YOU'RE WITH ME / JE BENT BIJ MIJ

A semi abstract artwork full of hidden stories
 
Sometimes a commission starts with a clear vision. Sometimes it begins with a collection of memories, feelings and stories. This was one such commission.
 
The client had visited my studio before and got in touch with me again months later. She wanted to surprise her husband with a large, personal piece of art to mark his retirement. One thing she was certain of: it wasn’t to be an existing work that I would recreate. She wanted something completely new, designed especially for him.
 
The ingredients for the artwork were deeply personal. A poem written by her husband, their favourite colours of orange and green, references to nature, a bird, numbers recalling the year they met, and even the building where their shared story once began.
 
At the same time, she didn’t want these elements to be literally visible.
The work had to retain an air of mystery, be layered, and leave room for interpretation.
A painting in which you constantly discover new details without immediately understanding exactly what you’re looking at.
 
That is what made this commission challenging. The wish was clear, but the final image was not yet. That is why I began by digitally bringing the various elements together in Photoshop. By experimenting with composition, atmosphere, transparent layers and textures, a direction slowly emerged.
 
The result is a work in which personal memories, symbolism