Femke Hiemstra's Blog

The First

2012-02-17T09:20:00.004-08:00

Today I heard the Blackbird sing, the first of this year. He sat right across my window and gave a short, shaky concert. Warming up his vocal cords for upcoming warmer days.
Photo: © vogelvisie.nl

Q & A on C & S

2012-02-17T01:34:00.003-08:00

Here's an interview with me on the Coates & Scarry art blog.

Photo: night @ studio Hiemstra, 2012

Meanwhile, in Tokyo

2012-02-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16950361
Image: © BBC

Pictoplasma 2012

2012-01-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

I've said 'ja' to the invitation to give a lecture at the Pictoplasma conference this April. Place of happening; Berlin, Germany. I'll find myself among some fine fellow Dutchies in Art like the Sauerkids, Raymond Lemstra and Florentijn Hofman, and other great colleagues such as Nathan Jurevicius, Henning Wagenbreth and many more. Click this link to get more information and to see the lineup so far. I'm looking forward to it!

Here's Looking at You, Kid

2012-01-22T05:29:00.000-08:00

Today's curious flea market find; rubber eye with glass pupil.

Fish in Progress

2012-01-19T08:07:00.001-08:00

My work is usually about stories featuring anthropomorphized animals (or inanimates) and sometimes my inspiration simply comes from the wish to paint a certain fauna member. I prefer cats, closely followed by dogs, birds, and insects. And some species play a very small role in my work. Like fish, for example. But that changed when a new idea for a painting popped before my minds eye. And not just one fish, I imagined a whole posse! I'm still working on it but wanted to share this Pike and Barbel detail.

All the best

2011-12-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

A happy & healthy 2012, everybody!

Poney Preview

2011-12-06T04:09:00.000-08:00

Monkey Sneak

2011-11-20T05:54:00.001-08:00

Here's a sneak peek of the new piece 'Monkey'.

The Cabbage & Instinction Opening Photo's

2011-11-17T01:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Fructose posted a few shots of the Roq's opening night of 'The Timid Cabbage' and Ryan Heshka's 'Instincton'. Have a look!

Enjoy The Opening Night

2011-11-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

On Friday, November the 11th, the Roq will open the doors for the opening reception of my next show 'The Timid Cabbage'. Again I will share the room with the wonderful retro work of fellow artist Ryan Heshka. His sexy futuristic vamps and old school evil doers will unite with my vegetable hero and his graphite gradient sidekicks for a three week art samba. Yes, I'm looking forward to this show! And no, I will not be able to join the opening due to my busy schedule. I will be missing you, Seattle and Seattleites! Have a great opening night (6-9 pm) and I hope to catch you next time.

New Print: El Gigante

2011-11-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that 'El Gigante', 'el más fuerte del mundo'*, has been captured on a fine art giclée print and is now available at my web shop! Below some enlargements of the image. For print sizes, edition info and order details visit my website. (Order now to avoid postal delays this holidays).

*All prints are signed and numbered.

Ready Steady Ship!

2011-10-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

The Timid Cabbage serie, ready to be shipped to the Roq.

Below; a sneak peek of some of the drawings.

Hi Fructose Ad

2011-10-17T14:45:00.001-07:00

This is the ad for my upcoming exhibition at Roq la Rue Gallery, next month. Together with Ryan Heshka's painted work I will show a serie of black & white drawings (which are almost finished and very close to be sneak peeked). The opening night will be at the 11th of the 11th of 2011. Great number for a wedding as well. Save the date!

Just So You Know

2011-09-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I've updated my website. There are new paintings in the work section (including some detailed pic's) and I took out a chapter to make the website more lean. Have a look!

Le Chat Prototype Sneak Peek

2011-08-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Say Bonjour to 'Le Chat'. This vinyl version of my painting 'Le Chat Domestique' is handsomely sculpted by Julie B and will be produced by Cherry Vinyl, a new collaborative brand of Lulubell Toys and Pretty in Plastic. You will hear more about this catty cutie soon!

Below; The creation of a Chat by Julie at the Pretty in Plastic Headquarters. Photo's below; © Julie B.

La La Land

2011-08-21T12:49:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles, July 30, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, the opening night of my last exhibition 'Big Thousands of Golden Flowers'; Merry's team working hard and concentrated to organize the last things before the doors open. I arrived a little later to the opening party than calculated -not used to the widespreadness of LA- and I quickly wolf down a Snickers bar. Soon the room is filled with people and my hasty meal, jet-leg and work mode mind set are fading to the background and the enthusiasm of all who I meet pick me up and waltz me through the evening. Hours pass in a roaring rush and after the wave of visitors have left -and I happily munched on a pizza slice- I can look back on a wonderful opening night. So to everybody who came to see the show -visitor's, collector's, fellow artists- a big THANKS!

Above and below, a few photo's of my visit for you to enjoy.

Extra special thanks go out to Merry and the MKG team, Kirsten, Julie B, Rick, Nathan, Jane and Phill.

No, I don't have many photo's of the opening night! But you can find some more on the MK website. Panorama shots from top to bottom; gallery before the opening and gallery during the opening -my camera goes all Matrix when taking a panorama shot of movement!- my Pretty in Plastic visit (of which I will tell you more about in the future), and two shots of Santa Monica Beach, baby.

Big Thousands of Golden Flowers

2011-07-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

The finish line is in sight. In less than two weeks my exhibition 'Big Thousands of Golden Flowers', a serie of brand new works, will open at the Merry Karnowsky gallery in Los Angeles.

The 'Big Thousands...' title is the name of an old Chinese fire work wrapper. 'Big thousands' has a powerful, almost military tone and 'Golden Flowers' a more mythical touch. Awkwardly spelled and somewhat of a contradiction I thought it would fit my work well.
The name is not a theme. These works are individual painted stories and have different angles and concepts. I tell about the remarkable battle between cats and birds and about nocturnal characters with questionable intentions and other creatures of mythical proportions.

A preview of all the works and those of my fellow exhibitors Audrey Kawasaki and Deedee Cheriel will be online soon. I will be checking in after the exhibition with a little opening reception photo journal. So it's the mazzel and so long for now, and I hope to see you soon. Perhaps at the opening night Saturday July 30th in Los Angeles (8-11 pm)? You are most welcome!

Photo above; 'Cat rule #4; sit in an open box or bag if one is placed in your room'. Here's Noodles helping me pack the shipment to LA, earlier this month.

Hi Fruc Sneak

2011-07-15T02:16:00.001-07:00

Hi Fructose posted a sneak preview of my new works online.
Logo; © HiFructose

Painted Panel in Progress

2011-07-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

Working on 'The Stalker' (working title), acrylics and colour pencil on antique panel, sable brush #3. Audio book in the CD player, aged black tea in my teacup and almost autumn like wet weather outside.

Another Sneak Peek, part deux

2011-07-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Another detail of the last work, now in colour.

Another Sneak Peek

2011-06-22T11:47:00.001-07:00

The first stages of a new painting. Still working in black and white and pencil. (By the way; the pencil is attached to a very handy pencil apparatus; ideal for pencils that are to short to hold properly).

Messemännchen

2011-06-11T06:59:00.001-07:00

I found this corporate character, pictured above, on a flea market in Zürich last weekend. He looked smart in his felt suit and suitcase, but it was the pipe that did it for me. I just have a thing for smoking characters. Back home Google master and Zürich pal José discovered this was the mascot of the Leipzig fair back in the DDR days and was practically named the 'Leipziger Messemännchen' which can be translated into 'the little man of the (Leipzig) fair'.

Creator of this little globe guy was the award winning director and (puppet) designer Gerhard Behrendt, who also made the Sandmännchen for the DDR state broadcasting. Between 1964 up to the end of the DDR in 1990, the Messemännchen has been the Leipzig fair mascot, and an army of more than 400.000 'männchen', ranging in size from 6 inches to more than 5 feet, were produced to promote the event.

There is no doubt about the Messemännchen's background. His suit and suitcase and his over-sized globe head tell us he does business all over the planet while the colours blue and yellow stand for his home town Leipzig. Like the (traveling) salesman he is he now found his way to Amsterdam. I only wish mine didn't loose his blue hat somewhere along the way.

Source & photo below: Wikipedia and the DDR museum.

Back To Work

2011-06-08T07:54:00.001-07:00

Amsterdam. Sunny, windy, not very warm, Tim Knol's 'Days' and Eddie Vedder's 'Ukulele Songs' on Itunes, and working on the upcoming exhibition in Los Angeles. Above, a quick sneak peek of one of my new works.

Zürich Sale, The Photo's

2011-06-07T04:20:00.001-07:00

Here's a snapshot impression of Zürich's first Garage Sale group show, that took place last weekend. The work, the visitors, the Sale colleagues, the city and the lovely weather contributed to what I experienced as an excellent weekend d'art. Thanks everybody! (And extra special thanks to Michel Casarramona and Donovan Gregory for the invitation and organisation). Above; installing the exhibition. Below; the opening and some Swiss weird- and cuteness.

Painted Stories Photo's

2011-05-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Weather: sunny yet breezy. Artwork size: huge. Location and time: Amstelveen, the weekend of week 19, 2011. What: the opening of my poster exhibition at the public space gallery Keizer Karel Galerie.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that my work did not loose its impact on those huge poster sized reproductions. When in area, do drop by to see for yourself. Above, a small photo impression -click to enlarge- of the introduction at the Kunstuitleen and the walk to the outdoor gallery. Thanks to my friends, family and all other interestee's who showed up! It was great to see you.

Here's a review and some more pic's of the opening and here you can find a short video interview (in dutch only).

The 'Painted Stories' exhibition will be up until September 2011. Photo's by my Mom♥, Leendert and Han van Wel.

Zürich Garage Sale -Post Updated!-

2011-05-10T00:38:00.000-07:00

The Amsterdam Garage Sale goes abroad! The first weekend of June Dutch artists Erik Kriek, Typex, Ingrid Bockting, Leendert Masselink, Pieter Dorreboom, myself and many more will join up with Swiss artists Mart Infanger, Andreas Gefe, Michel Casarramona and many more at the Walcheturm art space in Zürich, Switserland. Drop by for art + prints + merch & good times. The exhibition is curated by Michel Casarramona.

May 27; an update; Below the complete list of all the participants of the Zürich Sale;

The Dutchies; Angelique Houtkamp, José Luis Garcia, Ingrid Bockting, Leendert Masselink, Typex, Pieter M. Dorrenboom, Jeroen Klaver, Erik Kriek, Peter Pontiac, Fotofloor, Borinka, Buzzworks, Lamelos and myself.
The Swissies: Blackyard, Thomas Ott, Märt Infanger, Gefe, Donovan Gregory, Yummy industries, and Michel Casarramona. All artists will be attending the exhibition.

Opening night: Friday, June 3rd, 2011; from 6 pm to midnight. Saturday, June 4; from 2 to 4 pm followed by a concert later that night of Ophelia's Iron Vest at 10 pm. Sunday, June 5; from 2 to 10 pm. (Entrance free except for the Saturday night concert; Chf 15,-)

May stands for 'More Art, Yeah!'

2011-04-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Alert; busy art month ahead! Here's a quick overview of a few local exhibitions that I'll be joining in. Don't miss the boat, Amsterdam peeps. (And non locals are very welcome too, of course). Hope to see you there.

* MAY 12 to 22, 2011; A few of my fine art giclée prints are part of the brand new Prints & The Revolution exhibition. Drop by at the opening at the Rokin 75, Amsterdam on Thursday 12th, 5 p.m. to see the works of Super A, Martine Johanna, Johan Kleinjan, and many more. More info; P&TR.nl

*MAY 13th; the opening of 'Een Week' ('A Week'), a collaboration exhibition with artist Raymond Lemstra. Raymond wil lock himself up at the GO Gallery (Amsterdam) and invite a different art pal every day of the week. Co-artists are Daan Botlek, Job Wouters, Jeroen Erosie, Merijn Hos, Stefan Glerum, Wayne Horse and myself. The result will be shown on Friday, May 13, 5 p.m. at the GO Gallery. More info; Go Gallery

* MAY 14, 2011; The opening of my very first public space exhibition 'Verhalen in Verf' ('Painted Stories) at the Keizer Karel Gallery, in Amstelveen. Twelve larger than life poster reproductions of my work in outdoor showcases! Opening Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 15.30 hours. Introduction by Els Ottenhof of the Cobra Museum. More info; K2G.nl or click on the image above.

See You Later

2011-03-20T07:30:00.001-07:00

Hello everybody,
In order to get the work finished that I've planned for my upcoming show(s), I'm taking a break from online distractions like Facebook and my blog. Focus is important at this point, people! If I can spare a moment I'll post sneak peeks and previews to let you in on the progress. In the meanwhile, here's a little sneak peek detail of one of the new works.

Sasquatch

2011-02-16T02:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a good post day. I found my Photoshop pencils on the doormat and got a nice package from Australia as well; it contained the first issue of Sasquatch, a wonderful pocket-sized publication featuring a variety of visual arts and related cultures. This issue* also featured some work by and words about me. I think Sasquatch creator Paul Nolan did a great job making a lovely embellishment to go with my Death of a Ghost piece!

*The first issue was published last year. The Postal Service can also be a pain in the butt.

The First of 2011

2011-02-11T02:04:00.000-08:00

Last year's first Blackbird was an early bird. This year's Blackbird was sleeping in. But there was no mistaking; between the sound of a car alarm and construction workers building a scaffold I could clearly hear his song this morning. Bring it on, spring!

Photo: 'Turdus merula Photo © Biopix: IN Nielsen', Biopix.com

New Fine Art Giclée Print; L'Hirondelle

2011-01-14T06:07:00.000-08:00

For more information and ordering details, click here!

From Me To You

2011-01-14T05:55:00.001-08:00

Above, a lil' giveaway for all new orders. The card is a reproduction of the 'Footpad Felids' graphite drawing and the image on the sticker a detail of the 'Malocchio' piece. Both with a glossy top-layer. I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

How Handy

2011-01-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

I've added a share button to my website pages. Now you can easily link my pages to your Facebook- or LinkedIn -page, or any other social website page you're part of. Handy, ey?

Pic: © Add This

Human Hair Insects

2011-01-12T02:05:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I wrote a post on a human hair flower bouquet.
I loved it for its detailed craftsmanship, the gloomy colours and its creepy/fantastic feel. Meet Adrienne Antonson, a Seattle based artist who makes objects out of human hair and glue. She created a serie of insects that look quite amazing.

Adrienne; 'As an artist with a deep interest in sustainable and self-supporting systems, human hair seems the most immediate and true material. I find the historical implications and various uses of human hair fascinating. I am also intrigued with the attraction/repulsion response the material evokes. It is sentimental, challenging and honest'.

See her website for more butterflies, bugs and moths.

Source: 1800Receycling, photo: © Adrienne Antonson

Matchbox Scrapbook #4

2011-01-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here's another Matchbox post, dear readers. This time I will focus on the most remarkable covers of book #4. It's not the best example of my collection though. It holds a number of series that are not that interesting to share, like a selection of flags or traffic signs or (really) badly drawn illustrations of supermarket bargains. It's a rather empty book as well, this one. It looks unfinished and could be one of the last books the original owner's put together. But not to worry, there's still a lot of Matchbox cover greatness to share for the future.

(First cover, above) A portrait of Captain Matthew Webb, the first recorded person to cross the English Channel in 1875; in 22 hours he swam from Dover to Calais. After that Webb continued doing (other) stunts, became a professional swimmer, licensed his name for merchandising, wrote a book called 'The Art Of Swimming' and had a brand of matches named after him. He died in 1883 attempting to swim through the whirlpool rapids below Niagara Falls.

This funny vehicle is an old-fashioned Dutch 'shop on wheels' (a dairy car, in this case) of the SRV, which stands for 'Samen Rationeel Verkopen' that can be translated into something like 'selling smart together'. Later the SRV claimed their name wasn't based on a merger between two enterprises but that it stood for the word 'service' -if you took the first three consonants of the word, that is. The SRV called it quits in 1995, but shops on wheels can still be found in places where supermarkets are not around the corner.

I remember when these drove around in my neighbourhood when I was a kid (granny Femke sez). I also recall the silly tune of the SRV commercial, sung by the Cocktail Trio, which went something like 'Long live the man of the S-R-V, hip hip hip hooray' but than, of course, in Dutch. An example of the TV commercial can be found right here.

Some ladies give 'Ploc' detergent a thumbs up...

...while others prefer to spend their money on 'Plic'. (The artist of the 'Ploc' cover gave the woman in the illustration a flat head; I keep reading that red rectangle behind her as an odd shaped hat).

Above and below; Croatian(?) covers with birds in a 'nature meets atomic graphics' setting. We're looking at a Golden Oriole, above, and a Great Tit, below. Just so you know.

Some great American covers.

Picture Perfect

2010-12-28T02:13:00.000-08:00

Finishing a painting or drawing is one of the more pleasurable moments in the creative process -as you probably can imagine. The job is done plus I get to make a trip to the framer. A double bonus, because I also enjoy doing the latter.
I see framing as a part of my work. It is the epilogue of my painted story and it has to compliment the picture without taking its place in the spotlight. I feel my work benefits from Baroque styled, gold-coloured frames or dark-coloured Spanish profiles. Black or dark brown's emphasize the mystery, gold gives it an exclusive touch. Curls, leaves, or decorated with a subtle pattern, a characterful frame continues the story beyond the painted edges of my artwork.

I found a book with some inspirational examples; 'In Perfect Harmony', on paintings and their remarkable (and/or original) framing. It features frames from the period 1850 to 1920, that were customized to fit a certain piece or created by the artists themselves. The book takes a closer look at pictures and framing from the Victorian High Renaissance era but also the works of Klimt, Degas, Seurat and many others. It mentions for example that Vincent van Gogh only considered a painting finished when it was framed; without it was still 'in the raw'. He and many of his contemporaries looked at a picture and frame as a whole and choose their own framing or had it custom made. Some examples;

First photo; Franz von Stuck, 'Salome' c.1906. 'The gilded frame is divided into four equally wide rectangular fields, each one bordered by a wave moulding. The panels, joined at right angles, were decorated by Stuck with a pediment, columns, and a base'...

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 'Fair Rosamund', 1861. 'The low-relief decoration overlaps the frame's edges in an S-shape, thereby creating half-circle indentations. Ford Maddox Brown referred to these as Rossetti's 'thumb mark pattern'... This painting is not one of my favorites but I do like the plane, gold, inside part of the frame, which functions like a matting.

Gustav Klimt, 'Judith and Holofernes', 1901. 'Gustav Klimt sketched this painting a number of times with a frame (...). It is thus clear that from the very beginning picture and frame were conceived as a unit. The frame was probably carried out by Klimt's brother Georg, a metal sculptor. It is partially clothed in sheet copper; the title occupies the broad upper horizontal moulding. (...) The title, low-reliefs ornaments, spirals and waves are embossed'.

Fernand Khnopff, 'Avec Verhaeren, Un Ange', 1889. 'According to 'Les Artistes de la pensée et du sentiment', published in Brussels in 1911, this painting represents 'the struggle of Idealism against Materialism'. The 'angel' an imposing figure wearing a suit of armour, symbolizes Idealism, while Materialism is embodied in the sphinx. Both are raised on a socle within the painting; its strict subdivision into vertical and horizontal elements is repeated on the frame. (...) Acanthus leaves have been applied to the relief ornament at regular intervals. The colour of the frame -here silver- is, as in other works by Khnopff, related to the delicate tones found in the painting'.

Jan Toorop, 'Song of the Times' 1893. (...) The drawing (...) depicts Cain (on the far left) and Abel (on the far right); next to each are figural symbols of Good and Evil, while the central position is occupied by an androgynous person, pressing a sphinx-like creature to the ground. The lines which surround these figures are continued without interruption on the frame, a broad flat type that slopes toward the canvas. To the left, lines head to the lower part of the frame, 'into the earth' and Death; these same lines rise up on the right into the starry sky'.

Photo's & quotes; In Perfect Harmony, Picture & Frame 1850-1920, by Eva Mendgen. ISBN 90-400-9729-1

Hello 2011!

2010-12-23T03:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays and all the best for 2011, everybody!

Membracidae

2010-11-30T01:23:00.000-08:00

Although this may look like a thrown away, trampled piece of gum photographed from up close in the shrubs, it is in fact an insect. A member of the family Membracidae (or Treehoppers or Thorn bugs), to be more precise. Their surreal looks have a camouflage purpose and their remarkable outgrowths discourages predators to eat them. There are 3200 known species in over 600 genera -all over the globe except for Antarctica- and these creatures are the Lady Gaga('s) of the animal kingdom;
Sources and photo's: Wikipedia, Why Evolution is True, and this wonderful PDF with many more photo's. First photo; Cladonata Benitezi (Male).

Ceresa Taurina

Heteronotus Maculatus

Umbelligerus Peruviensis

Heteronotus Delineatus

Enchophyllum cruentatum

Bocydium Globulare

And this moustachioed cutie is a larvae of Anchistrotus.

Below some drawings of Membracidae, found on the Italian Wiki page;

Curious Photographs Of People I Don't Know

2010-11-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

Ah, old photographs... Part of me thinks it's kind of sad, those abandoned old snapshots of people and places that once were important to somebody but the other, say 99 percent of me, feels sheer joy when I find a pile of old pictures for sale! Boring landscapes, awkward family moments, unwilling pets and/or/with little kids; it's all gold to me. They just breathe stories. Some examples;
First photo, above; Man on the porch of the Wichita Fertilizer Inc. warehouse -or at least, so sez the sign- posing with two black cats. Lucky shot or two very chilled out cats, by the El Noodles standard. (Or... fertilizer fumes=mellow cats?).

A girls choir reunion? The annual hydrangea breeders meeting? The real Pink Ladies?

Those pale birches and black pine trees in the background, the bold looking car and the fence/bridge railing makes my cinematic heart beat faster; is this an innocent photo of a couple on a day trip or is it the last photo before something tragic happens? Those trees whisper the latter, I think.

Composition and subject wise I find this photo very intriguing. The contrast is wonderful and balanced and I love the (unintentional?) movement-blur and the aware/unawareness of the (costumed) people being portrayed.
'Sauda, Norway, May 17th, 1957' reads the back of the photo. More precisely; on the 'Syttende Mai', Norway celebrates Constitution Day and people wear a traditional costume called the 'Bunad', on the photo worn by the two ladies in the middle/right.

'Tom took a walk...-unreadable text-, Dec. 65'. To me it feels like everything is cut out of cardboard on this photo.

This one will be high on my Most Curious Photographs list. It is the mix of awkwardness that makes this photo stand out; the blond youngster with the Bieber haircut and the 'like I care'-attitude, the older guy on the stairs and the childish way he sits, the camera viewing point that makes the stairs guy look like a midget or garden gnome at first glance and the orderly categorized plants in the garden.

The Bone Shaped Bone, The Final Chapter

2010-11-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

Seattle. City of The Needle, good food, nice people and crowded and exhilarating (and sold out) exhibition opening nights! Thanks to all the visitors who came by Friday 12th to see the new works of the 'The Bone Shaped Bone' show at Roq la Rue Gallery -I enjoyed the evening immensely. Thanks to all my colleagues -great to talk to you in person. And a special thanks to Kirsten, owner of the Roq la Rue gallery, who made it all work once again. Hooray and thrice hooray!

BTW, I was busy as a bee Friday night the 12th and I did not make one photo of the opening night. If you have a nice one to share, let me know!

Above and below, some snapshots of my visit.
First photo; skyline of the Seattle harbour. (Click photo to enlarge).

Roq's fine vintage neighbour; Damaged Goods! For all your old school vinyl, clothing, posters and other bric-à-brac's.

Photo right; Photo doors at the hotel. Wished my room was the pineapple room...

The diva shot. (L to R; me, Kirsten, Jane). With three different hair colours we look like a shampoo ad. (Photo by Jane).

L to R; Jane (who came over from Reno to see the show!), myself, Ryan Heshka and Kirsten of Roq la Rue. We went for a nice pancake breakfast at Cyclops. (Photo by Jane).

The art place to be; Roq la Rue. (Click photo to enlarge).

(Photo by Jane).

A detail of 'The Quiet Battle' and on the right; 'The Sea Queen', by fellow Roq artist Ryan Heshka.

Fremont= cool market, cute shops and lot's of vintage sweetness. And Lenin. Of course.

Roq Show Sneak Peek, #4

2010-11-05T16:44:00.001-07:00

Amsterdam, November 2010; my garden blanketed in moist yellow leaves, my floor spotted with muddy cat paw prints, those tacky blue Christmas ornaments adorn the shop fronts in the neighbourhood again, Noodles delivered me a red-eyed white mouse as a beautiful yet questionable gift, I'm sneezing my head off but luckily my flu has passed, slowly restoring the balance of my house from a 100% work shed to the live-work space it originally was and I'm getting more and more ready for my visit to Seattle's finest next week.

This will be my last post for now, people. Above the last sneak-peek-in-progress-detail you're going to get out of my pencil smudged fingers; it's a drawing entitled 'Footpad Felids'.
All you non-Seattleites can view the works online just before the show starts. But when you're in Belltown this Friday it's much nicer to see the works in person at the opening night. ...Drop by! It'll be worth the trip!

'The Bone Shaped Bone' new work by Femke Hiemstra & 'Super Things' new work by Ryan Heshka, at Roq la Rue Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA. Opening night: November 12, 6-9 pm. The show runs to December 4, 2010.

Roq Show Sneak Peek, #3

2010-10-23T11:09:00.001-07:00

In less than three weeks I'll be in Seattle to celebrate the opening of my next show. Man, I can hardly wait! Here's another sneak peek; 'Le Carrefour', a black and white piece on panel.

Roq Show Sneak Peek, #2

2010-10-03T02:42:00.000-07:00

Another sneak peek of one of the works that will be in my next show 'The Bone Shaped Bone', at Roq la Rue Gallery, Seattle.

Postcard Galore 2#2

2010-10-02T08:28:00.001-07:00

The second part of some of the postcards from my postcard collection; (See first post here).

Photographer unknown, France, 1907
Two girls in beautiful embellished outfits. They are too old to play a peek-a-boo game (although it's a common scene on photo cards from this period). I find this pose more cheeky/sexy than innocent. I love this postcard for that.

© C.T. Art Colortone & Co, Artist/year unknown, USA

Design: Kazumasa Nagai, Japan, ©1989

Toon Roest (1942-1996) 'Kleine Verhuizing' ('Small Move'), ©1996 Erven Toon Roest
Before I called Amsterdam my hometown I lived in Zaandam, a commuter town 1o miles from the Dutch capital. When I went to the city centre of Zaandam I would often see a man walking with his Citta moped, that had an old Zaanstreek-styled wooden house on the backseat, home to his little lapdog. I imagine the man took great pride in his handmade doghouse. Funny to see he made it to a postcard. (Note the little birdy on the roof!)

Frans Mettes 'Heineken', 1953, 109,5 x 160 cm, © Heineken
Strange yet humouristic, this old Heineken poster from the 1950's. The mini 'pupils' and the dark shadows in the face is what makes this gentleman a bit sinister to me.

'Sirin & Alkonost, birds of sadness and Joy', 1896, Victor Vasnetsov (1848-1926), © Tretjakov Museum, Moskou
I saw the original painting of Victor Vasnetsov at an exhibition on Russian folktales and legends at the Groninger Museum, two years ago. This painting of two half-woman half-bird creatures was both impressive in technique and expression as well as size. The combination of frame and painting was so heavy it rested on a podium. I also remember the frame as being too much of the good thing, even though I'm a fan of frames with a character.

New Fine Art Giclée Print

2010-09-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is 'The Serious Gardener', my new fine art giclée print. This piece was part of a serie inspired by the music and atmosphere of Tom Waits’s 2002 album ‘Alice’. The print is available on my website right now. Order one as a (holiday) gift for yourself or others!

*The first 20 orders receive the free mini print 'Tally-ho';

Sylvester

2010-09-18T02:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan! This one and this one are my favorites. (Includes cussing).
Photo: © Steve Cash

Postcard Galore 1#2

2010-09-18T00:06:00.001-07:00

'Spaziergang' © Peter Weiss/Voller Ernst.

I collect postcards. When I visit a museum I often buy a bunch of cards in stead of the exhibition catalog to put together my own collection of favorites, boxes with old cards on flea markets I always find worth checking and every now and then I visit the local postcard shop to get me a new set of 'inspiration'. Because that's why I buy them; at home I archive the cards in my postcard collection books and when in need of a creative input I browse through the books to let an eclectic mix of everything I find interesting pass by. I'd like to share a few examples of the postcard brain food. This is postcard galore, part one;

First postcard:
'Man comes along' -or 'Walk', it's official title-, moves me. Perhaps because it represents an old -and presumably- happy couple, which I find a lovely, romantic thought in fast times like these. Or maybe it's because the woman had to convince the man to 'come along' and he agrees to the plan of a walk - because he loves her. Or it could be that the stupid woman always gets lost in the neighbourhood and therefore needs her man to walk along. But I prefer the first two options.

Cat in basket. Photographer unknown.
I really enjoy postcards with silly looking animals. I like natural silliness, most of the time I don't care much for clothed critters although exceptions may occur. I rate this one 2.5 stars on a scale of 5. (Eyes closed? a 4. Cross-eyed? Super-silly; cinq points!).

'Should So Much Like To See You On Friday', embossed card USA, 1913. Artist Unknown.
If you look closely, you can still see the pencil lines on the clock, indicating the preferred time; the sender of the card wanted to meet at 14.18 hours. SHARP.

Pyke Koch (1901-1991), 'De Winter', oil on canvas, 125 x 85 cm, ©2004 Erven Pyke Koch.
'The Winter', by Dutch magic realist painter Pyke Koch. Carnivals, slums and fairs were also favorite subjects, all distant looking and captured in strange, bleached lighting. What a beautiful gloomy palette.

'Cowboys & Indianer' © Sissa M.

'Twee Oolijke Volendammers' © Uitgeverij F.B. Den Boer, Middelburg.
These two, harsh looking Volendam smokers are described as Two 'Merry' Volendam Men. Excellent cheekbones and jackets.

Roq Show Sneak Peek

2010-09-11T03:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a (full) sneak peek of one of the works that will be in my show 'The Bone Shaped Bone' at Roq la Rue Gallery, Seattle, in November. 'El Tigre, Animal Magnifico', mixed media, 2010.

Matchbox Scrapbook 3#2

2010-09-04T02:15:00.001-07:00

Here's another selection of covers from my third Matchbox Scrapbook. My personal favorites are the aqua-blue-black printed Hungarian(?) 'tree' serie for it's nice compositions and colour use, the 'Jeep', the beautiful graphic 'Orla' detergent ad, the fierce 'Tiger Attack' and the 'Maastunnel' cover with the crooked perspective.
*Older matchbox cover posts:
post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4, post 5, post 6, post 7.

... Cheers! (Coloured black/white photo's of people in traditional Dutch costumes from Volendam and Arnemuiden).

Pencil Nerding #2; Gumsok

2010-08-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I wrote a post about my favorite pencils and other drawing tools, I forgot to mention my ever favorite 'eraser sock', or 'gumsok', as I call it in Dutch. (The official name of this thing is 'Dry Cleaning Pad', by the way). I first discovered the gumsok at the framer's, where it was used to erase smudges of the paper matting. Regular erasers can leave smears if you press too hard, but the gumsok does it's job perfect; -oh no, I start to sound like a gumsok salesperson!- the fabric pad is filled with powdered rubber and is ideal for cleaning large surfaces.
The gumsok also looks a bit like a slug. Even more so if you glue two googly eyes on the end of the slug. Er, sok!
Anyway, great tool.

Matchbox Scrapbook 3#1

2010-08-29T10:54:00.001-07:00

Matchbox covers! Remember those? (See the links to the older matchbox posts*). Well, I certainly did when I picked up one of my Matchbox Cover Collection Scrapbooks today. It's time to share some new designs. Below the first selection from the third book.
*Older matchbox cover posts: post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4, post 5, post 6.

Two colours, great effect; 'The Mountain', first cover of this post, is printed with only red and gold. Although mostly printed in this signal colour, the smart use of the red creates a nice illusion of depth. Wonderful type as well. 'Lotto', the second cover, mixes a light blue and a purple into three printing colours, and I love the 'Morza' ship for it's simple, graphic solution.

Anti-alcohol covers -like these three Dutch covers above- can be found regularly in my matchbox collection. The first cover (with the green print) tells the viewer to Not Drink Alcohol. I didn't know what to make of the illustration in the middle but I think they wanted it to look like a man holding another (sitting) man up by the back of his coat. The text in the middle can be translated into something like 'Fighting against alcohol is a good deed to others'.
The second one, with the badly drawn scene, has the line 'Alcohol Ruins' written on it. The illustration is awkward; the drunk lady dropped her groceries and the drunk man shaved off his hair and beard. I think...
The last cover is one from the serie 'dark & ominous'. Slogans on these covers range from 'Alcohol is the demolisher of the joy of life' to 'Sport and alcohol are enemies', all placed in this cross-like design. The texts don't really impress me but the cold and rigid look of these covers have the most anti-alcohol feel to my taste.

These fashion photo's from the late sixties make me wonder what directions the photographer gave to these models. To the girl in the white cardigan; '...Baby, you're not a happy Heidi, you're a disappointed Heidi! ...You don't like goats! ...You hate mountains!'

Miscellaneous remarkable designs.

Pencil Nerding

2010-08-29T04:56:00.001-07:00

I recently started working on a studio for a day a week to focus on a project. It's still a little early to tell you all about it, but the plan is to have a serie of pencil drawings finished by next year summer. Until then I will post some details every now and then, starting with this one above; cat & cabbage.

Speaking of pencils, I wanted to show you some my favorite tools -see photo below.

When making a drawing I prefer to work with soft pencils. I start sketching with an HB mechanical pencil, which always has a nice, sharp point. Then I decide where the most dark bits of the scene will be and use a 3B pencil to colour them. After that I continue to play with 'darks' and 'lights', leaving parts blank, making gradients (with my fingertips or a tortillion - the latter's not on the photo) or creating pitch dark parts or shadows with a 8B pencil.

One of the tools I can't imagine drawing without is the 'blast from the past' eraser shield (on photo, left, bottom). This device was part of my technical pen set. Those 'Rapidographs' are long gone but the shield is still a great help when I need to erase small bits in my drawing, without smudging or erasing more than I'd want.

I'm also a big fan of those old fashioned, red & blue Faber-Castell 'pencil/ink' erasers. They erase without too much eraser 'dust', small cuts of eraser (for detailed erasing -on photo, left) stay compact and don't break easily and, last but not least, they look good. Just how I think an eraser should look.

2010 Roq Show Sneak Peek

2010-08-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

Working on new stuff for my next show 'The Bone Shaped Bone', at Roq's. Some sneak peek details; above a possessed cat and below a stoat and skunk with pearls...

A Long, Long Time Ago In Artis Zoo

2010-08-16T00:08:00.000-07:00

Little Me drawing in Artis, the Amsterdam Zoo. Judging by the type of 'fence', it looks like I'm drawing a porcupine or the like. The condor was my favorite though. With feltpen on pink paper, for extra cuteness;
(These images can be found in Rock Candy, the must have overview of my artwork!)

Femtasia Makeover

2010-08-03T01:08:00.000-07:00

Leaner, more compact and updated; my website Femtasia.nl had a little makeover. Have a look!

Mes Petit Choux

2010-08-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

Mes Petit Choux (french for 'my little darlings') is one of my latest mixed media paintings. It is a scene from the afterlife as I see it; just like normal life but dead and desolate. This piece is made for the BLAB! 'Afterlife' group show, which will open at Copro Gallery, September 11, 2010. Lot's of great artist will be joining in. I'm happy to be part of the show! More info right here.

Hippie Doll & Finger Puppets

2010-06-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

As a kid I often played 'Post Office'; I would cut out a window ('counter') in a large box, draw a few images on small pieces of paper ('stamps') and handle used envelops and magazines ('post') all afternoon. Ah, those where the days, sez auntie Femke. Perhaps that's why I still love to send out 'touchable' post in hi tech communication days like these. But receiving post is just as nice, especially if a package is filled with awesomeness. Today I got a package from US art pal Michael that contained three très cool objects; a freaky, home made hippie doll with leather skin and pieces of shell for eyes and two vintage finger puppets; a rabbit and a bear. It's not hard to imagine these amigos into my painted world. The doll is now leaning to my inspirational wall as if it never did anything else and the two puppets blended right into my cabinet of 'popjes' (small puppets). Thanks, Michael! And also thanks, Mr. Postman.

Monkey & Zahnschmerzen

2010-05-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Behold this monkey in a white robe, raising a glass. I found it on a flea market in Hamburg. It's made solely out of paper. It -supposedly- was a Christmas tree ornament -now a new member of my collection of characters, puppets and other creatures. I love it for it's un-Christmas-like look.
I also found a ceramic figurine of a little dog with a toothache on that flea market; it has a cute face and a napkin tied around it's head. Style-wise looking like he walked right out of a Winsor McCay drawing. The woman who sold it to me told me she loved the dog for it's expression; 'Er hat Zahnschmerzen!' she said with a smile. Zahnschmerzen... what a soothing word for such a nasty type of pain.

Neo Fabulists In Hamburg

2010-05-10T05:14:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Hamburg where I attended the opening of my first show of 2010; Neo Fabulists at Feinkunst Krüger. A shared exhibition with my friends d'artistique Fred Stonehouse, Atak, Ryan Heshka and Heiko Müller. It was a great show -and I'm not just saying that because I was part of it; all five artists have different styles and handwriting but fit together quite nicely. Do drop by the gallery if you happen to be in the neighbourhood! (Above a small impression of the art. Visit the Krüger website to see the complete and uncropped versions of all the works).

Fred, Michael (Fred's pal who traveled along with Fred from the States) and me headed to the Hamburg Museum Of Ethnology to check out the collection. Next to the 'usual' African masks and Aztec water bottles we were amazed by a display of good luck charms and also, by two gigantic figures from Papua New Guinea (as shown on the bottom of the photo, above).
The background of these figures is still a mystery, their history got lost before it was put down in writing. The're made out of a bamboo and rattan skeleton that is covered by the leaves of a fig tree, and their bodies were long and slim with short arms & legs and giant heads. They seemed a bit alien-like and their faces reminded me of Dr. Fincklestein of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. The 24ft high statues were placed in an almost empty hall which only added to their unworldly appearance.
(Photo i/t middle: Michael, me and Fred)

Later that night Fred, Michael, Ralf (Krüger) and me strolled along the harbour, were the annual Hamburg Harbour Festival took place. Snacks, drunk people, sailors, loud music and er... snacks mostly, but us foreigners thought the 'tacky trail' was hugely entertaining; vendors selling corn in a booth shaped as a corn with a smiley face, adorned heart shaped cookies with Mother's day wishes everywhere, and pickle stands with dancing pickles painted on them. It was like walking around in the flashy version of my creative universe.

The opening night; the place was packed! Thanks to everyone who came by to see the show and bought the art. Lovely to see my folks there as well!
The Hamburg weather was cold and gloomy but I had an amazing and warm time. The days flew by as if my visit was nothing more than a dream. (Très cliché -but true). Thanks everyone!
(Group shot below, right to left: Ralf Krüger, Fred Stonehouse, Heiko Müller, Atak and myself. And guys, you should too wear heels next time).

Working On It

2010-04-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it's been a while since my last post. I'm hyper busy with painting the last works for my next show at Feinkunst Krüger in Hamburg, Germany (opening: May 8, 2010). Here's a sneak peek detail of one of the pieces that will be in the exhibition.
For this new serie I was inspired by 'Alice', the 2002 album of Tom Waits. The album was written for the play Alice (about the forbidden love between Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell, for whom Carroll wrote the story Alice In Wonderland). The atmosphere and stories of TW's Alice were the ground my own tales grew on, such as 'The Serious Gardener' above.

Slo-Mo Dogs

2010-03-02T11:17:00.000-08:00

The music is a bit too much for my taste but other than that I love this slow motion takes of dogs for a Pedigree ad. (My favorite parts are the shots of the brown dog's hind paws when he jumps up -the way his toes wiggle!- and the furry one at the end).

Update: My pal Raymond pointed out that the idea is very similar to Birds, a clip from the French digital artists/musicians Pleix. Hmm... that takes the glimpse of the Pedigree ad a bit. But still; great footage.

(Recommended: The Pleix blog).

Roq La Rue Shirts!

2010-02-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

...Now available! Info right here.
(I stole the photo from the Roq website).

In My Garden Today

2010-02-25T04:17:00.000-08:00

I saw this guy in my garden today. I turned around slowly to grab my camera but then he was gone. Cute though. Never seen a Grey Wagtail in the city before.
(Photo: Wikipedia)

Revamped Femtasia!

2010-02-20T09:27:00.001-08:00

The digital homeworld of my painted creatures and characters has been restyled and updated! I made my website slightly broader, the examples of my artwork larger, added four new fine art giclée prints to the shop and also had a t-shirt printed. Yippee! Go and have a look at the new and fresh Femtasia!
Mr. Fox; 'greyish green' print on black tee for the guys, 'powder pink' on black tee for the girls.

'Death Of A Ghost', one of the four new fine art giclée prints!

Dakko-chan

2010-02-17T00:04:00.000-08:00

Finally! As I already hinted in the last post; the mystery Winky Doll has a name thanks to the web searching skills of colleague José. May I introduce you to... 'Dakko-chan'!

Dakko-chan (literally: 'embraceable') first saw the light of day in Japan. The inflatable character became an instant craze in the early 1960's when a teenage girl clenched the 12" winky doll to her arm while she was strolling around the popular shopping district Ginza, in Tokyo. Dakko-chan, available in a girl (hair bow) and a boy (no bow) version, was designed to be a small kids toy but became immensely popular amongst teenagers and young mothers. In two months 300,000 pieces were sold and in no-time the demand outran the production of 7000 pieces a day. Customers formed long queues at the stores in order to get their hands on a 50¢ Dakko-chan.

Dakko-chan was invented by Yoshihiro Suda, for Japan's toymaking Tsukudaya Company. The stereotype ethnic design of the character was explained by Japanese intellectuals as the rising popularity of jazz music in Japan of that time. Novelist Tensei Kawano stated (quote): "We of the younger generation are outcasts from politics and society. In a way we are like negroes, who have a long record of oppression and misunderstanding, and we feel akin to them."

Designer Yoshihiro Suda, eager to create yet another hit toy, asked customers after their reasons for buying a Dakko-chan but was disappointed by the outcome. Some wanted the doll because all their friends had a Dakko-chan, but most of them claimed "It's so cute and lovable that I just have to have one."

So, now we know.

For those who would like to find out more about ethnic characters in entertainment, branding, literature, toys, games, et cetera, read this page on Answers.com.

First Photo: Time magazine. Source: Time magazine, August 1960

Photo: Time magazine.

Dakko-chan factory. Photo: Time magazine.

Exotic dancer with Dakko-chan. Photo: Time magazine.

(Photo: Puglia)

(Photo: Retorodou)

(Photo: TopOne)

Winky Doll Breakthrough

2010-02-15T02:10:00.000-08:00

...More soon!
Thanks, Mr. Google Extraordinaire José! (Photo from 20century.blog)

What A Circus

2010-02-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

I'm the kind of girl who's happy when given the gift of paper. Decorative paper, to be more exact, like this adorable vintage design from India. Cheap printing, subjects slightly out of focus, dull colours, great scenes. It's wonderful.

(Thanks Miss J, N & A!)

The First

2010-02-04T00:41:00.000-08:00

Today, February 4, I was surprised to hear the Blackbird sing his first song. He sounded a little shaky, singing only short phrases, as if he also thought it was in fact still too cold to be announcing the spring.
(Link to older post about Blackbirds, Photo from Wikipedia)

Winky Dolls, part deux

2010-02-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I can't give any new information about the origin of the Winky Doll (see two former posts). I wrote to Cressi and searched the web but both without result. When I talk to colleagues or friends about this doll they all know or recognize it and in most cases even own one.
Finding photo's of the Winky Doll is not a problem, answers is. When and where was this character first made and for what purpose? Does it have a name? I'm still not sure if it's a he or a she I'm looking at? I was lead to trails of other toys that hail from a time when ethnic correctness wasn't an issue (like the Golliwog character for example). Perhaps the question about whether to look at Winky Dolls -and characters the like- as racism or as a cultural tradition stands in the way of finding answers.

(Photo: Ntama)

Winky Dolls

2010-01-22T02:16:00.000-08:00

The search for the origin of the 'scuba dolls' or 'winky dolls' continues. A friend of mine found two more similar dolls on eBay. One has slightly different ears than the ones I have. It must mean that this character has been in production for a while and has gone through a small style development. Unfortunately those sellers can't tell anything about the background either (but thanks anyway Cathelijne!). My pal Leendert found a inflatable one. This doll was made in Japan and looks a lot younger style-wise than it's vinyl siblings.
Browsing the internet in search of information is fun but takes loads of time. So my next step will be to write an email to Cressi -see former post. They have a nice history summary on their website, from the start of the company in the 1930's to present. Even interesting for those who don't dive. With a archive like that they can perhaps point me in the right direction.

Can You Help?

2010-01-18T02:29:00.000-08:00

When visiting a flea market this weekend, I found a doll character in scuba wear (on photo, right). I already owned one without the gear (on photo, left). Finding yet another one makes me even more curious about this particular character. Does anyone who he/she is?

The one in scuba wear has 'Rondine Cressi' printed on the fins and 'Cressi Scuba Sub' printed on the bottles. Cressi is an actual Italian scuba brand so it might be a promotional character but my guess is that it's geared up like that just for once-only advertising purposes. (And I know of two other people who own the same doll -without the scuba gear).

The one without the gear has 'Made in Hong Kong' printed on the back. This doll appears to be older and has cuffs and a skirt of cheaper make (plastic sticker in stead of plastic 'fabric'). Both dolls have 3D stickers for eyes that give the impression to open and close when you tilt the doll back and forth. They both have metal earrings and wear a bead necklace. Their arms and head can be moved. The legs are fixed so it can only sit up. There's a little curl relief on their head.

...Anyone?

Los Colores Del Underground

2010-01-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

The publication 'Los Colores Del Underground' by Joan S. Luna features interviews (and examples of work) of more than 20 underground artists such as Chris Mars, Alex Gross, Scott Musgrove, Xiaoqing Ding and myself. The graphic design of the book is simple and at first I thought it was a disadvantage. With a fantastical subject like Underground/Pop Surrealistic art I expected more edgy typography and design. But on the other hand, by keeping it inferior to the work it puts the spotlight on the interviews and the personal statements of the artists. And to me that makes it a book worth buying. Now if only I was fluent in Spanish I would be able to read it too...

Them Or Us

2010-01-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

My art pals Leendert Masselink, The Sauerkids and LouLou & Tummie are showing in Hasselt, Belgium. The group shares a fondness of silly characters dipped in dark humour, all covered in a splash of exploded rainbow colours. A welcome bit of brightness in the winter, I'll say. Go see their works at the Alley Gallery! (Website Alley in Dutch only).

New Roq Tee's

2010-01-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

I made this design for Seattle's finest art gallery -you know who I'm talking about; Roq la Rue! The tee's are being printed as I type and are ready in a few weeks. They will be available in assorted sizes -for guys and girls. Keep an eye on the Roq website or visit my blog to know when they are ready to go!

Interview Het Parool

2009-12-23T12:12:00.001-08:00

(Dutch only):
Dagblad Het Parool publiceerd op 30 december, in de laatste kunstbijlage van het jaar, een artikel over mijn werk. Niet online te lezen, maar dus old school te koop in de winkel.

Snowy Amsterdam

2009-12-23T12:07:00.001-08:00

I was never much of a fan of snow in the city because usually it snows only moderately and turns into brown sludge in no time. But these past days it snowed a bit more and I liked it. I enjoyed walking through town -especially at night; the echo of city sounds that die down in the powdery blanket, people having snowball fights, dogs playing in the snow, the sound of snow crunching under my feet and all that jazz. While I'm writing this, the snow is already melting but a fresh supply is supposedly on it's way. My snowboots and me will be ready.

Roq La Rue Exhibition, Seattle, December '09

2009-12-23T10:28:00.001-08:00

Since I got back from the US I fell right into 'relax mode' so I'm a bit behind on things. But behold; here are some behind-the-scene-snapshots of my (sold out) show 'Bonjour, Dachshund!' at Roq la Rue Gallery in Seattle, WA.

Cold weather and clear blue skies over there at the West Coast. At first I laughed at everybody complaining about the cold -I was very amused by an item on the news about the fishmongers at Pike's Place Market 'not having to use that much ice to cool the fish!', brought by a reporter chattering from the cold- but after a few days I had to admit it got to me too!

My stay was short but sweet. I had the pleasure of seeing some artist friends again like Robert Hardgrave, Chris Crites and John Brophy. It was also great to meet Jane Kenoyer, Scott Musgrove, Yumiko Kayukawa, Christian van Minnen, Gooby Herms and of course Junko Mizuno, who I shared walls with. And as always, it was lovely to see my pals Kirsten and Kenny once more!

(And as I mentioned on Facebook before) thanks to everyone who dropped by at the gallery or at the Fantagraphics Store, to buy my artwork or my book Rock Candy or to say hi. You're a swell bunch of folks.
(First Photo's: Seattle city centre, and (R) the Cinerama. I love that logo).

Oh, hello! It's Mr. Nix.. err, Mr. Obama. And that guy with the guitar.

The gallery's neighbour enjoying the sun on the roof and (R) Jane and Kirsten putting up the names.

Friday December 11, opening night! Top: my work. Below: Lisa Petrucci, Jane and Junko.

The opening night crowd.

L to R: Junko, Gooby, Kenny, Kirsten, me and Jane.

The last day in Seattle: Sunbathing and (R) Gooby, Jane & me being touristy at Pike's Place Market.

Having our futures read at Madame X's Fortunes!

L: My last evening in Seattle: visiting the anniversary party at the Fantagraphics Store and Gallery. I was signing books all night and didn't take a single snapshot. R: Fishy Air at Seattle Tacoma.

-Thanks Jane, for letting me post some of your photo's!
-Gooby also shot some nice pic's of the show: Click here

Oh Yeah!

2009-11-30T03:37:00.001-08:00

(Thanks, Zol!)

Don't Wake Daddy #4

2009-11-28T02:55:00.000-08:00

Feinkunst Krüger is one of my favorite galleries. Located in Hamburg, Germany, it not only shows the work of German artists like Till Gerhard, Henning Kles and Anke Feuchtenberger (a personal favorite of mine), but also international names like Jay Ryan and Van Arno. Owner and founder Ralf Krüger presents art from mostly young and unconventional artists who create work in bold techniques or pieces that are based on stories or lean on popular culture concepts.
I'll be returning to Krüger's to join in a shared show next year May, but I will also have a piece in the upcoming 'Don't Wake Daddy' group exhibition which opens December 5th. This forth edition of DWD will feature solely drawing work. All, but one. Ralf will tell you about that particular piece on the night of the opening. Wish I could be there!

Above: 'L'Equipe De Nuit', graphite on paper. My drawing for the DWD exhibition.

'Don't Wake Daddy'#4, The Drawing Show. Opening: December 5th, 6-11 pm at Feinkunst Krüger, Ditmar -Koel-Str. 22, Hamburg, Germany. The show features work by Anthony Ausgang, Eric White, Fred Stonehouse, Gary Baseman, Heiko Müller, Jason Limon, Marcus Schäfer, Mark Elliott, Martin Wittfooth, Travis Louie, Van Arno and many more!

Bonjour, Dachshund!

2009-11-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

Two weeks from now I will find myself with my feet on Seattle soil to be at the opening of my third show at the Roq la Rue Gallery. The show is named 'Bonjour, Dachshund!' and will feature new paintings and some of my framed giclée prints. I'll share the walls with the cool creations of Junko Mizuno. On the night of the opening, December 11th, I'll also sign my book Rock Candy at the gallery. The next night you can find me at the Fantagraphics Store for the second book signing. Hope to meet you at Roq's and/or Fanta's!
At this moment I'm working on the last pieces, like 'Death of a Ghost' (detail above). Keep an eye on the Roq website, all the new works will be posted there just before the opening.

Thank you!

2009-11-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

Dear ABC book signing visitors,
The signing yesterday afternoon was a blast! Even though everybody had to wait for a little bit it all went rather smooth and the atmosphere at ABC was wonderful. People took the time and effort to drop by (even traveling from the other side of the country) which I appreciate a lot. At the end of the day I walked on air because of all the kind words and praises. Thanks so much you all! You truly made my day.
Below some photo's for you to enjoy. (Cheers, Bo!)
First Photo left: Hey, it's Ingrid, José and Leendert!

Left: My pal Saskia dropped by too (with injured hands from a nasty fall on gravel... oof). Right: My sister and my nephew Nigel.
Left: Miss A & miss C! (Note Cindy's shoe's; she's almost ready to rock the Halloween night as Maneki Neko). Right: Jeroen from Lamelos, looking sharp.
Left: my dear friend Martin, me, and Rick from ABC. Right: The gang from Amersfoort; Jacqui and her son Milan.

Left: Mr. Draawer from Singapore. (Thank you for the kind gift pack!) Right: Sweet Jo and Floor.
Left: Jo and Chico know. Right: After the signing I noticed that 'Fangoria', 'Sexy Butts', 'Eisner' & Robert Pattinson had been watching over me.

(My next signing will be in Seattle, WA, in December. The first is on Friday the 11th, at the opening of my next shared show at Roq la Rue and the next is on Saturday the 12th at the Fantagraphics Bookstore. Details will follow asap, keep an eye on this blog or my website).

A Reminder

2009-10-28T01:34:00.000-07:00

Before you dive into the Halloween festivities this upcoming Saturday evening, be most welcome at the American Book Center in Amsterdam for the first book signing of my book Rock Candy. The signing starts at 3pm. Drinks are provided by the publisher Fantagraphics. And my fine Art Giclée prints (framed and unframed) will be for sale.
Hope to see you there!

ABC Window

2009-10-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

This morning I made a window display at the ABC to promote Rock Candy and the upcoming book signing. My lovely pal Ingrid was so kind to help me out. Dodging halogen window lights, squeezing ourselves into the tight window space and ignoring the back of the shop shelves we made a composition of some of the dolls, animals and other characters from my personal collection of 'bric-à-brac':
First photo: my bike with all my stuff crammed on it in front of the ABC store.

Ingrid.

Me.

The scene at night (with electrical waxlights. Very gezellig).

I'm A Killer

2009-10-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to have wooden panels nuked to make them woodworm free... in this machine:
Now I feel even more like a murderer.
(Photo: Megades)

Radio Interview 'De Avonden'

2009-10-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

(This is a post about a radio interview in Dutch so therefore written in Dutch).

Vorige week ontmoette ik de sympathieke Anton de Goede van de VPRO voor een interview over mijn werk en mijn boek Rock Candy. Normaal gesproken heb ik weinig last van zenuwen voor interviews of presentaties maar dit maal sprong de stress bovenop me als een groep dolle vlooien vanaf het moment dat de microfoon aanging. Dus met enige vrees ga ik vanavond luisteren naar het resultaat. (Ik excuseer me op voorhand voor de kromme zinnen en het gestamel. Dat eh... doe ik anders nooit).

Radio 6, De Avonden. Klik hier!
(Foto: De Rock Candy's bij American Book Center!)

Haniwa Is Here...

2009-10-05T01:52:00.000-07:00

...and it turned out so amazing! Pressure Printing, home of high quality print editions, made a fine art intaglio print of my drawing Haniwa, a scene about an underground tea party involving Japanese funerary characters. (Haniwa are terra cotta clay figures which were made for ritual use and buried with the dead during the Kofun Period). The etching is framed with a delicate embossed border and is hand printed on Twinrocker paper. Yeah, how cool is that!

Pressure printing also kept a photo journal of the process.

- Drawing exclusively made for Pressure Printing
- Edition: 100 pieces, signed & numbered
- Size: 12.75 x 8.75” (22.5 x 32.6 cm)
- $150,- This price includes shipping for the US. International shipping: $ 10,- flat.

For close up's of the print and ordering; click here.

This Is An Update

2009-09-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Summer is over and hectic times are here. This is an update of the sweet things to come:

First, the date of the ROCK CANDY book signing at the American Book Center has been set on Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 3 pm. Part of the shop walls will be reserved for an exhibition of my fine art giclée prints. The (unframed) prints will also be for sale on the day of the signing. I hope to see you there on Saturday! Also, on October 22 I'll transform one of the shop windows of ABC into an inspirational Rock Candy wonderland.

Second, the print I made for Pressure Printing is nearly finished and can be ordered any day now! The result is truly amazing. My hart skipped a beat when I saw the preview. The tones of the black & white intaglio fine art print are soft and velvet-like and the image is framed with a delicate, detailed embossing. Brad Keech of Pressure Printing kept a photo journal of the process of this project and will post it on his blog once the print can be ordered. (Here's a link to the journal of the making of the Travis Louie print. Nice!) I'll keep you updated about release dates and such.

Last but not least I'm working on new paintings for the upcoming show at my gallery Roq la Rue, Seattle. Previews will follow later this year.

(ABC photo ripped from Amsterdam Unlike)

ROCK CANDY pre-order!!

2009-08-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

...Rock Candy can be pre-ordered! I'm so thrilled! Rock Candy is ready and is available for pre-order as I type. This book is the first publication of my artwork with pieces from the past years which includes sketches, drawings and inspiration examples. Designer Jacob Covey added many lovely details to the book which all match perfectly with the atmosphere of my work.

Go to the Fantagraphics website to pre-order your copy now!!

Also, Fanta's Jacob Covey send me this photo of a pile of books someone bought at the San Diego Comic Con. It shows Rock Candy, cozy club sandwiched between James Jean, Bwana Spoons and Dave McKean (and 100 girls on cheap paper). ...Sweet!!
(Fantagraphics had some advance copies of Rock Candy so a few lucky Comic Conners already got a copy!)

Darling, Cheese head

2009-08-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

I often like to sing along with music and sometimes I look up the lyrics of a track. Today I heard 'The Israelites' on the radio. I don't feel the need to really know that one because I enjoy singing the alternative version of Desmond Dekker's 1989 hit much better.
(At that time I even thought The Israelites was a Bob Dylan song because of the Subterranean Homesick Blues quote. "...Hmm, Bob Dylan sure is versatile!').

Lowlands Buttonmania

2009-08-18T04:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend (August 22 & 23) I'll be making custom badge ('button') designs at the Lowlands festival again. Imagine just how sweet your muddy, beer stained shirt will look with a personal touch like that, ey? Come look for me at the Buzzworks booth to get a wearable original of your own. Artists friends like Erik Kriek, Ingrid Bockting, Luuk Bode, Flo -and many others- will be there too.
(LL pic's by Buzzworks Peter Giljam, 2006).

The Apocalypse Show

2009-08-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica will be hosting the next BLAB! show (with an amazing line-up!) which is themed 'The Apocalyptic End of the World'. Joy! Opening: Saturday August 8th, 8 pm. Wish I could be there...
(The frames of my Apocalypse works 'начало' & 'конец' were handmade by Leon de Groot).

Portrait!

2009-07-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

This is a sneak peek of one of the portraits FotoFloor shot for the press release of my book Rock Candy (which will be released next month). She made a fab serie with different looks and styles, all with a high dose of tongue in cheek. I love each and every one of them!

Update: All portraits can be found on the FotoFloor website.

Bulldog

2009-07-17T01:53:00.000-07:00

When I almost absent minded sketch away I often like the result the most. Like this jolly Bulldog head for example. (Dogs are one of the characters that will play a role in the pieces I'm making for the BLAB exhibition).

Suprise

2009-07-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I passed a small flea market on my way to town and -of course- I had to take a look. Most of the antiques were of the 'new-old' category, given an aged feel with dark shoe polish or machine made damages. But between the new-old mess I discovered an antique embroidery of a burning heart and a nice Baroque styled frame, both in pretty good conditions.
When I got home and opened the Baroque frame to remove the badly drawn flower painting that was in it, I found a photograph of a woman tucked between the backing board and the painting. In a soft, slightly dramatic lighting, she self-assured poses for the shot, wearing non matching jewelry and octagonal shaped glasses. I wonder who she is (or was). She had to face the back of a bland flower painting which only makes me even more curious. Was she a forgotten family member? Or perhaps an insufferable hag? Deceased?
Not only do antique frames tell a story of their own, a tale of a certain age or style, but sometimes they reveal even more of their origin, like this frame did. (Even though this one still leaves me with questions). That's why I love antiques.

El Optimista

2009-07-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hello all!
Due to some busy weeks (and a much needed break) my blog has been un-upated for a while. My schedule is still hectic but I do have this sneak peek of one of my recent works to share with you. It's called El Optimista and it's for the group exhibition 'Scribble 08' that's curated by author, publisher and designer Mark Murphy which can be seen on San Diego's Comic Con. My work will be in the company of many wonderful artists like Tim Biskup, Christian and Rob Clayton, AJ Fosik, James Jean, Mark Todd, Martin Wittfooth and many more.

Where and when: Wonderhaus, 1600 National Avenue, San Diego - July 23, 6:30PM – 11:3 AM. Click here to go to Mark Murphy's website and here to the digital homeland of Comic Con.

Fred Stonehouse Interview

2009-06-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

Another interview? Yes, but this time it's about artist/swell guy/fellow flea market fanatic, the remarkable Mr. Fred Stonehouse -who's work I admire since I was an art student. He was asked a few questions for the 'Accidental Mysteries' blog. It's just a short chat about his work, but since I'm a fan I wanted to share it with you anyways. Examples of work included of course. Go there!
Image ©Fred Stonehouse

Surrealist Soup in Amelia's Magazine

2009-06-04T03:48:00.001-07:00

UK's Amelia's magazine, a fab e-zine about art, fashion, music and earth issues, asked me some questions about my work. I enjoyed the interview a lot. It can be seen/read right here!

Matchbox scrapbook #2-3

2009-05-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

Japan, part deux! These are some of the more 'wilder' designs of the Japanese matchbox collection. This is the sixth matchbox cover post.

My favorite cover is the one with the kangaroo above. When I practiced illustration on a regular basis I had to make studies of a kangaroo for a character assignment. I never drew a kangaroo before and when I started sketching I noticed what a peculiar looking animal it actually is. If you alter the head too much it quickly looks like a dog or a rodent. The latter might just have happened to this matchbox cover with the three little kangaroo's in the mother's pouch; they all have rabbit like faces.
I love this illustration for its appealing colours and the nice 'blobby' shapes. And I think those (barely noticeable) question marks above the baby kanga heads are quite funny. (And their summary facial expressions too!)

The 'barber' covers are also great. Their simple imagery reminds me a little of those African barber signs. The poulterer cover below that looks a bit odd composition and illustration wise but my eyes are always lured to it. Perhaps its weirdness is what makes it interesting to me.

Matchbox scrapbook #2-2

2009-05-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is the fifth post about my collection of matchbook covers. It's time for a breather. Pour yourself a nice cup of Jasmin tea; we'll go to the Japanese pages.

Normally I'm not a 'less is more' kind of girl. I prefer my design with frills and details. You could say I'm the 'less is a bore' type. Nevertheless I liked the collection that featured the zen styled covers from Japan. They stood out because of their close to boring kind of emptiness. The designers left plenty of room for the typography and calligraphy to be just be text and let it stand undisturbed on an almost empty stage. A flower in the right corner or a silhouette of mount Fuji might decorate the background but that's mostly it.
It's not all whispering in matchbox cover Japan though. I will show some of the more 'louder' designs of the Japanese collection in my next matchbox post.

The Japanese pages hold lot's of these 'wallpaper' covers. One or two Japanese characters on an origami like background.