my inspiration

The next two photos are collages I made for inspiration. The collages are made with things from my own collection.

throw away necklace

I made this design for a necklace in 2005 for an assignment. My goal was to give selflessly. I thought about the surroundings we see, there often very empty and sad. For that I created a necklace that is designed to gradually disappear. The little bags are made from resolvable fabric they have different kind of seeds in them. My thought behind it was that if you see an empty or deserted place that you think would looked nicer with plants or flowers. you would put down a small bag with a seed in it. And if you return after a while you would see that the spot were you put your little bag down a plant or flower will grow. The real necklace i haven't been able to photograph but with time you will find a nice picture there.

paper babe

The next project was made for an assignment. The assignment was very simple, make a paper construction around a naked body. I started just working. Letting the material guiding the direction. It eventually grew and got bigger and bigger till it covert almost the whole body. My fascination went for the light transparency trough the paper and the amount of layers. I liked how the piece worked together with the naked body, making very subtle colors en shades. It was made in 2006 with pattern making paper. Special thanks to the model.

hats with no brim

These two hats I made in a short course in 2005. It was very nice to do something very different. My thought behind these hats were that I wanted to make a hat that was made from one piece. Usually hats are made in two parts, the head compartment and the brim. I also wanted to make a hat that would not have a very new look. I wanted it to be rather old fashioned with a new touch to it (it being smooth and from one piece). This was proving to be rather difficult. I realized that hats have brims for a reason. But after a lot of effort I made it work. I took a model that would really bring out the character of the hat.

temporary broken green

this art project was something very close to my hart. I always like to experience nature. Not just from a photo or a postcard. I also don't like to walk on the path that everyone walks. So usually when I come home from a "walk" I'm rather green myself! On one of my so called walks in 2005 I made this piece in an impulse. I had my camera with me, and I took some pictures from it. The beautiful green from the algae was just amazing! I called it temporary broken green (tijdelijk gebroken groen) because the stone I put the shells on was near to the water. And when the tide came in, it took the shells with it. The piece existed just for a few hours. That I think is the extra beautiful thing about it.





A few months later I read the newspaper and saw that there was an competition called "mijn kunst" (my art) that gave self-taught artists a opportunity to show their skills. I decided to join the competition and to my own surprise, I got trough to the final group! I did not win the contest but because I was within the final group it also included that I would join an exhibition.




After the exhibition was past I got a letter from the institute were the exhibition was held, asking if I would want to join a sale and exhibition day, were I could show and sell my work.



I said yes and It turned out to be a good day. I even sold some work. So at the end of it, it was good to send in my green adventure photo!

wound up

I made these two brooches in a short course named "jewelry without metal". The name says it all, in this course we were forbidden to work with every kind of metal. I made a brooch in the form of a small cloud. This little cloud is made of stuffing to make it soft and a lot of sewing thread to give it a bit more refinement.



I also made a brooch that looks a bit like a piece of blood coral. It was made from wool and stuffing.

origami shoes

I designed these shoes in 2004. My goal was to change the very specific ritual of putting on shoes. I began looking at rituals in Asia. My basic inspiration for the shoes where the art of paper folding, origami. In origami you can make from one simple piece of paper very complex things like an elephant or a box just by folding it. I thought why do shoes have to have so many components why not back to basics. my goal was set and I began designing a shoe that was made from one piece. The end result are very simpel to put on and off shoes that are waterproof and are from recycled leather.

HEMA design contest

In 2006 I entered trough my school, the "HEMA design contest" which is held every year. Young school going designers from two country's can enter (the Netherlands and Belgium). My whole class and me have spend our time on the assignment, design a piece of furniture for children. For my design I got my inspiration from my own childhood. In which I tried to read with a flashlight under the covers of my bed. And I remember that my arms always got tired from making the tent form under the cover, while holding the flashlight to see the book. But by doing that you just can't flip the pages! So I came up with the following idea. An adjustable transparent tent pole that has a flash light in it, so that children could read or play under the covers of their bed without getting painful arms or legs. The tent pole stays up straight by grip of the soft ends and the pressure of the cover.




I must say it was really hard to get it done but I made it in time and, even to my own surprise, I got an honorable title! (eervolle vermelding)



I didn't win, but it actually didn't bother me! Because I was mentioned and I got to be on stage! I also got into an exhibition that was linked to the HEMA. So it was worth the effort! And it even got better because the next week I got a call from a family member saying that I was in the papers! And when I read it I was amazed! The whole article started with me, the journalist that wrote it said that he didn't understand why I didn't win! It can't get any better than this! It was really an amazing experience.

wallflowers in the spotlight

I wanted to make this lamp because I had a fantasy about electric parasite-plants growing out of the electric point's in the wall of your house. I thought what better than to take it a step further by thinking what would that plant look like and what would it do with the power that it steals from your home. I looked at plants an parasite plants and got up with the idea to let the electric plant bloom. So I made an electric flower that gives light, which it of course steels from your house. So be careful! The next thing you know, your whole house is lighted by parasites...

broken beauty

when a favorite mug or plate gets broken it usually is a sad thing. And when you maybe try to glue it together, It's always visible. so once it's broken there is no happy thing about it. with this design I wanted to ease the pain of breaking stoneware or porcelain that has special meaning. My idea was not to hide the fact that it has been broken but accentuating it. In this way it's giving the piece that has been broken a second life. Now you can give it a nice place where it can be seen instead of in the bin.
used materials: stoneware and porcelain combined with wool or fabric

little carving pleasure

this is something new for me, making a knife. I never done this before.It was during a short course that I learnt to make this very cute little knife. I carved the handle by hand, and I must say I liked doing it! Maybe I'll carve my own superknife set when I retire :P.

your own private little world

this scarf is made from several old scarfs that were sewn together. I have made this scarf for an assignment that wanted that you would mark a space for yourself. My first thoughts were about my travelling in public transport and never having a private space, in Holland it's always crowded in the public transport. Thinking about that, I came up with the idea to take something you could easely wear en ajust it to making a small private space that also didn't intrude in other people's private space. The end result is a scarf you can normally wear, if you don't feel the need to sneak away. But if you feel the need to just go into your own little private world, you can put the scarf before your face and look trough the eyes in the scarf. That way your there but your also in your own private space.

schortig

this design is called "schortig" and is made from 100% recycled leather.
I made this apron for a project in school. The assignment was to design the "future kitchen", everyone would make 2 things that belong in the kitchen. I wanted to use materials that you wouldn't normally use in a kitchen. My thoughts were that, in the future people will spend more time in the kitchen cooking etc. Because of that I wanted to make it durable and look luxurious, I also wanted it to be worn by both sexes. I Think I succeeded!