THE MIRROR by Mariet Caris

Painting an archangel, workshop by Jan Verdonk

2012-01-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I followed a workshop by Jan Verdonk. Jan Verdonk is a thelogian specialized in Byzantine church history. Now he is an iconpainter and a teacher by profession. You do not have to be churchmember to follow his courses. I do not know much about icons but was interested in the old techniques and some day I want to paint Mother Mary ( I made some artcards with her image).

gabriel painted with egg tempura

Jan teaches to paint in a traditional way with egg tempera. He demonstrated how to make this paint with pigments, eggs and vinegar. Egg-tempera is wellknown because of its bright colors.Unfortunately the remnants of the paint are bad for the environment. It was dificcult to paint because the texture is different from the acrylic and watercolors I am used to. Icon painting is not just making a copy. Everyone has a his/her own style. I certainly want to follow more classes but I have to find some time because the course is not in my neighborhood.

And perhaps some day I can paint my madonna..........

The mirror has two faces no 11

2012-01-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

do I look all right?

Finally I finished another "mirrorcard".
Its a beautiful lady, looking in a mirror. Do I look all right? Yes you look wonderful tonight.
What do you see: the insecurity or vanity?
Women are often insecure about their appearance and we often need lots of clothes or make-up to feel fine.
Magazines and media reinforce the idea that we must look like models. Training your mind is often more effective to overcome insecurity than surgery.

Vanity is on the other side. In art, vanity is often symbolized by a mirror, a peacock or a naked woman combing her hair. We all know the vanity of the queenmother in Snow White and the seven dwarfs.
I hope your mirror is kind to you and that is has the magic to see your inside beauty........

ADO art dolls only

2012-01-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

art dolls only/challenge

My contrubution to the challenge of ADO:

hold on to your dreams

2011-12-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

On the first day of Christmas our grown-up children found some notebooks (1996) in which we wrote down our holiday-memories. It was nice to read our personal "familychronicle". Every family has a story with memories, with love and pain, with loss and happiness.

Yesterday one of my collages was printed in the newspaper. The theme was family and a quote of the French philosopher Sartre: Family is like chicken pox, you get in childhood and you get marks for a lifetime (maybe my translation is not quite right but it gives the meaning of the quote).

We often spent time with our family. A family is a world by itself, hopefully with love and caring but even love can become a cage. Often we see violence, hatred and tension. I hope you have a caring and loving family that stimulates your creativity and potention. Otherwise you have to free yourself.

In my collages I try to express different aspects, the spectator can make his/her own story.

I love familystories. Being a part of a system, being in the history of your own children. Doing as well as I can but also aware of the "pox".

My wish for you: Hold on to your dreams in 2012

Paulien/fontys danceacademy
photo: Amat Bolsius

Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

I want to wish all the readers of my blog a merry Christmas and a joyful time with the ones you love.
When you feel alone I hope that there will be new friends next year. On the picture you see one of my dearest friends. For nine years she is a part of our family and everyone loves her. I am looking forward to Christmas and celebrating these days with my family.
Every year I have christmas-flowers in my red glass bowl.
The color of red and Christmas belong together in my opinion.

Guardian angel for christmas

2011-12-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

guardian angel

It took me a long time to finish this angel. It was hard to find a balance on bended spoons.
She is made of papiermache and has big blue (they seem black on the picture) marbles for eyes. I do not know if I'm going tot sell her perhaps she may stay. I must admit I do not sell much lately, I do not attend creative markets or exhibitions anymore. Perhaps I should try this again and focus more on the local market in stead of Etsy. Do you have a successful Etsy-shop, please tell me your secret....
Have a nice day!

Camelia

2011-12-02T04:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrate the feast of St Nicolas, I wrote about this Feast before.
It is a busy time, as usual. This morning I found a moment of silence and contemplation in my garden:

My camelia is blooming, far too early. And I was grateful that I had given this plant a second chance. Perhaps we should give our beloved ones and ourselves also a second chance.

The story of Nehalennia

2011-11-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

Nehalennia/Domburg/The Netherlands

Nehalennia, a Germanic goddess worshipped at the point where travellers crossed the North Sea from the Netherlands, is shown on many carved stones holding loaves and apples like a Mother Goddess, sometimes with a prow of a ship beside her, but also frequently with an attendant dog which sits looking up at her. He was on thirteen of the twenty-one altars recorded by Ada Hondius-Crone, who describes him as a kind of greyhound. (source: Wikipedia)

Every day we make thousand decisions, probably more.
What will I wear, what will I eat, what will I do first. When you think about it you are going be crazy. Many behaviour is, fortunately, automatic or conditioned. When we are making art we choose often automatically the colors, the composition or medium to work with.

Nehalennia
This collage is inspired by my visit to Domburg

But sometimes it is hard to choose, do you know the feeling? Your brains and your heart have to approve your choice. When we are busy or troubled it is more difficult to choose. The collage above is inspired by my dear DA-friend Kachan, she makes very colorful collages with beautiful women.

Made by Kanchan, visit her site!!

She sent me some beautiful artwork and papers wich I am trying to use in my latest collage. My Nehalennia is still not finished, perhaps I make an other thousand choices........perhaps I add a dog.

Domburg

2011-11-11T11:30:00.001-08:00

Colours of the sea

Let it be!

2011-11-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

The mirror has different faces 11.

How do you get inspired in busy times? I promised to make "a mirror card" every two weeks....it keeps my creativity flowing. So much to do during last period, family matters and work......that I did not make any card! When my house and my mind is chaotic I'm working on to many different items.

Back to basic:

Another card, this time a postcard.

On first sight you see a lovely lady, I added an aureole, but in that aureole are mighty man ;)

I added wings, but the color of the wings are orange/brown (develish?) Who is she?

The text is handwritten, not neat, written in a hurry and I do not mind.........so not me.

I am also working on a new doll, an Ado-challenge. I hope that I can focus on finishing this doll.

How do you get inspired in busy times? Or should I let it go and be confident.......like the lyrics in one of the songs of the Beatles: Let it be.

Give-away and Great International doll and bearshow Ahoy 2011

2011-10-30T01:31:00.000-07:00

ball-jointed dolls

GIVE-AWAY

Hi Spiritmama and Tina, you are the lucky ones! Please send me your adress by mail and which two colours you prefer. I decided to give both of you two pieces!

AHOY 2011

made by Joan Koster

Yesterday my sister and I visited the show in Ahoy. We had a great time, meeting old and new friends. We have seen wonderful creations of fantasy-art, I do not like the reallife babies. It was hard to take pictures because of the light (and my skils). Caroline showed her way of making a doll, using lots of small layers of newspaper.

made by Caroline van Stiphout

made by Trolineke

made by Kamilla Meesters

ADO art dolls only: give-away

2011-10-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

I promised to write bout ADO, artdolls only. I could recently join this network with much dollartist that I admire during a long time. It is a nice group with lots of talented doll-makers, as well professionals as hobbyists.

Visit their site and you will be inspired. To 'celebrate' my joining I want to give-away some mohair of tibetan lamb. There are three colors, white, gold yellow and purple. You only have to follow my blog or leave a comment. The lamb can be used for many purposes. I will pick random three winners on october 30e.

I added a small impression of autumn, perhaps the colors will inspire you!

Donna, Sodarksocute!!

2011-10-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am the new owner of a Sodarkie made by Donna.

She is a real artist and DA-friend.
I hope this little devil is going to bring some artist-luck to me. Perhaps she is: I became a member of art-dolls only. My next blog will be about this group.
But first I want to enjoy my SodarkieDevil, she is so cute and just a little bit scary.
So visit Donna's etsy-shop

The mirror has two faces 10

2011-10-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

My home is my castle!
Sometimes I cannot finish a card, a collage, or a sculpture. Lack of inspiration. This card was on my desk for a long period. And than suddenly: Yeah! Just adding some paint, a word or something else and the work gets alive.

How was it possible that I did not see it!! Do you know that feeling?
Do you see the king at first sight or the little birdhouse? Every house can be a castle. The bird never asks for a house with towers, gold or other decorations.
Being content is a great gift, the real castle is inside of you.

Leids Ontzet by Erwin Olaf

2011-09-30T00:55:00.000-07:00

I want to show you these pictures. They look like an old painting of Rembrandt or another Dutch master. But these are the amazing pictures made by Erwin Olaf, one of the most prominent Dutch photograpers. The Dutch city of Leiden celebrates the libaraton of the Spanish (1574).

Erwin Olaf added some modern small issues (a handbag, an i-pod and thongs) but you have to look very closely to find them.

by Erwin Olaf

He was inspired by an old painting.
You can see the making of by following this link of the newspaper: NRC

In mixed media we often use images of paintngs, perhaps these pictures will inspire you, but remind the copyright. I admire those artists who are able to transform their ideas into art. I must admit that sometimes I'm a bit jealous of their skills.

The mirror has two faces no 9: The gate

2011-09-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

The gate: entrance and exit

Que sera sera

2011-09-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

After remembering 9/11 it is now time to look at the future.

I noticed that not many people asked for my give-away card and I realized that is difficult to say:

"I want this card". A bit silly of me to put it in this way in my journal. In spite of that I will sent the card to someone.

Soon there will be another give-away.

Today I saw this cute little boy

He is representing the future for me

Que Sera, Sera,

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours, to see

Que Sera, Sera

What will be, will be.

9/11 give away art card

2011-09-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ten years after.

This card is meant for some-one who needs comfort or strongly is attracted by this card/idea. Maybe you need some comfort for yourself. You can request the card for someone else or for yourself. You can write me by email or by a comment on this post, no other rules.

The card is full of symbols:
0f course the 9 and the 11.
There is a cross in the middle and the black and red stripes on the right symbolize the twintowers. Altough they are gone they remain in our collective memory and they will not dissapear from our minds.
There are nine red spots, the colour of blood. The one in the middle remains red because there will allways be sorrow for the victims. The gold around the other spots is the colour of hope and peace.
The madonna in the left corner is meant to comfort you.
The edges are black as a sign of mourning.

This card is meant for those who want peace and not revenge.

On the 9/11 I will randomly pick someone.

Copyright for this card reserved for emce-art.

the mirror has two faces; no 8

2011-09-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

Wondering

What do these birds see? A beautiful sunset or a natural disaster? The choice is yours. As I mentioned before I love the colors of nature and specialy those of autumn. September is my favorite season. These birds are in the colors of the season, so are my chickens.

My chickens, laying some of their lovely small eggs. I call them my little ladies.

another sunday

2011-08-28T04:35:00.000-07:00

my kitchen-windowview

Here are some pictures of my garden at the moment. Perhaps it is fun to make every week a picture from the same angle and see the seasons changing.

I'm working on a new piece called Dresden. But I have a 'block' I do not know how to proceed. I added an iron-transfer but the acrylic paint beneath is melting, never to old to learn :)
Suggestions are welcome!

dresden

Perhaps I am too busy with all kinds of everything but I always find some time to make art cards.

my madonna-cards

Brocante and antique

2011-08-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today we visited Vieillefrance in Biest Houtakker. The weather was nice. I was totally charmed by the cat with tree legs. He or she was enjoying the sun in the late afternoon.

They have a miraculous collection and it felt like we were fifty years, or more, back in time. I discovered an old christmasgroup, the one that we had in my family when I was a kid. It is now on my attic, broken and incomplete in a box.

When I was a child the angel and the black king fascinated me the most and I adored the little sheep. The owners have a wonderful collection, with all kinds of everyting, and I'm sure I will go back and buy something. But first I need to clean up my house and remove old never used stuff. I like a modern and simple style with a few antique objects but sometimes I can not resist those old objects with so much history.

the mirror has two faces; no 7

2011-08-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

I have decided to write alternate on my old and new blog (art-mirror) where you can find pictures of my visit to Dresden, which was very inspiring.

Here is my new card, it is called Depression or Reflections of heaven. I made it a while ago and exposed it already on Deviant Art. But there was something missing. I added lately the text: "reflections of heaven" and now it feels as completed. I hope you agree. I meant to put some hope in the card as well and not only the sad theme. I hope you enjoy it.

Trolineke

2011-08-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have won a book, written by Trolineke, please visit her site.
The book is in Dutch, so my blog is written in Dutch.

Vandaag heb ik het prachtige boek ontvangen van Trolineke. Het is zeer de moeite waard. Een prachtige lay-out en goede beschrijving hoe je deze pop opbouwt. Ik heb al nieuwe technieken gelezen, met name over het gebruik van textiel en patina.

Daarbij zit nog een cd, die moet ik nog bestuderen maar ik kan nu al zeggen dat het boek de moeite waard is, bezoek dus de site of het blog van TROLINEKE. Ze maakt prachtige dingen, ik ben favoriet van haar bustes!

the mirror has different faces: 3

2011-06-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

To see my new art card go to: http://art-mirror.com/
I will move to a new blog, I hope you will follow me, soon there will be a give-away on my new blog
Instructions to my readers to follow my new blog on wordpress:

go to your dashboard

go to blogs i'm following

click on add

insert: art-mirror.com

click on follow and confirm

My new blog is still under construction, soon I will be adding a friends-list.

"Always welcome"

2011-06-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

I made this drawing for my sister and brother in law, because of their wedding anniversary. Yes, they keep sheep and chickens and there are lots of other symbols...... which I'm not going to explain. I named it "always welcome" because they are always very hospitable.

Soon I will be moving from blogger to wordpress. My new site/blog still needs some work but I will inform you when I''m leaving......

the mirror has different faces: 2

2011-06-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Art card: The staircase:

The staircase:

You can go up or down, every direction is the right one....

just do not stand still...

First price on DA!

2011-06-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

So happy, won the first price on DA;

This was my text on DA:
Leaving Home, from past to future
Made for the contest of altered mixed collages: our journeys and destination

Leaving home is one of the most important, exciting and sometimes difficult journeys in your life. Hope that some sunshine will brighten your voyage and that the future will be full of colors.

leaving home/aceo

Home sweet home

2011-06-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Home sweet home, I made an assemblage for a Deviant contest and used an antique delft blue porcelain house and added found objects.
More pictures on: http://art-mirror.com/

Leaving Home

2011-06-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

leaving home/aceo

In the corners of my garden

2011-05-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

My husband discovered this empty nest of a blackbird. Do you want to see more gardentreasures,
go to this link click on my post with the gardenflowers: .http://art-mirror.com/

the mirror has different faces: 1

2011-05-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

I promised to make an ACEO (small card, like a playing-card) drawing or collage every two weeks, to keep my creativity flowing. It will be hard for me but I'm going to try. Here is my first one:

THE FAIRY DANCER
grace or pain

In the theater we see the grace.........but in the mirror of dance we can see the other face.

Norderney

2011-05-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

We visited the isle of Norderney in Germany. A wondeful trip, meeting lovely people (Herzlichen Dank!), nice weather and making some long distance walks.

Blue is defenitly the color of this island. I mentioned it before, blue is a healing color. The city of Norderney is one big spa-resort. The nature is great and almost everyone who walks along the seashore expierences the blessings of the sea, it stimulates all our senses.
On our way back to the shore by ship we were lucky to see many seals, enjoying the sun, just like us.

I could not bring my clay with me but this break is hopefully stimulating my crativity. I decided to draw a small ACEO-print every week, to keep this energy flowing. You can look at it from different sides, from give and take, depending on your own postition and emotion, here is my first:

flowers need rain
do you see the rain or the flowers?

instead of being creative........

2011-05-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Instead of being creative (as planned), we went for a walk today. My husband saw some storks in our neighbourhood during running. We were very happy that they still were there. We spotted eight storks, it was an amazing view and they were not afraid at all. In former days children were not informed abouth the birth of baby's. Parents told their children that the stork brings the baby and picks the belly of the mother by accident. So now I'm pretty sure a baby-boom is coming in our village.

google search

New lay-out

2011-05-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying my vacation: more time to give attention to my family and my favorite activties. I made a new lay-out for this blog. I hope you enjoy it. I used a picture of one of my favorite collages I have made. This collage inspired me in naming this blog: The Mirror

detail collage the Mirror

The mirror reveals your soul and everything you make is a part of your imagination and experiences.

The royal wedding.

2011-04-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

The wedding of Kate and William with many traditions brings me to my own 'history'. One of these days I found some old pictures of my grandparents, hidden in a box on the attic. I never knew my grandmother, she passed away before I was born. My grandfather was a kind man, who took me often for a walk when I was a child. Don't they look nice?

my grandfather

my grandmother

Last week I found some old portraits on a flea market. I could not resist them, they were one euro (for three). The paper of two of them is damaged. I think they were a couple. I imagine their life, what happened to them? Were they happy or was there much sorrow and pain in their lifes? Will there be a day that some stranger is holding my grandparents in his or her hand? I do not know what to do with these portraits, can I transform them in a piece of art? Tomorrow we celebrate Koninginnendag (the birthday of the mother of our queen), there will be many fleamarkets. I hope I do not see any old portraits, I cannot resist them and I intend to cleanup my attic.........

Eggs

2011-04-24T04:23:00.000-07:00

The feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. Now it is a feast of Christians to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. All over the world eggs are a symbol of new life. This morning I found some nice coloured eggs. Perhaps they were brought by the bird which I made a long time ago. She is always waiting for the next spring and sits patiently in my kitchen.

happy easter

2011-04-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

happy easter!

We are looking forward to an Easter-weekend with nice weather. The flowers in our garden are growing explosively. I'm working on several small projects: pimping an old tray, a small cloth and clay doll, an one-eyed cat and a sweet devil. Other things also require attention, my work, my housekeping, the garden needs some weeding and the dog should be combed. But I'm glad I'm not getting bored.

old tray

Hope

2011-04-15T00:56:00.000-07:00

When I was visiting the art-dollshow my husband and brother in law made a long distance walk. They discovered this little deer, trapped in a fence. The deer was abandoned by his family, it must have been to dangerous to stay on that spot. It took some time to release him but in the end he was walking to freedom! Nature should be protected, we should cultivate less (or cultivate nature).

Hope would be a nice name for this fawn because we hope that he or she will find his family

It brings me to children and the complexity of the society. There are so many traps outside, children easily get caught in the wilderness of society. I hope that somenone will help them when they cannot release themselves. In our country there were some severe shooting accidents lately. I sympathize with the victims and survivors, but also with the parents of the offender. I hope that there will be a day that they can see again the beauty and fragility of nature.

maple-leaf in our garden, fragile and strong

Dabida

2011-04-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here an impression of the 5e exhibition of art-dolls on Dabidaday. It was great to see old and new friends!

Tine Kamerbeek

Victoria Minenko

Esther Verschoor

Christine Polis

Kamilla Meesters

Lydia Dekker

I was happy with the new 'dolls' that were presented. The Russian dollmakers showed amazing work, so detailed and nice. It was a pity that they did not speak English but I got inspired by their perfection. My sister and I were suprised by the work of the Belgian dollmaker Christine Polis.

I missed Hannie Sarris-Hulstein, the founder of Dabida. It must have been difficult for the Dabida-members to do without here. My sister and I had a wonderful time. We missed the presentation of the award so please tell me who has won........

Dabidadag

2011-04-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Just one day to go:
Dabidadag, the great show with art-dolls made by famous artists.

Made by Katya and Elena Popovy from Russia

I promiss to make pictures. Many of my friends of the fantasy-forum will be there. I'm looking forward to the show.

Ollie became Dolly

2011-04-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

A week ago I introduced Ollie. When I was painting, Ollie turned out to be a lady. A charming lady with one earring: she wears two fresh waterpearls. Because it is spring I gave her some flowers on her head and around the other ear.

on etsy

Spring is also visible in our garden. My camellias bloomed for the first time in seven years. I'm happy I kept my patience and did not remove the plant to "neverland''. Or was it my laziness?

Bunny and Dolly became friends, I like their pastel colors, they match the spring!

Maastricht instead of Amsterdam and the nose of Ollie

2011-03-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Maastricht:

Street along the river

Marketplace

Everyone who visits the Netherlands visits Amsterdam. We visited Maastricht (an old town in the south of the Netherlands) and the world most popular art and antique fair TEFAF. Maastricht is beautiful town with friendly people, many stores and many nice restaurants. In the evening we visited one of the small pubs and had a wonderful time with my family.

I'm working on Ollie. Ollie thinks his nose is too big. I told him not to complain, yesterday I saw many old statues without a nose. Ollie thinks he will never be on an art- or antique-fair and he is probably right. He will never be a Picasso, Van Gogh or Chagall. I'm going to make his nose a bit smaller but you will never know what the future is holding in store for him.

Ollie

I'm every woman

2011-03-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

How many women are there in you? Actually we all have a multiple personality.We integrate all kind of roles. Sometimes one role requires too much energy and we forget to take care of another part. In Japan it is clear that the role of the survivor is the most important now. But in our own life it is not always clear and we ignore signals that one role asks too much. So give the woman with the mask some attention.

Bunny, a little rabbit and second treasury

2011-03-12T00:49:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my bunny. I'm so glad I finished a sculpture after a long time of not sculpting.

She is for sale on Etsy and again picked as a "Treasury"

I still want to do a make-over of my Etsyshop........

my first treasure on etsy

2011-03-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

I'm so pleased that my mouse was picked as a treasure on etsy:

Click on the mouse to go to etsy treasure

The PONT

2011-03-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

Last week we visited DE PONT, a museum for contempory art in Tilburg with sculptures of Robert Therrien.

I felt like a small child between the huge tables and chairs. It was so pretty and strange at the same time; every visitor was smiling and looking up.

Life; collage by Lucas and me.

2011-02-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

Here you can see the result of a collabration between me and my son LUCAS who is a molecular biologist.
He picked the images and together we made the design. Hope you like it.

I enjoyed working together, we did not work together in this way since his childhood. Crafting, together with his sister, always gave much fun!

Spring?

2011-02-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Last week one of my chickens produced the first egg of 2011! As you probably know chickens don't produce eggs in wintertime, unless they are hold in battery cages ( I don't know if that is a right word in English) where the conditons of light and heat are simulated.

I'm happy that my chickens announce the arrival of spring!

Fight with my sisters

2011-02-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

I'm happy I'm not fighting with my sisters in real life. This piece was a struggle.... I used the wrong board to work on. I used the wrong glue and then trying to restore, the wrong finishing medium.
What lessons did I learn:
*Fighting on paper is better than fighting in real life..........
*If I try something new I should practice on a small piece...........
*I should not hurry........
*I'm daring to show a failure
What do you do with pieces that you don't like?

Caroline for sale

2011-02-17T00:48:00.000-08:00

Do you remeber Caroline, she is for sale on a site created by Jane DesRosier:
DOLLTOWN. The site will be opened next saturday, I will post a link.
Sales are directly from the artists.

Making a collage, the hard way.........mini-tutorial

2011-02-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but lately it is a struggle to make something creative. Perhaps it is the winter fatigue or because my mind is too busy. Here you can witness my struggle in a mini-tutorial:

Step 1:
Making up my mind.....I like to see paintings or pictures of sisters, the expressions of faces, the love or hostility they show. I found an old picture of me and my sisters an used it as an inspiration for my work.

Step 2:
Collecting materials. I am always collecting all kind of materials, to despair of my housemates. My attemps to organize often fail.

Step 3:
Making different designs and making pictures.

Step 4:
Choosing one of the designs. So many doubts and choices just like in real life.

Step 5:
Making a surface for my collage on acidfree board:

Next blog post you will see the result.

The beauty of nature

2011-01-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went for my 30-minutes walk. Although it was cold the sun was shining. Winter can be a difficult time for people. But if you look closely you can see that the winter will not last for ever and even winter has its beauty, look at the colors of grey and green:

A little pony with his wintercoat:

A chair, in the middle of nowhere is waiting for a visitor:

Winter spring summer or fall, different seasons, I like them all:

The white chair above reminds me of these chairs that I made a long time ago. They represent the different seasons and belong together like night and day, black and white, sadness and joy.

Collage cards

2011-01-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you know the song of Adele "make you feel my love". The original is by Bob Dylan.
It is a perfect song on a rainy sentimental day when raindrops fill your heart. The song inspired me. I'm planning to make some collage-cards for my etsy-shop. It will take some time...........
I made some Valentine-cards and want to hear from you wich one you prefer.

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn’t do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

And remember when the winds of change are blowing in your life: the night does not last for ever.

La double vie de Veronique

2011-01-15T01:24:00.000-08:00

I found this beautiful film on another blog. It is of an amazing beauty. Please watch untill the end!

monday

2011-01-10T04:15:00.000-08:00

I discovered this flower in the barn where I put my plants to protect them against the cold winter and I started sculpting .....but my inspiration is not back so I'm finishing some old work.

The village of my childhood

2011-01-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

I want to show my latest work. I worked three months on this work. I love this village with a little harbour and a river. It is the village were I spent my childhood, where I went to school and grew up in a safe world (at least for me). The church was in the center of our daily life, how things have changed. Sweet memories of my family, friends and my home. We used to play outside and in the winters we used to skate on flooded fields.

I used ink, pencils and a bit papercollage. When I draw, I can't sculpt. So the number of my unfinished sculptings is not decreasing.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T02:56:00.000-08:00

I want to wish you all a happy New Year. I hope that we can bring some happiness to each other. I was happy with the gift of JULIE HOWE (her name is linked).
This fellow will be happy when he gets a nose this year:

Windmill and snow, a perfect combination!

2010-12-27T03:09:00.000-08:00

These pictures were made on our walk on Christmasday. So peaceful, the snow, the mill, the beautiful sky and trees. I wanted to share this typical Dutch image.

merry christmas and ducks

2010-12-20T05:16:00.000-08:00

I want to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the readers of my blog. I'm blessed with a nice family, a naughty dog and four chickens! Not everyone has the joy of a nice home and enough food.
I was charmed by the idea of JULIE who is donating artwork to a store of OXFAM NOVIB. So I'm passing her message of compassion and giving.

You can buy ducks (or other animals) to support projects for those who are in need. I bought 5 ducks. Oxfam spends the money on projects for farmers, perhaps ducks, perhaps education.
If there is just one person who mentiones Oxfam on his or her blog and donates money it wil be a great success! The message (and donations)will travel around the world! I donated but perhaps there are more creative ideas to make money for Oxfam.

Don't forget to visit Julies site, she makes wonderful art!
Have a wonderful Christmas and thanks for reading my blog and a special hug for those who left a message!

Christmascollection 2

2010-12-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

Christmascollection

2010-12-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

I collect cribs, small cribs. Each one is special to me. Given by my family, bought on a holiday, a christmaspresent, bought in a recycleshop. The cribs tell the story (a part) of my life. Next days I will show some more.

Visiting Rotterdam, exhibition Kees van Dongen

2010-12-12T01:37:00.000-08:00

Today my sister and I visited the exhibition of Kees van Dongen (1877-1968) in The Boymans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam. I had not seen the warning sign: forbidden to photograph. I was amazed I was the only one who photograhed the beautiful paintings. So I want to share my trofees:

As soon as I was aware that it was forbidden to take pictures (and of the guards who were watching) I kept the camera in my bag. I am a nice girl (woman) and want no trouble. So enjoy the few photos I made. Perhaps they are inspiring! We had a wonderful day.

24 hours in a day

2010-11-28T01:34:00.000-08:00

Twentyfour hours in a day and during the last weeks they seem to dissapear. Working, buying presents, sleeping, working, housekeeping, sleeping, working, shopping, housekeeping..... Problaby the same routine next week. On december the 5e we celebrate the feast of St Nicolas, the bishop who saved three children long ago. This feast is in our country and in our family a tradition which we love. Not only because of the presents but because of the poems we make for each other and the handmade surprises to tease.

All children deserve love and protection and a caring family. I have compassion for all those people who were abused in their childhood. In Holland the abuse by priests is a big issue at this moment.

When I was a child there seemed many more hours in a day and sixty minutes lasted much longer. I could not wait for the next day to arrive. Now I want 28 hours or more in a day and not only because my unfinished object are increasing:

.
Have a great weak and those who celebrate 'sinterklaas': lots of love and fun!

Matilda, a very small cloth and clay doll

2010-11-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

Matilda was teased by her so called friends because of her hair, which is indeed a bit strange. But her mother made a necklace for her to protect her aigaist harm. She wears it every day and it gives her
strength.

One day she hopes to be as strong as Matilda of Tuscany, a warrior-lady of the middle-ages.

Matilda is a small cloth and clay doll, I altered her a bit by fading the watercolors. She is finished with matt varnisch. Sometimes we are feeling small and we want to be a warrior.Only the great warriors have compassion and know their own fragility.

Es made my day!

2010-11-06T03:18:00.000-07:00

Who made my day? Yesterday I received a package. I'm always pleased when I get a package, most of them are ordered by myself. This package was a gift of a very talented artist and friend:
Esther Verschoor

Now I have a real Vanessie in my colletion! This little fellow is so lovely!! He reminds me of the aviary with birds in our backyard when I was a child. Every bird had his or her own personality.

Thank you so much!!! It has comforted me, not going to Ahoy doesn't matter anymore.

My own creations have adapted their new friend. Thanks again Es!

Don't forget to visit Essies site; http://www.vanessie.nl

Missed the great international Doll and Teddybearshow AHOY

2010-10-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

Oh, I'm so dissapointed, I could not come to Ahoy because of three Railway accidents. I missed the contact with my friends/fantasy-artists and missed their beautiful art. I missed the Memorial-table for Hannie Sarris. I missed the Pink Ribbon action. I missed a wonderful weekend with my friend, for many years we go together to Ahoy. So now I'm sitting home and waiting for many pictures of visitors or artists who have been there! But perhaps I should pity those who were involved in the accidents and feel sorrow for their family and friends.

Above you see a drawing I made on a course: drawing á la Hundertwasser.

Visiting Orval

2010-10-25T01:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Orval and visited the ruines of an old Monastry. Famous because of the beer and cheese that the monks produce (very tasteful indeed!). Also inspiring because of the history and legend of Matilda of Tuscany, a strong Italian noblewoman and warrior in the Middle Ages.

There was this beauiful tree, it looks like a Tree of Life. Orval lies in Belgium near the border with France, it is an inspiring place. I hope to show you some new work one of these days.

I'm working on this small and fragile cloth and claydoll, not a "Matilda"-doll!

Messing around with mr Humbly

2010-10-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Every evening Humbly watches the boats go by

Dreaming a life he never dared to live

He was too shy

But no regrets, his mind sails around the world

And far beyond

With his big feet firmly on the ground

I created this poem before I finished mister Humbly and I saw his looks in my mind. How sad he didn't turn out the way I wanted. I used the wrong clay and painting was a disaster. It became a mess. I wanted to drop him in the category 'unfinished', I have so many of them...... But mr Humbly was stubborn although he is shy. He whispered please let me play my part. So Mr Humbly became my teacher: You can't always make what you want.....

Friends

2010-10-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Last week the bumblebee, the butterfly and the sunflower became friends. It all happened in my own garden!

Guardian Angel

2010-10-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

You might agree that everyone needs a guardian angel sometimes. The concept of angels is developed in Christianity but also common in ancient greek philosophy. I like the angels of real life. Your neighbor, your sister or your friend can be yours. Perhaps your dog is yours and protects you or comforts you in hard times. When I think of a guardian angel I imagine a girl and wings. I made this little angel above a few weeks ago with maple seed as a stamp. Now it is time to present her.
Do you have a guardian angel? How does he or she look? I'm curious and perhaps your description can be an ispiration to me. Guardian angels are often depicted in paintings and folk-art. Below you see an ancient prayercard as used in Catholic Church.

Chickens are my best friends

2010-09-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

We have some small chickens, which are called bantams or 'krielkippen' in Dutch. They became tame during the years and it is obvious that they have their own personality; anxious, bold or sweet. The eggs are delicious. They are allowd to grow old with us, even when the egg-production has stopped.

In hard times they comfort me, just feeding them, see how they respond and always are there, just like a pet.

So it was hard to discover that "Witje-1" died. We buried her in our chicken-graveyard.

I decided it was time to make a chicken-collage. As you can see the chicken is passing the line to the, I hope, sweet Nothing. I managed to make it in two days, that is a record for me.

So thanks to Witje, our sometimes fearful and mostly brave chicken.

AND THE WINNER IS: Christine

2010-09-19T02:54:00.000-07:00

And the winner is: CHRISTINE. Congratulations! Please contact me by email. So sorry for my dear friends who didn't win. Sure there will be another chance.
Today is my birthday and I'm going to celebrate it by eating mussels with my family. One of my favorite meals.

Yesterday I finished a very small egg: On the wings of love, it measures about 4 inch or 10cm.

Holland

2010-09-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent our vacation in our own country and it was beautiful. We have visited Holland, with the typical Dutch-design houses and landscape. Don't think our whole country looks like this, with beautiful tiny houses, cows and windmills.

North-Holland and South-Holland are two provinces of the Netherlands, we visited the north. On the first picture you see Alkmaar, a very charming little town well known for its tasty cheese. Even Alkmaar has a little redlight-district but the politicians want to close it.
The other pictures are made near Bergen. Bergen is a beautiful village where many classy (and rich) people live, well dressed with nice hairstyles. We saw a fashion-show on the beach with high heeled ladies in black while we were walking with our dog and wearing clothes and hiking shoes :).

Just another week of vacation and then back to work. I hope the vacation will stimulate my creativity.
You can still participate in my give-away, next week I'll pick a winner!

Cleaning clears your house and your mind

2010-09-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

I consider this as my own invention but I really don't know if I'm claiming something that exists during a long time. Cleaning my cabinet I found some stuffingmaterial for dolls and bears. As you can see I put the plastic granules in a little bucket. I keep my sculptingtools in all kinds of little vases, cups etc. and they are always falling ......
And see my solution for this problem. Now I'm gonna organize all my tools in this way.
Organizing and cleaning is refreshing when you don't do it in a compulsive way. It can clear your mind as well.

There is a link to my first giveaway on the top: right corner

Giveaway: Innocence fine-art print

2010-08-31T03:16:00.000-07:00

My first giveaway since I'm writing a blog. This will be a fine-art print of Innocence. Innocence is a collage I made with several techniques. The giveaway is a print of the original. She is printed on high-quality Hanhnemuller A-4 paper/210gr with fine structure, used by artists.

How can you win this print?
When you are already a follower please mention my giveaway on your blog or give a comment on my blog.
Become a follower and leave a comment.
Email in private when you don't want youre name in public and let me know that you are interested.
Mention this giveaway in a tweet.

I will pick a winner on September 19e. This giveaway will also be mentioned on my deviant-account.

Treasures in my garden

2010-08-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

I want to show you some little treasures in my garden. I made these pictures this morning. September is coming and it is my favorite month of the year! The light is so beautiful and nature is ready for harvest and autumn. I love the structure of seeds and the colors of fruit.

The yellow, in contrast with the blue sky on my sunflowerpicture, is impressive. Many people associate sunflowers with Vincent van Gogh
I mentioned him before in one of my blogs. He is my favorite painter and he knew how to catch the colors. Take a virtual look, his name is linked to the Vangoghmuseum.

EGG people, working on Humbly

2010-08-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

Working on a new creation. This one is called Humbly. When I'm creating a figure they get a character and a name during the process of making. That's why it was so difficult to find a name for Louise, my cloth and clay doll. She was created with many instructions of the internet-teacher. Of course every creation has the signature of the maker. In fact your signature is everything you do. I'm working with paperclay and glass-eyes, and he is getting 'spoon-legs'.

"Strange men in pinstripe suits" AWARD

2010-08-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to So dark so cute for this award!

My nominees are:
Odd dolls
Das Strunzertaler Volk
So dark so cute
Trolineke
Misty Mountains
Horriblesweet
My curious teaparty

So dark so cute and Trolineke explain how the nominees can win this award, you just have to find the right link because something strange happened to my blog: the names and the links got mixed up, I'm so sorry!
My strange people are laughing at me.

Louise, my first cloth and clay doll!

2010-08-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here she is; my first cloth and clay doll. I could not wait to present her. She squints a bit and one eye is a bit larger than the other one. My sweet family says that it makes her charming, not a barbiedoll......... She still needs some finishing. Her skirt has to be attached and I have to varnish her. Her colours are a perfect match with the horse that I bought many years ago, so they are a couple now.

I had problems with painting this lady, following the instructions which were given by Jane DesRosier.
Using patina on a doll was complete new to me. What a mess I made, but the color turned out well in the end.
Next time I use my own method of painting again. I called this doll Louise, with thanks to So dark so cute!
She helped me to choose between Alice and Louise. So dark so cute makes sweet dark art and I love her little poems about orphans. The horse comes from Germany and still needs a name.

How to make your neigbours happy wit a Kim-Anh Nguyen card!

2010-08-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm admiring the art of Kim-Anh Nguyen please visit her blog! She is so talented. When she opened her Etsy-shop she gave away some of her beautiful cards. I was one of the lucky winners and she asked me for my address. In my excitement I made a mistake and gave the wrong housenumber. So the give-away went to one of my neighbours. I think they were very pleased with the card of a lovely Japanese lady. Perhaps that is the karma this world needs: give away a give-away! I retain my position of not winning........

Acrylic paint

2010-08-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

Another try to finish my doll. Conform the instructions I painted her black, her face, her hair, everything. This is a base for the old look. Then she needs to be sanded and finished with patina. The acrylic paint does not cover well, specailly the titanium buff deep and the terra cotta. I always use Amsterdam (by Talens) for my paintngs and it is a high quality paint. Perhaps not for paperclay. The little bottles are from Folk-art and Aleene's.
Not a finished doll today but perhaps at the end of this week.........

cloth and clay doll

2010-08-06T02:40:00.000-07:00

A little further, but she is so hard to paint. I'm not used to do it this way. I intend to finish her this week.
I had to sow a new skirt because the other one was to short.......
She doesn't not have a name. Alice might fit to her, but Louise is also an option.

Innocence

2010-07-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Picasso painted the picture above when he was in Holland. I visited the Picasso museum in Paris a long time ago and even our children liked the museum, I still want to go back some day.......

I admire him very much and I hope he doesn't mind I have taken his painting as an inspiration for my collage. He inspires so many people. A long time ago I bought a little gouache made by the Dutch painter Justus Donker, he was also inspired by Picasso. I will write about him in another blog. I called my collage Innocence. Innocence needs protection and not caging, she longs for freedom just like the bird.....

Picasso museum

cloth and clay doll

2010-07-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

Work in progress
I'm following an internet-course
My first cloth and clay doll.
It still needs finishing, painting and giving it an aged look.

Dolls

2010-07-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

My old dolls mean a lot to me, I'm happy they're still with me. In my puberty and adolescence they were less important. My mother loved dolls so she took care for them during a long time.
I got baby Chris as a birthday present from my godfather. I gave this doll the name of my uncle, who was a generous man, a farmer. He was not only my godfather, actually he was the godfather of my mother's family. Everyone loved to visit him and his family and we, children, liked playing around on his farm.

I loved my baby-doll, giving him water and refreshring cotton diapers. Later on Marianne came as a Santa Claus present. She was very welcome with her beautiful long hair. The clothes they're wearing are made by my mother. I learned from here that working with your hands makes happy. She was mindful before that word existed, working with concentration and attention and taking life as it is.
The dolls are still in good condition, perhaps because both of them are made by Schildkröt, still a leading German firm in dollmaking. Later on many dolls entered and left my house but Chris and Mariannne will stay.

Fatal attraction

2010-07-12T01:51:00.000-07:00

I worked a long time on this collage. The weather was fine and and it is still too hot to be active. I had this beautiful print of Marie-Antoinette and did not know what to do with it. So I started to cut her loose from her background.
She was a long time on my desk. I had no ideas untill I saw a picture of an arc. I completed the background with wallpaper and added details with acrylic paint.

You see a beautiful women with broken hearts on a string. Flowers are growing from the blooded ground. The white flowers are turning red. Marie-Antoinete stands in my collage for all the women (and men) who play with the hearts of others. Not because their love has faded away but out of their own interests. But sometimes life will turn against them, we know how Marie-Antoinette ended ....... Perhaps I'm gonna make some more collages on the roles and positions of women.

Summertime

2010-07-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

In the summertime when the weather is fine (and it is!!) it is difficult to use clay or some other materials. Besides that my inspiration is on vacation.
So I'm enjoying my garden and my mini-harvest. On the picture you see the most wonderful combination: strawberries and gooseberries, sweet and sour. It reminds me of the pies my mother used to bake, they tasted so divine. She made them with attention and love, the perfect ingredients. I never managed to make such pies. Sometimes I buy a pie but it never tastes the same as those of my mother. Perhaps I should try again......

Hector

2010-06-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hector

Hector is my newest creation. Hector is about aging, getting wrincles and spots. Hector is a wise man, so he knows that aging is a process that you cann't avoid. Many of us want to avoid aging because it always gives a kind of loss. Loss of beauty and much severe loss of health. We must deal with it.

Medical surgery creates a new illusion and we always lose.......
Is aging so awful? Hector has become a calm and stable person. And imagine a life forever young. We know the classic stories of vampires that live forever, they were not happy.
This brings me to the story of Sartre, les jeux sont faits. You cann't escape the choices you make, you cann't escape from your life. But that is a theme is for philosphers and not for Hector.
Wrincles and spots can be charming, especially when others were them! Hector sometimes wants to be young and is dreaming of those days.

My first scrapbook

2010-06-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cleaning the attic I found some old diary's. When I followed secundary school every student received the same diary from school. Today the students can choose their own diary out of many designs. There are many colors and many themes like music, comics, poems, fashion and so on. Or students use their telephones or notebooks as a diary. Not in my days! Every year there was another color but it remained the same design.

My fellow-students, boys or girls, transformed their diary in a personal book, with pictures, drawings and statements. We were hiding those little books far from our teachers and parents because little secrets were written down in them. When I was in love with someone the name was hidden behind a picture or mentioned in a complex diagram. Those were the days of longing and looking forward to the future. Names of old friends are written down in my index. I remember faces, some quite clear. Where are they, what happened to their lives? One of my schoolfriend's birthday was on the 15e of May. Did she celebrate her birthday?

It touches me that the themes then were the same as they are now: love, the football worldcup, war and peace, friendship. Perhaps these themes are remaining always and everywhere as a cultural heritage, belonging to humanity during a very long time. My diary is almost falling apart. Last year I started a new scrapbook/diary. It must be aging many years before I'm going to show my latest one.

30-minute walk 2

2010-06-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I made my 30-minute-walk with a new mission. Better prepared then last time, carrying a bag to collect new items. There are so many things to collect, paper, plastics, cigarette-boxes with warnings like smoking causes cancer and so on. Next time I will have to wear protective gloves, there is so much dirt...... So I decided to collect nature herself. I found many special things, beautiful feathers, nice colored seeds, and last but not least an amazing fine eggshell. So fragile, like life, but also protecting immature life.The color bleu is wonderful! I think it belonged to a young blackbird, hope he or she will survive.There were also many wingshaped seeds, still lying there since last autumn. They will never become a new tree but can be used in a collage.

Reading the local newspaper I saw an article about cleaning your enviroment. When lots of people clean once in a while a bit in nature the world will look different. It will make the world a nicer place for our children, not by rules or punishment but by positive action. When you become a member you get a dirt-pickup (I don't know the english word) for free. So join the "Stichting vrijwillige zwerfafvalopruimers" at www.svzo.nl I will!!

My dreams are blue

2010-05-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

What color symbolizes your dreams? My dreams are blue. Perhaps blue is for many people the color of their dreams. It is the color of the sky, of innocence and it is divine, the blessed virgin Mary is always pictured in blue and white.

We know that colors influence our live in many ways. Imagine a world without a blue sky or without the many shades of green. The peaceful green is one of my favorites!

In the middle-ages red was the color of sin, the devil himself is red. Red is also the color of the heart, of blood and fire. It activates us. Red is a signal to stop as used in trafic, or to eat the fruit that is rie. Biologists teach us that many aninmals use their colors, to hide or to attack, to seduce a or to say: "don't eat me, I'm toxic!'

Now-a -days in Western culture black is the color of sadness, of mourning and don't forget of sin. Women want to seduce in black lingerie, but the burka is also black, why? There are many black artists and your guess is correct; black is the main color they use.

The color of art is an essential part, even when you use only black and white shades, so be aware.

30-minute walk

2010-05-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

I often make a 30-minute-walk with my dog along a small stream. It is beautiful there on the outskirts of my village. On this spot you can find beautiful trees and vegetation. Many birds, including storks build their nests there. Scottish cows, (in Dutch language Hooglanders), are grazing in the meadows. Can you picture the situation?
In those thirty minutes of walking I saw lots of trash. I collected only the flat tins. I found six, in their own way they have beautiful colors because nature is doing her own artwork. I did not collect the tans that were still in good shape because I had nog bag.
Many artist paint tans, one of them is Andy Warhol, with his famous painting of Cambellsoup. But I was realy amazed by the work of Nikos Floros, using tans for his creations. Look and see: http://www.papastamou-gallery.gr/kallitexnhs.jsp?kwdikos=16
Perhaps I'm gonna make a collage of the tans I found. Next walk I will focus on an other item. Nature is art on its own, even though people make sometimes a mess.

Caroline

2010-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce Caroline to you. I used paperclay to make her. On the top an old pipe, found in our garden. The pipe has a beautiful color, aging turned out well. I wished aging would do the same to people. Perhaps it is a way of perception, we are conditioned to the standards of beauty.
Caroline is not a beauty,look at her nose. But she is kind and she will comfort you when needed, when you have an 'ugly day'.