Were you one of those little kids who couldn’t wait for it to be your turn to do a show & tell at school? Well, I was, but for me it was more a case of show-off & tell.  I just loved the attention. Usually I showed the pictures in the book I was reading and if the book wasn’t illustrated I’d show off the pictures I’d drawn myself. My artistic parents (Dad was a dancer, Mum a pianist) encouraged my creativity, giving me the confidence to believe that others would love my art too. Since then I’ve developed a spot of humility, but I’m still not averse to sharing (showing off) my art, even if I now know not to expect praise.

One of the golden rules for bloggers is Don’t Blog About Yourself. Well, the Blagger (not the Bashful part) reckons rules are made to be broken. Anyway, this post is not all about me, just my art… the stuff I create for fun and self-expression when words fail me. Enjoy!

Easel Rider

The corner of the kitchen is where I do my indoor art. It’s nice not having to tidy up after I’ve made something. That skylight lets in the even pearly northern light. Love it. The painting above the chair is my favorite. It’s still abstract, but one of the most readily identifiable I’ve ever done. I call it “Prancing Popje” (Dutch for dolly), cos her footsies remind me of Picasso’s dancers. Not that my dancer is in his class!

On the right is a diptych entitled “Vivaldi”. It was supposed to be the four seasons but I got stuck after doing winter and summer. Guess which one is which.

Pain-tings

I don’t do figurative. I lack the skill to paint or draw from life. My subjects are expressionistic e-scapes, with the ‘e’ standing for emotion. As regular readers of the Blagger know, I paint when (a) I’m lost for words but still feel the urge to be creative or (b) when I need to process something. These pain-tings never have a title. They simply reflect what I was feeling and/or working through at the time.

Mood Bored

An incorrigible clutter-bug, I love re-arranging my favorite cards and photos and pins in constantly changing, inspiring collages. I often twiddle with the composition, adding or removing emphasis with miniscule repositioning. Someone told me this is a form of stimming (repetitive behavior designed to create emotional comfort) (usually associated with autism). I don’t know if they’re correct. Perhaps it is a compulsion. I like to get things into the absolutely perfect place and it satisfies me when I finally get it right.

Left: kitchen fridge. Right: bulletin board next to my computer. The pin at bottom right, beside my logo (see below) says “Stet Happens”. Wise words for an editor-cum-writer.

Outdoor Derangements

To coin a cliché (who me?!) my creativity knows no bounds… except the limits of my Kitsch-en Garden, so-called (not entirely perjoratively) because it’s filled with artistic arrangements that some would find so mad and silly I get in first and call them “derangements”.

Left: “Margot Fontain”. Right: “Bone With The Wind”, a work in progress, begun in 2001.

Indoor Assemblages

Someone once told me that a pyramid has magical power to make things happen. That’s why I use this old clock as a display case for significant items. The red heart is a pebble Mum painted for me. The rainbow heart speaks for itself. The panic button comes from the New York Public Library (the one with the lions guarding the steps) and that mini book was a gift from a friend who believed I would not only write books but get them published too. There is no scientific evidence that pyramid power exists.

I often find four-leaf clovers. Can’t help it. When I’m out walking Cappuccino (my doglet), watching my feet (I’m so clumsy I can trip over my own shadow) I tend to notice any divergent pattern in a clump of clover. Over the years I’ve collected so many four-leafs I always give them away to share the luck.

Led the Sunshine

I cannot tell a lie. I didn’t make these windows. Just the design. They brighten up the hall even on gray days and hide me from the gaze of passers-by. Eva De Peva made them for me, expertly guided by Robert-Paul Sprenkeling of Glas in Lood Groningen.

Let’s Go Logo

This is my professional logo, wrought in stained glass by Robert-Paul Sprenkeling for a window that looks out on an ugly wall. It lights up in the day and is dark at night, reflecting the hours I tried to keep at NEEDSer (Native English Editing & Translation Service). Those fulltime working days are gone, but the logo’s light remains a pleasant reminder.

But Is It Art?

Another outdoor derangement in my Kitsch-en Garden is this compilation: Artemis Hunting by Moonlight in the Shade of the Bottlebrush. Found the goddess tossed away on the road into the village. The glass moon comes from a garden center. As for those broken bottles… big question mark. Never mind. Instead of chucking the glass, I’ve recycled it into something creative.
Yes? No? Indifferent? Do tell me what you think.▼