The Dawn of Man
Acrylics on board, 40 x 50 cm.
2023

The Story
This is a sideline of a sideline. The center part is a combination of two paper works, glued to a board. Even though I never used to like metallic paintings, I did paint the board in copper metallic, to make a frame. You can't see it in the photo, but when you walk past it it changes. I really like that effect. It seems to be about archeology. Looking at a very distant past, the middle square being the research. You can discern an ape and an bird and a platypus. If you would be so inclined. In the frame there are even earlier life forms growing and floating.

A little stream in the Ooy near Nijmegen
Acrylics on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2022

The Story
I took a photograph of this spot when I was riding my bike, together with my wife Anneke, in the reclaimed land area near my home. Together with my friend Wim Kol I started the painting, using only a paint roller. Funny story. We were working in the street outside Wim's home, because of corona. People who looked at the painting were confused. It looked nothing like the street we were painting in... We had a good laugh telling them: "This is how we see these buildings". Finally someone said: "Hey! This is the Ooy!" The painting went through a lot of variations after that. I must have passed this spot on my bike at least 5 more times before the painting was finished. I must have done the sky and the clouds at least 5 times too. Orange, then yellow, then white, then pink, then grey, and so on. Finally I made a firm decision: I am finishing this painting now. Period. I took my original photo and I meticulously painted many details. When I found it not expressionist enough, I added a lot of color.

Rocco's Road
Acrylics and canvas and paper cut-outs on canvas, 60 x 40 cm.
2022

The Story
This is a personal painting for my grandson. With the painting I am wishing him a happy life with lots of golden opportunities. I am pointing out the importance of nature and the flesh that we all come from. We are animals too, cultured animals, hopefully but still... The cute little lamb shows the phase he is in now. This little painting was hanging in my studio for at least a year. 

An Angel Arrives
Acrylics and canvas and paper cut-outs on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2022

The Story
An angel is descending from the heavens. His high voice echoes through the misty city. Down below the earthly sinners don't really see him coming Even though the angels is making sounds. And even though one of them appears to be looking up. That's how it goes. The angel is made from quite a different substance. He is carrying so a lot of history. It looks like the fruits are being blown from the tree by the angel's arrival. And still the sinners go about their daily business. Little do they know.

Sweet Paradise
Acrylics and cut-outs on paper, 30 x 20 cm.
2022

The Story
Do you know that famous Joni Mitchell song? "It was a sweet paradise and they put up a parking lot". Quite apt for our times, don't you think? With climate crises everywhere and neo-liberal governments letting it slide. Or worse. Anyway, "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone". Two red monsters are getting ready to eat the sun. They are born from fire and only partly organic. The grey city on the bottom only has a little bit of sky left.

The Flirtation
Acrylics and cut-outs on paper, 30 x 40 cm.
2022

The Story 
A study in animal magnetism. You can see the magnet about halfway down the body of the figure on the right. As you can see, both parties are excited. Communicating with all the sexual mating signals that humans exchange. This work went through several stages. First it was an abstract composition in the B-line (a little work I made on the side, while working on something bigger). Then I happened to observe a colleague all-out flirting in a business situation. And the painting started to depict that. Then I thought it was too flat. So I set it up on a board (see youtube movie) and gave it more depth. Somehow it looks quite classical now, I think...

View from our Balcony in Poggio dei Pini
Pencil and oil pastels, 30 x 20 cm.
2022

The Story 
We had a great vacation in Sardegna, Italy. Our house was on the 'pine hill' (Poggio dei Pini). We had a wonderful balcony where Anneke and Florian and Julia and Rocco and I had many happy meals, enjoying the sun and the view. Owner Simone gave us very professional pizza lessons and he also bought this drawing.

The Secret of Sunny Islands
Watercolor, ink and oil pastels, 30 x 20 cm.
2022

The Story 
You are on a sunny island. Maybe on Sardinia, a large and beautiful island off the coast of Italy.  Blue sky, many greens and flowers.

Four Alien Lizards are Shocked by a Sinister Tale
Acrylics and cut-outs on canvas board, 38 x 47 cm.
2022

The Story 
The alien lizards were just going about their daily business. Sorting their collections, eating their insects. Then an unfamiliar, alarm-like sound catches their attention. And before they know it, a dark, unknown entity is talking to them with great intensity. Shouting almost. Unused to populist politics on their planet, the lizards are shocked. How can a self-respecting lizard even think like that? Let alone say it? Has he gone mad? And is he even a lizard?

Dark Fears Floating through the Night
Watercolor, ink, acrylics and cut-outs on paper, 30 x 20 cm.
2022

The Story 
In the light of morning everything seems... lighter. By then you may have left behind you the dark fears that kept you half awake. You felt threatened. You felt guilty. Intangible dangers that you didn't really understand surrounded you. This picture allows you to watch them from a distance.

The Ebb and Flow of Life, as seen in the Zebra Mirror
Acrylics and gouache on 'canvas', 67 x 97 cm.
2022

The Story 
Life comes and goes. A simple truth and yet it sometimes is so hard to accept. That I am just a ripple in the ebb and flow of evolution. Eventually my paintings will return to dust. In the deep background you may just discern two mirrored zebras. It is an expression of my unimportance in the greater scheme of things. 

The Secret of Populist Politics
Acrylics and cut-outs on canvas board, 50 x 40 cm.
2022

The Story 
Our times are plagued by populist politics. As were the thirties of the last century. It's so simple, really. Just tell people what they want to hear and many will vote for you. Never mind consistency. Never mind the facts. "You guys are so much better that everyone else". "The bastards who stole our power will be punished". "We will be great again". The populist politician offers the shadow people that magical single cure for all their maladies. And he has technology at his side. The brown color is a reference to the brown uniforms of the nazi street fighting groups.

The Secret of Hystericats
Acrylics and pastels and cut-outs on canvas, 50 x 40 cm.
2022

The Story 
Hystericats are dramatic, emotional, demanding, explosive, self centered, unstable. You probably know some yourself. And they are often very incongruent, meaning: they are showing several different aspects of themselves simultaneously. Duplicity. Look at this hystericat here. They have many mouths. It isn't even clear where their real eyes are. Is this one hystericat or are there more? Some threatening shapes are floating up from their unconscious mind. The top of their head is in a mist full of symbols. 

The Secret of Unjustified Optimism
Acrylics and pastels and cut-outs on canvas, 50 x 40 cm.
2022

The Story 
In my opinion, unjustified optimism is the best and certainly the most useful of all optimisms. When things go right, when we are happy and prosperous and healthy, being optimistic is no great feat. But when things go wrong, with war and pandemics and environmental disasters, that's when we need optimism the most. And that's when optimism is a challenge, and when realized, a true achievement. That's what this painting is about. There is joyful opwards stream, even though obviously, dark forces are lurking in the wings. And everything is at the same time very concrete and very abstract.

The Secret of Animal Magnetism
Acrylics on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2022

The Story 
What is the secret of animal magnetism? You have probably experienced some of that during the COVID pandemic. A lot of animal magnetism was missing during that period. It's that mysterious energy flow that develops in the field between living beings. The very first hypnotherapist, Franz Anton Mesmer, believed he tranferred animal magnetism from his body to the bodiesof his patients. Here you see it depicted in a larger canvas from the 'Secrets' series. If you look at the work, even through the electronic gateways of the web, I hope you will feel some of that energy. May it strengthen you life force and the life forces of those in the fields around you.

Buying an original
Send me a message. We'll talk about how to send it to you and maybe even do a 'virtual hanging' in your room.
Message JAAPH

Buying an augmented print
First the painting is printed on quality canvas. Then I add a few details by hand in acrylics. So the print is an original too although, admittedly, not as original as the original.
About transportation and insurance

The Secret of Dusseldorf Spirits
Watercolor, ink, acrylics and cut-outs on paper, 30 x 20 cm.
2022

The Story 
In a peaceful hotel room in Dusseldorf, several types of spirits are floating and mingling freely. Some of them are old. Some even seem to hail from the war. Some of them are quite recent. It is difficult to see where the physical world ends and the spirit world begins. 

The Secret of Rising Up
Watercolor, ink, acrylics and cut-outs on paper, 30 x 20 cm.
2022

The Story 
No matter how disheartening our circumstances may be, no matter how severe the threats that are facing us, no matter how horrible our luck turns out to at certain times, no matter how often the dice roll the wrong way, no matter how powerful the populist politicians may get, no matter how badly our climate changes, no matter how much we lose... there is always an opportunity for an uplifting view of the future. 

The Secret of Sunrise
Watercolor and ink on paper, 30 x 20 cm.
2022

The Story 
This is abstract expressionism. Do you get a stormy feeling when you look at this work for a moment? A storm feels sort of crowded too, doesn't it? imagine you are inside, rather than looking at it from the outside. Do you feel that naturally stormy energy? Then this drawing resonates with you. Or you resonate with it. Enjoy. You are watching the secret of storms.

The Secret of Space Aquaria
Watercolor and ink on paper, 30 x 20 cm.
2022

The Story 
Of course there must be aquaria in space somewhere. Probably they won't have water and they won't have fish either. And yet they are obviously aquaria, full of floating entities. And with that serene quality that water aquaria have too. You are looking at the secret of space aquaria.

The Secret of Peace
Acrylics on canvas, 50 x 40 cm.
2022

The Story 
This is abstract expressionism. Stop what you were doing and look at this painting for a minute. That's longer than you think, a full minute... Do you feel peace? Do you feel lighter? Do you feel a bit happier? Good! Maybe having a print of this work in your room would do you good.

No Mortal Man can Keep a Secret
Acrylics on canvas, 90 x 45 cm.
2021

The Story 
Sigmund Freud has said: "No mortal man can keep a secret. Betrayal oozes out of him from every pore". Except, of course, he said it in German (with an Austrian accent). Here you see many of those secrets oozing from the background. In a strangely balanced way, it is almost pretty, the way this mortal keeps their secrets. Some psychologists believe we have every right to a few personal secrets. Look carefully. You may even see one or two of your own...

This work was the start of a body of work, the 'secrets' series.

Doubts and questions?
Pencil and cut outs on paper, 30 x 40 cm.
2020

Planes and Alien Shadows over the Dutch Meadows
Acrylics on canvas board, 40 x 50 cm.
2021

The Story 
Old-fashioned fighter airplanes are fighting aliens over Holland. They have no idea what hits them, but neither have the aliens it seems... As alien bomb birds are scattering, strange shapes appear in the Dutch sky.

AmorLiefde
Acrylics and JFX200 print on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2020

The Story 
This is one of a series of life themes that belong with the Dike Mysticism exposition, depicting essential life processes and how they are threatened by the rising of the waters. 

Separate from the Dike Mysticism exposition this is a work that stands strong on its own. HomeHaus is - as you might have guessed - about the home, a very basic life theme indeed.

The underpainting is made in acrylics and over that a black and green image is printed on a JFX200 flatbed printer. Because of this process each print is a unique work.

AmorLiefde
Acrylics and JFX200 print on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2020

The Story 
This is one of a series of life themes that belong with the Dike Mysticism exposition, depicting essential life processes and how they are threatened by the rising of the waters. My father sometimes quoted the bible about love: "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal".

Separate from the Dike Mysticism exposition this is a work that stands strong on its own. AmorLove is - as you might have guessed - about love, a very basic life theme indeed.

The underpainting is made in acrylics and over that a black and green image is printed on a JFX200 flatbed printer. Because of this process each print is a unique work.

MourirTod
Acrylics and JFX200 print on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2020

The Story 
This is one of a series of life themes that belong with the Dike Mysticism exposition, depicting essential life processes and how they are threatened by the rising of the waters. Actually I find this one the most powerful in the series. Separate from the Dike Mysticism exposition this is a work that stands strong on its own. MourirTod is - as you might have guessed - about death, a very basic life theme indeed.

The underpainting is made in acrylics and over that a black and yellow image is printed on a JFX200 flatbed printer. Because of this process each print is a unique work.

BernChild
Acrylics,and JFX200 print on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2020

The Story 
This is one of a series of life themes that belong with the Dike Mysticism exposition, depicting essential life processes and how they are threatened by the rising of the waters. But separate from the Dike Mysticism exposition these are works that stand strong on their own. BernChild is - as you might have guessed - about the child, a very basic life theme indeed.

The underpainting is made in acrylics and over that a black and blue image is printed on a JFX200 flatbed printer. Because of this process each print is a unique work.

EatManger
Acrylics, and JFX200 print on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2020

The Story 
This is one of a series of life themes that belong with the Dike Mysticism exposition, depicting essential life processes and how they are threatened by the rising of the waters. But separate from the Dike Mysticism exposition these are works that stand strong on their own. EatManger is - as you might have guessed - about nourishment, a very basic life theme indeed.

The underpainting is made in acrylics and over that a black and blue image is printed on a JFX200 flatbed printer. Because of this process each print is a unique work.

Under an Orange Sky
Acrylics, oil and JFX2090 print on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2021
Communal XP20 work
Mouhcine Lazgal, Jaaph, Uwe Hoche, Stas Lyashenko

The Story 
This is communal XP20 work that has been sent by snail mail from country to country. It has been worked on in Morocco (Mouhcine Lahzgal), France (by Uwe Hoche), Holland (by JAAPH) and in Ukraine (by Stas Lyashenko).
It expresses many different things. Having to do with female expression, threats to nature, the natural beauty that still surround us in many places and chaos moving in.

If Art is the Top of the Iceberg
Acrylics on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2021
Communal XP20 work
Jaaph, Uwe Hoche, Stas Lyashenko

The Story 
This is communal XP20 work that has been sent by snail mail from country to country. It has been worked on in France (by Uwe Hoche), in Holland (by Jaaph) and in Ukraine (by Stas Lyashenko). It expresses many different things. Having to do with the doubts of the artist (it derives its title form and Andy Warhol quote: "If art is the top of the iceberg, then I'm the part sinking below"), but also the lure of beauty, even under the iceberg and meaning, the blessing or inspiration. And eternal wisdom watching us all from way up.

Our Lady of the Air Waves
Acrylics on canvas, 75 x 75 cm.
2021
Communal XP20 work
Uwe Hoche, Jaaph, Stas Lyashenko

The Story
This is communal XP20 work that has been sent by snail mail from country to country. It has been worked on in France (by Uwe Hoche), in Holland (by JAAPH) and in Ukraine (by Stas Lyashenko).

It expresses many different things. Having to do with female beauty, desire in different forms and especially the magic of the air waves where - today more than ever - a myriad of messages is invisibly being transferred all around us. Luring us. Haunting us. This modern theme is contrasted by the age old process of hand painting.

The Red Dog's Theories were Getting Quite Complex
Acrylics on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2020

The Story
The Red Dog started out on my suitcase as the contours of a sticker. In the upper right hand corner you can still see some remnants of a Samsonite surface structure. Seen through the red dog, there is the Casa Gonzales, where the Samsonite has been. The painting went through a lot of phases, some are covered up to the extent that they are no longer visible. So what do you see? Cognition really. The red dog is thinking and his thoughts are really complex. What comes out of his mouth is not nearly as subtle as what is happening in his mind. And there you have it. The limitations of language.

The Future is Moving in on Us
Acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 30 x 40 cm.
2021

The Story 
Are you moving forward to the future? Not today. Here the future is coming at you. Moving in on your lives like a modern car. The future is not all that tangible, but it is definitely getting closer. Tasty, juicy, seductive and clean. The now is only a small platform. The past is practically empty. Okay.

Doctor Kline's Radiation
Acrylic and cut-outs on canvas board, 40 x 50 cm.
2021

The Story 
In Doctor Kline's universe, this moment is outside time. It's not morning. It's not afternoon or evening or night. Kline is on the sofa, sunk deep in his unconscious mind. Like a toreador he faces several strange creatures. A friendly Frankenstein right behind him. A weird clerical colleague to his right. A flying shark beneath him. A sharp flower blooms down below. Yellow rays are cutting through things. Fortunately a My Little Sea Horse stands guard for Kline. Good luck doctor Kline!

Red Green Macho Male
Acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 30 x 40 cm.
2021

The Story 
I don't think anyone could accuse me of overworking this piece. It bubbled up straight from my unconscious mind and I sort of left is as it came. A wild, yet elegant interplay of energies, with an intellectual eye looking on calmly. Something is breaking down there. An this male definitely does have hoofs.

Gatekeeper
Acrylic and cut-outs on watercolor paper, 30 x 40 cm.
2020

The Story 
Abstract work. I paint something and then I change what needs changing, and then I change that, and then that, and then I change some more and so on... I am not as bad as the Kooning, but I'm getting there. Understanding what I end up with is like reverse engineering. When I look at this I think: there is a struggle. Or maybe a 'gallant fight' is a better phrase. There is a fiery gatekeeper stopping a loaded merchant. He is carrying a black entity. Accompanied by a mountain-goat-like animal.

Compositions #5 and #6
Acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 2 x 14 x 19 cm.
2019

Yellow
JFX200 on canvas, 160 x 60 + 60cm.
2020

The Story 
What's going here? I really don't know. As a modern expressionist, I feel obliged to offer a big story with any work, but in this case I simply can't tell it. I could say: it's an alien arriving. I could say: it's a building in the sky. A magic carpet,? The eye wanders, looking for a place to rest. But wherever it goes, there is more. They say art is an interaction between artist, work and viewer. So I guess this time I will leave the story to you.

Please note that this is a fairly large work on two canvases

Raven
Acrylic, ink, water color, collage on watercolor paper, 40 x 50 cm.
2020

The Story 
Another thing that has happened on the B-line is recycling. I tore up a piece and then I felt bad about throwing it out. I know, that’s not very consistent, but there you have it. So then I took some torn off pieces and glued them to other works. That worked really well. I could quickly try out different compositions by moving the extra parts. And then all I had to do was glue them in and put them in a press overnight. They immediately had the right color, because they were painted already… And then I thought it needed a raven. And that raven was pink. 

Compositions #3 and #4
Acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 2 x 14 x 19 cm.
2019

The Story 
These works grow by themselves, more or less. I have 8 or 10 more of them. The strange thing is, they come in groups. I don’t worry about a thing. Sure, I am working on important pieces. But not now. This is not really important. It’s extra. It’s a spin off. It’s no problem if it doesn’t work. I can simply tear it up if I don’t like it. I actually do that. Even if the work has gone through many iterations, if it ‘stalls’ for too long I tear it up. ‘Riding the B-line’ makes for a lot of unconscious action.

Compositions #1 and #2
Acrylic and ink on watercolor paper, 2 x 14 x 19 cm.
2019

The Story
I was in Spain in January. I had brought watercolor paper and pens and ink, because I wanted to work on some art, and it seemed cumbersome to bring an easel and a big canvas and acrylic paints, and also risky, painting in a rented apartment or a hotel. What I had planned, was to so some 'blotted line' drawings. I had seen a perfect instruction video online, that showed exactly how Andy Warhol did this. But once in Spain, it turned out there was no way I could do the blotted lines. I still don't know why. I did everything exactly as it was shown in the video, but it didn't work. Either no ink was transferred at all, or big stains were transferred. And it had seemed so simple... So I started improvising with the materials at hand and I really enjoyed it.

Good night, Doctor Kline
Acrylic on canvas board, 40 x 50 cm.
2019

The Story
The night has come. Interestingly, Kline's night is brighter than his day has been. Scroll down and see for yourself. Dylan said it: Trying to be tender, with somebody I remember. But the night is always brighter than the day". If you look at the bottom of the painting, you can see the good Doctor falling. Or is he floating? Diving? Jumping? What do you think? Falling or floating? It's a big difference. Above him a group of birds (or are they fish?) are flying or swimming. Definitely night...

Blind Horse Dreaming of Dragons
Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2019

The Story
The blind horse is dreaming. It looks quite comfortable. Happy red-pinkish beings populate its dreams. Tall trees bearing orange fruit in an impressionist orchard. And dragons floating calmly in the sky, one of them looking at the horse with curiosity. When you step into the horse I hope you feel the same. Calm. Interested. Dreaming. Trusting.

Good Evening, Doctor Kline
Acrylic on canvas board, 40 x 50 cm.
2019

The Story
What's going on? The afternoon has passed and the evening has arrived. Where the afternoon was very structured, the evening provides more room for the unconscious mind. Two primordial beast are arriving, like cave paintings. There is a harvest of plants floating down. Primal man would sit by the fire in the evening. Remnants of the day are visible. It's a pretty monolithic thing, the evening.

Good Morning, Doctor Kline
Acrylic on canvas board, 40 x 50 cm.
2019

The Story
The longer you look, the more you see. Here and in life in general. There is a small square building with a lone tree, standing on the edge of a cliff. There's a red staircase going nowhere. Someone is falling straight down with their feet in the air. There's a huge container full of water. There's a steel door and floating black clouds. There's a vague yellow robot standing on the shoulders of an ancestor. There are a few classical mounds of hay in a barren field. And the story goes on. With a collapsing bridge, a yellow bird, an excited meeting... How did it all get here?

Welcome to the working week
Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2019
After... a Word Press photo. I would like to mention the photographer here, but I don't remember.
Do you know who the photographer is? Please message me.

The Story
This painting is part of the first XP2020 team project. We were all making works about fear and excitement.

Some people are sensitive. The city may look innocent, drab even, but it emits dangerous energies. The city creeps up on you. The city is trying to grab you. It is trying to envelop you. The city is trying to drink your soul. The black woman understands. The city is creeping up. Like voodoo. Others may not see it. But she does, all too clearly. She feels fear. That's always how it is. You're afraid of the things that aren't happening yet...

Hounds of the Orange Woods
Acrylic on canvas board, 40 x 40 cm.
2019

The Story
This one is from the same series as 'Waiting for the end of the world'. But I finished it only recently.

You are sailing on a strange boat. That might be the story of your life, right? Sometimes you wonder if it even is a boat. And then out of nowhere, the hound appears with its pale baby rider. It must be coming from the orange woods to the left. It brings a large gray crystal. Makes you think of that old saying: "If the hounds are bringing crystal, the orange woods can't be far off". Your grandmother told you. Anyway, many things are afloat. Like debris in space. The arrival of the hound emphasizes that.

Fear
Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2019-8

The Story
We live in frameworks. Mental and emotional constructions that we call 'The World' or 'Life' or 'Things'. Like when people ask you 'How are things?'. Maybe the most scary thing is when the framework breaks down. Things are not what they seem. Things are not what they were. This is not the life you ordered. Actually, things are not nearly as safe as you thought. Here you see the framework literally being invaded by abstract - but not exactly comforting - entities. Primal fear! Run! And is that car safe. Or is it with them?

I made this work for the XP2020 artists group. We are all making works about fear and excitement. I have a post where you can see more about the process of this work.

Geldersch Landschap
Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2018-3

The Story
In 2018 my wife Anneke and I had a great vacation here in our own country, the Netherlands. We took our bikes and cycled all the way from our home town to the Northern city of Groningen and back. Visited some friends on the way. It was a beautiful vacation. We were struck repeatedly by the beauty of our own country. On our way back, close to Nijmegen where we live, I saw this landscape. Our province is called 'Gelderland', hence the name.

I endeavored to paint this in the style of 'De Ploeg' (The Plow), a Dutch expressionist movement in the province of Groningen in the '30s of the last century. They were strongly influenced by the German expressionist painter Kirchner.

Me big chief me got 'em tribe
Acrylic on canvas board, 40 x 60 cm.
2019-6

The Story
The big chief arrives and brings his entourage with him. You see his dark warriors floating in. And his guiding spirit of course, whom you see on the right side of the painting in a golden color. Small natives scurry off, bigger natives quietly emigrate or prepare to fight. The jester floats above the chief. Is he even real? He looks a bit schematic. Anyway when the big chief arrives with his tribe, all are forced to relate to that, one way or another. And this is an essence of nature. Things happen. There's no morality.

Waiting for the end of the world
Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 cm.
2019-5

The Story
You are in outer space with your small personal space vehicle. It is moored to a little blue asteroid. You have your sign language signaling system up. Catching communications. You never know. But apparently that's not the only thing you are catching. Two stone figures appear. In space, a stone object can drift. But are they really stone? And also, haven't you seen those two before in some museum in Germany? Yes. They were in a display case, pretending to be much smaller and hailing from some old culture. Persia? Irak?

Mister Oswald said he had and understanding with the law
Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2019-1
Original not for sale

The Story
My most carefully executed abstract painting so far. Made especially for my best friend Jeffrey Wijnberg. When Jeffrey saw my first abstract painting, he immediately called out: "I want one of those!". It meant a lot to me. So I set to work, and here it is. What is it about? In a sense it's about nothing specifically. In another sense it's about everything. A bit like Harvey Oswald, right? Maybe he changed history. Maybe he didn't even do it. After all these years we still don't know. And even if he did it, and if he was alone and if he changed history, he was still totally wrong. So there you have it: the human condition in a nutshell...

Somebody send out for the night nurse
Acrylic on canvas, 45 x 90 cm, 2 panels.
2018-11
Original not for sale

The Story
We had refurbished our office building and I felt we needed one more painting for a little, cosy meeting and practice room. But the opening date was approaching quickly and I ran out of time. To save time, I decided to use two 'half size' panels (45 x 90 cm rather than 90 x 90 cm). In the Andy Morris color pouring process I wanted to use, the panels are at some point laid on top of each other with wet paint, making the one in a sense a mirror image of the other - in that particular layer. Using two panels, I would have to paint only half of two full panels while still being able to do the pouring process.

I got to the pouring step, and then I accidentally put the paint on too thickly. Most of the underpainting disappeared under the poured layer. Disaster! So I took the canvasses, ran to the shower and sprayed them with water until they were clean of the poured layer. But because I had been in a hurry finishing these paintings, the underpainting had not been as dry as it should have been. So it turned out I accidentally washed of part of that too....

Having no time to start all over, I decided to keep the slightly washed out background. I did a second colour pouring which turned out much better and I finished the paintings. On the day before the opening I hung them in the little meeting room.

At the time I thought I would take them back to my studio later to finish them. But as time went by, I started to like them as they were. For me, they still carry that moment of artistic shock when I put on too much paint. That's why I called them 'Somebody send out for the night nurse'. They are symbolically about the good things that can come from mistakes if you can roll with them. Good things can come from plan B. Or in this case: stopping on the way to plan B.

Transparent Dutch cat
Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2018-1
Original not for sale

The Story
They say that an artist should give the viewer's eye some resting places in a painting. Offer a clear composition, with some obvious focal points. This painting, the first in a series of two, offers no rest for the viewer. Some people stand in front of it and then quickly turn away, saying something like "Too busy". Others stand in front of it for a long time. They seem to step into it and wander around, discovering new structures and relationships every time. They say the painting changes their mind.

Beckmann's ghost
Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90 cm.
2018-2
Original not for sale

The Story
Symbolic expressionist Max Beckmann is one of my painting heroes. When I got stuck with this painting, his ghost appeared in my mind. He stood behind me and he told me to use grey. I did. Like its counterpart (The transparent Dutch cat, shown above), some people stand in front of it, step into it and wander around for a long time, discovering all kinds of structures and relationships. They say the painting changes their mind.

Blue man and Owl with Spirits
Acrylic on cardboard, 20 x 30 cm.
2018-10

The Story
Like all human beings, the blue man is working hard to balance the forces of emotion, history, his physical state, spirituality, social influences, the biological order of nature and so on and so forth. Poor blue man. So many forces. Such strong forces too. Luckily he is being helped by the solid owl right above him. The wolf is howling, the ballerina is dancing, the dinosaur is floating and the blue man needs strength just to keep standing up.