear all day and elegant enough for almost any occasion. They slip on in seconds, instantly making even the simplest summer outfit feel polished. When temperatures rise, comfort becomes just as important as style. If you're anything like me, your feet tend to swell a little on warm days. That's [...]

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A slower side of Rotterdam that I never get tired of

By |2026-07-18T19:13:50+02:00July 18th, 2026|Artist Life, Culture, Travel|

There are many reasons I'm proud to call myself a Rotterdammer. Rotterdam is known for its striking architecture, its entrepreneurial spirit and its ever-changing skyline. But the Rotterdam I love most is found in the quieter moments. In neighbourhoods where people take their time, where local makers gather, and where a simple Saturday morning can feel like a small celebration of everyday life. One of those places is Rotterdamse Oogst, a weekly farmers' market held every Saturday on Noordplein. It isn't somewhere I visit every weekend, which is perhaps why it always feels like a little treat. Every now [...]

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This is also my life: The story behind the paintings that people rarely get to see.

By |2026-07-16T20:36:00+02:00July 16th, 2026|Art, Artist Life, Studio Stories|

People often ask me why the women in my paintings look the way they do. They rarely shout for attention. They don't appear fragile, yet they don't need to prove their strength either. There is something calm about them. Confident. Resilient. Over the years, I've realised that I don't paint these women because I imagine them. I paint them because I've been surrounded by quiet strength for much of my life. My son, Max, was born with a spontaneous mutation in the GNAO1 gene, a rare neurological condition that has profoundly shaped his life and ours. He lives with severe dystonia, is unable to speak [...]

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Talking about the elephant in the room; Developing an artistic career in the age of influencers

By |2026-07-16T11:39:55+02:00July 16th, 2026|Art, Artist Life, Culture, Studio Stories|

There's a question I've been wanting to ask for quite some time. Not because I have the answer. But because I suspect many artists are thinking the same thing. Can you still be taken seriously as an artist if you also build a personal brand? I began my career as a full-time artist in 2014. Before that, I had spent years in a completely different world. I worked as a professional makeup artist and later became the owner and director of a staffing agency and academy within the cosmetics industry. Creativity had always been part of my life, but in 2014 I made the [...]

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Three styling principles that never go out of fashion

By |2026-07-16T09:00:29+02:00July 16th, 2026|Artist Life, Style, Wardrobe|

Fashion changes every season. Style doesn't. I've never been someone who chases trends. Of course, I enjoy discovering beautiful collections and seeing how designers reinterpret classic silhouettes, but I've always believed that true style isn't about wearing what's new. It's about knowing what suits you and wearing it with confidence. Over the years, I've realised there are three principles I come back to time and time again. They influence not only the way I get dressed, but also the way I compose my paintings.   1. Leave something to the imagination To me, elegance has always been more powerful than [...]

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Why the Pinacoteca di Brera is worth visiting in Milan

By |2026-07-13T17:56:35+02:00July 13th, 2026|Art, Artist Life, Culture, Travel|

Whenever I visit a new city, I try to spend at least a few hours in one of its museums. Not because I expect every museum to become a favourite, but because art tells you something about the culture, history and values of a place. During my weekend in Milan, that museum was the Pinacoteca di Brera. Housed in the magnificent Palazzo di Brera, the museum is one of Italy's most important collections of Italian painting. The building itself is worth the visit. Originally founded as a Jesuit college in the sixteenth century, it later evolved into a centre for [...]

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Visiting Villa Necchi Campiglio: art, architecture & House of Gucci in Milan, Italy

By |2026-07-12T22:50:39+02:00July 12th, 2026|Artist Life, Culture, Interior, Travel|

Did you know some scenes from House of Gucci were filmed inside this villa? Villa Necchi Campiglio was one of the highlights of my trip to Milan. I've always been fascinated by architecture, especially the elegant homes of the 1930s, beautiful interiors and Art Deco design. But I'm equally fascinated by innovation. Not just today's technology, but the ideas and inventions that were decades ahead of their time. Built in the 1930s, this villa was remarkably modern, featuring central heating, one of Italy's earliest residential air-conditioning systems, a private swimming pool and even a tennis court. I've also always [...]

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Why fashion has always been part of my art

By |2026-07-07T14:48:08+02:00July 7th, 2026|Artist Life|

Looking back, I realize fashion has been part of my art for as long as I can remember. Long before I painted portraits, I was drawing women in beautiful dresses. Looking back, I think my fascination began with the Sissi films my mother loved to watch. Those elegant gowns, graceful silhouettes and romantic worlds completely captured my imagination. Even then, I wasn't just drawing dresses. I was drawing women with a certain presence and elegance. That never really changed. I still love dresses, and I almost always choose clothing that feels elegant, feminine and timeless rather than fashionable. Personal style has [...]

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Building a Cathedral of Female Ambition

By |2026-06-13T14:51:59+02:00June 13th, 2026|Art, Artist Life, Studio Stories|

Recently, the world watched as Barcelona’s Sagrada Família reached another historic milestone. More than 140 years after construction began, the basilica continues to rise toward completion. Yet what fascinates me most is not the building itself. It is the mindset behind it. Antoni Gaudí knew he would never see the finished cathedral. Still, he dedicated his life to laying the foundations of something larger than himself. Stone by stone. Arch by arch. Tower by tower. A vision so ambitious that it would require generations to complete. (The Wall Street Journal) As an artist, I often think about that. Not because I build with stone. But because I [...]

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Why female portraiture remains timeless

By |2026-06-03T09:36:32+02:00June 3rd, 2026|Artist Life|

Why are we still fascinated by portraits of women, even in an age of social media and artificial intelligence? Have you ever wondered why we are still captivated by portraits of women, centuries after they were first painted? From Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa to the women of Gustav Klimt, from the graceful portraits of John Singer Sargent to contemporary female portraiture today, the female figure continues to fascinate artists, collectors and viewers alike. Why? What is it about female portraiture that remains relevant, generation after generation? As a contemporary artist, this is a question I often reflect upon. Much of [...]

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