The content of my work is the result of a personal reflection taken from experiences and observations of places; cities versus islands, tradition versus popularity, and how cultures dictate value.  Growing up on the small Dutch Caribbean island of Saba and living aboard has affected how I create. In my work, there is not one single image in a painting that can convey the concept, but how they work together that conveys a story. I need to create in order to be happy, to express my inner thoughts and experiences and to feel complete. There is an intimate and irreplaceable experience that I can attain through art, no matter what the world brings. In my artwork I pose the questions: What does a specific time and place mean to people? How do we perceive the past? What is truth? The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe. When one looks at a piece of art, our perception is affected by array of past assumptions borrowed from society. In my body of work, I hope to question this perception, by posing new relations between symbols, images and ideas; I invite the viewer to have a closer look, hoping to provide them with a unique visual experience.

 

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When I paint, I explore the constant shift of the everyday life we have as human beings striving to stay within the boundaries of release and control; striving to maintain a perfect balance. Straight, controlled lines pierce through flowing surges of paint which have evolved into forms only by gravity, without any manipulation from the artist. My intention is to explore beyond naturalism by transforming imagery into a synthetic, mystical realm.  In the moments when the shift between representation and abstraction takes place, interesting, complex relationships are created and a new, enigmatic composition evolves. When one incorporates more of their imagination into their artwork, they become enveloped in a search for discovery and reach a point of knowing something one would otherwise not know when we go beyond our capability. We discover a consciousness that is revealed through art. In order to work in this process, one must take chances, avoid being safe and go beyond the ordinary.