I entered the Rembrandt competition and…
I was one of the 3 winners! You might think of Rembrandt as only very serious oil paintings by the Dutch Baroque genius from the 17th century (1606-1669), but it's also...
I was one of the 3 winners! You might think of Rembrandt as only very serious oil paintings by the Dutch Baroque genius from the 17th century (1606-1669), but it's also...
Curious to learn more about comics and how to make them, I joined a course by one of my favorite magazines "de stripgids". It's a Belgian/Flemish magazine dedicated to comics,...
This sketchbook session is a bit special, so it gets its own blogpost! Earlier this week, 'Nordic winter' was the theme of TJ's Patreon session, and we were going to draw/paint/sketch...
In February, I've been using two sketchbooks: An A4 Royal Talens, and an A5 from Moleskine. As in the previous month, I worked a lot with the Artgraf, a bit with...
It happens to all of us creatives. Writers, illustrators, painters, and everyone who creates might find the well of inspiration and creative energy run dry occasionally. I used to be surprised...
International days/weeks are opportunities to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity,...
1. Meer dan Muze (2023), de kunstmeisjes, Meulenhoff A collection of essays/chapters that not only celebrate female artists but also provide context on how women have been/are treated in art and...
1/ Knetterijs pins. Knetterijs is a group of freelance illustrators and I finally got some of their pins! it was hard to choose only a few, but they are so cute...
A little over a month of drawing in about a minute of video. This sketchbook was started during the first holiday drawing session with Emma Carlisle and Sarah Dyer, but it...
Acrylic paint is often my weapon of choice as I love the versatility. Even with only a few colors, you can mix, layer, and create texture. But I've been trying...
The dark field method is a subtractive method of printmaking. In this case, you start by covering a copper plate with lithographic ink (+ 10% miracle gel). Compared to, for...
It's been years since early winter was this cold and this beautiful. Postcard beautiful I'd say! There isn't much wind so the snowflakes have been balancing on the trees for weeks,...
This December, the holiday and festive spirit were the main focus of my sketchbook for several reasons. First of all, with all the sh*t going on in the world, combined with...
Home for the winter holidays, home on the shortest days, so let's hang pretty lights and light some candles! (Sunrise: 09:02, sunset 14:55) The last few months have been rather busy but...
Sometimes November can feel like a very long and dark month, but not this time! December arrived so fast and now that I'm collecting all the sketches, I realize that...
Some pages from the rough sketchbook where I doodle thumbnails and let lines search for the story that I used for Folketale week. These small boxes with lines that don't...
Finally, after almost a year, I could revisit some art stores! Up north, we have some hobby shops and home interior/building stores that sell a few things like paint or basic...
My first-ever folktale week is a fact! It's been hectic, fun, and somewhat stressful. Folk what? Folktale Week is a week-long art challenge in which a story comes to life, guided by 7...
After a sketchbook session that was all about mushrooms, these fascinating fungi kept haunting me at night- but in the best way possible. While almost falling asleep, I suddenly had...
Another month flew by. Blink once and it's autumn, blink twice and we've arrived in winter wonderland. October has been a busy month that started with tons of energy, but as the...
Merry , euhm happy Halloween! The seasons got a bit confused here up north. Instead of gloomy autumn days, we got the prettiest dance of gentle snowflakes slowly covering the earth. This...
In last month's sketchbook overview, I mentioned my renewed interest in gouache paint, which I had not used since high school. My first choice has always been acrylic paint with...
The seasons are changing, and the earth gets ready to hibernate, but September was bursting with colorful sketchbook explorations, challenges, and new connections. I'm uploading the images, and I don't know...
it's the 3rd week of the Endangered Sketchbook challenge and we traveled to the Tibetan Plateau. Tibetan Rosefinch: Birds are hard! Yamdrok lake: Przewalski’s Horse: I think my last horse drawing was when I...
It's week 2 of the #septembersketchendangered (you can check the hashtag on Insta to see more participants) with TJ Marston and this week we visited the most Northern and Southern...
This month, TJ Marston hosts a sketchbook challenge with 'Endangered' as the theme. I couldn't let that one slip! In the first week, we traveled across the Great Plains of North...
Wow, now that I have photographed all my sketchbooks (that I can show at least), I can clearly see that this month was very productive and I feel growth in...
Art-wise, a lot has changed in the last few months, and I can't quite put a finger on it, but it's been fun to experiment a lot and use both...
...So I let some inks and paint swim on my paper instead. I made a few different versions, exploring materials, and the translation of the sensation of swimming. Hopefully next year...
Up to a few weeks ago, I had zero experience with Patreon. I had heard vaguely about it and saw a few artists and photographers mention the platform, but I...
Another month has gone by and we're entering the last few weeks of the Nordic summer. Sketchbook-wise, July has been a bit quiet as I've been working hard to fix...
"Mangroves are rare, spectacular, and prolific ecosystems on the boundary between land and sea. These extraordinary ecosystems contribute to the well-being, food security, and protection of coastal communities worldwide. They...
20 July = International moon day + space exploration day, commemorating the first landing on the moon in 1969. What a moment it must have been to watch those moments...
As the lakes started to melt after a long Nordic winter, I longed for refreshing dips in the lake on hot summer days. But then I thought,...
Today it's both World Asteroids Day and Meteor Watching Day. Asteroid= a small rocky object that orbits the sun. Comet= a ball of ice and dust that orbits the sun. Meteoroid= space rock...
"The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. The ocean produces at least 50% of...
April and May's sketches have been supercharged by all the vibrant sunlight, the excitement of traveling, and the creative fuel from joining some courses. The next 4 pages are from a...
I often get the question of which sketchbook I use or think is the best. And the most straightforward answer is this: the one you're ok with trashing. Let me explain. I have...
1. De stem van de Noordzee, (2020) by Laura Burgers, Eva Meijer, Evanne Nowak. 2. Pressing Matters magazine. 3. In her studio magazine. 4. In Limbo, (2023), Deb JJ Lee. 5. Hoe de tijd...
Perhaps you remember our trip to the Jurassic coast in England last year to go fossil hunting. This year we visited Normandy in France, and while the focus was mostly...
I am a tea lover, but only recently I started to learn more about the fascinating world of tea. My journey is deliberately slow, and while I'm far from any tea-wisdom, International...
We all depend on the survival of bees World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20. On this day Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping, was born in 1734. The purpose of...
Spring is the busiest moment of the year at the studio, and luckily it is fueled by the vigorous intensity of spring light and inspiration. And to add to that,...
This is a very personal piece that wasn't meant to be shared at first, but in an uncomfortable way, it should be here. There are these moments in life when all...
For one of us, Normandy was all about D-day and war monuments, for me, it was the cradle of 19th-century Impressionism (and fossils but that's a whole other story). Impressionism is...
We live in a rainbow of chaos. -Paul Cezanne I love nothing more than the scent of printmaking lingering in my atelier. Perhaps mixed with some warm hints of leather craft. Paint...
I've been drawing and doodling, line by line, mark by mark. Spots dripped and shapes found their place. And as you might see, all kinds of things happen as the...
It's been a while, but we've been incredibly lucky to have a clear sky and crisp air right when the northern lights were beautifully dancing in the sky. The light doesn't...
It's been quite some years since I attended a silver clay workshop, but I never forgot how fun it was- and how I wished I could do this at...
Welcome to the pages of unfinished thoughts, experiments, and visual notes :-D I started this year by adding an extra sketchbook because I wanted a spot for a daily thought- including...
1. Roderick Nieuwenhuis, Een simpel leven (2022) 2. N. Kamminga, Breinfitness (2022) 3. Wednesday (Netflix) 4. D. De Wachter, De kunst van het ongelukkig zijn (2019) 5. Theegeheimen (2022), Dille & Kamille 6. Marc Chagall...
First of all: Happy New Year!! Wishing you all a joyful and healthy 2023. Core Values as a foundation. Recently, a friend told me about an exercise she got from her coach; picking...
Sometimes when you've been longing for something, it becomes almost a myth in itself, something much bigger and better than reality. But that hasn't been the case with the desire...
The 21 of December marks a special day with the earth's axis tilted at the furthest point from the sun which results in super short days and long nights. This winter...
Winter a difficult time? The light might not be there but the colder months are perfect for trying out new hobbies, cherishing traditions, connecting with others, and enjoying the beauty...
Since I'm still learning anything and everything about leathercraft, I don't usually take orders, but when Kati asked me to make a simple (DSLR) camera strap, it sounded like a...
This lovely knife, made by 1924US is my absolute favorite, and it's been wandering around my bags and catching some sand and dust along the way for quite some time...
While my neighbors were already installing their Christmas decorations, I've been drawing monsters and bats on my windows, carving pumpkins, and making pompons haha! -- And keeping it all sweet and...
The unexpected crochet mood is a returning element when the temperatures drop and wild storms pull on the rusty-colored leaves. Around the same time last year, I learned how to...
Have you watched "The Fjällbacka murders"? It's in the area where this series takes place, that we rented a house. No worries, unlike the series, the area is rather quiet and...
Autumn Bucket list * Picking apples * Making apple sauce * Picking mushrooms * Early morning walks * Looking for slag stones * Making plans for winter * Burning scented candles * Movie nights with my favorite tea...
This is the story of how a simple paint job turned into a slightly bigger renovation project- thanks to Joeri who had the energy and vision to make it happen. In...
Autumn settled under my skin as the chill mist slowly spread over the landscape. The greens turn into a wide variety of yellows, oranges, and browns, that even seem to...
“It is good to know that out there, in a forest in the world, there is a cabin where something is possible, something fairly close to the sheer happiness of...
As the leaves turn yellow and red, and the air feels crisp while days get shorter, we're guided into a new phase, and these signs of the new season arriving,...
[caption id="attachment_5875" align="alignnone" width="800"] -Before-[/caption] The convenient but worn-down cupboard in my studio's kitchen has been an ugly corner for a while but is now transformed. The outside of this cupboard...
...
Can you even call yourself a paper lover if you've never tried making your own paper? I'm not sure, so I'm up for the challenge! Paper plays a crucial role in my...
It's apple season! After months of sunbathing, growing, and becoming sweet and juicy, the little apples from my garden are slowly getting ready! Despite some sweltering weeks and a healthy amount of...
Lars Lerin, a watercolor wizard, is so far and by far my favorite Swedish artist. For years I've been hoping/planning to visit his gallery 'Sandgrund' in Karlstad (about 3 hours...
At my studio, I've collected a pile of paint swatches to find the right color to freshen up the scratched doors, but none is a match. And I have had...
Finally, back to leather! I've missed learning and experimenting, and all the frustration that comes with new skills :-D The past few months have been busy with a lot of work for...
...
You can't imagine how thrilled I was to come across 'Dopamine Dressing' after some seasons of dog poo and cat vomit colors. Sure some soft neutrals can be nice, but...
I wanted to see the sunrise at the lake where we often go swimming and the best way to make sure you're in time: sleeping right next to the water! Â ...
I'd say this is the ultimate feeling of freedom. Early morning, rising sun. Slowly it's getting warmer. Then you step into the fresh blue mirror, making ripples, taking a moment to prepare...
Francisco Fonseca is a Portuguese artist with a special interest in spaces and places. Buildings with a lot of character, traces of people, myths, and moods. I've been following Francisco for...
Thanks to our friend from Amazing Nature Scandinavia, Mogwai and I got the unexpected opportunity to try out the Kolarbyn eco-lodge. Kolarbyn means something like ‘the coal village’ and it’s also...
Johnny Depp visits Ralph Steadman, the renowned artist and the last of the original Gonzo visionaries who worked alongside Hunter S. Thompson. It's a curious sight, this Hollywood movie star alongside...
Yeah, I'm old school and I still love reading blogs. The app/website that I've been using for years though seems to be down for quite a while now- and I'm...
Between spring and autumn, the rock tumbler works almost non-stop to smoothen and polish the rocks I've been collecting during winter and early spring. The slag stones are local finds from...
It takes a while before a Nordic garden produces some edibles, but it's worth the wait. At my studio, the first raspberries are delicious and sweet despite the many rainy...
In early July, I joined 'Konst Runt Barken', a local arts & crafts event where creatives and makers from our area (Barken is a lake) show their work in art...
It's absolutely incredible how my garden transforms after a long and cold winter. Until early May, it can feel as if everything is dead and dry forever. But then suddenly,...
Today is the longest day of the year and the official start of supseason summer! Soon the lakes will get warmer, the mosquitoes less hungry, and fruit will start to ripe....
I've been curiously waiting all winter to see the flowers that I planted come out. In September, we started our Valborg-garden-project, transforming a weed-covered corner of our garden into a...
Summer is (almost) here and since that means that liquid will remain liquid, I've started the rock tumbler again! Rocks tumbling around in a barrel obviously make some noise. It's probably...