As a child she got her artistic development without effort. Her father, a driven hobby painter, taught her the basics and stimulated her. Over the years she developed her skills. Many of her works found a place, although she never exposed in exhibitions. All emotions found their way into her paintings, life itself teaching and inspiring her. All of her work, her development and her career are truly amazing for an artist, who in the “art world” was considered an outsider. Always looking for her “Ithaca”: her journey through life to find and to develop herself. The ultimate reality of the day-to-day adventure filled with experiences, brought to life on canvas.

 

It was some twenty years ago that a teacher from art academy criticed and accused her of wanting too much. She wanted to go from first to sixth grade instantly. But a year later she visited Charles Eyck who looked at her paintings and encouraged her to go on. To develop what was in her and to take no more lessons.

At the beginning of 1998 chance brought her the possibility to start her own gallery and workshop. The time had come to come out of the closet with her work. This led to a mere explosion of national and international reactions that came down on her like a waterfall. Together with a befriended artist, she founded the Art Group “Ithaca International” in May 1999, which carried the same name as her gallery. The six members of the Art Group, renowned artists from the Netherlands and France bond closely soon. 

 

 

Slowly but surely her classic style, oil on canvas evolved in a more lyrical abstract in acrylic. Caused by her yearlong experience with different materials, new works emerge in mixed media, sand, rope, cloth, led, wood fibers etc. etc, which predicted a new dimension with great potential for the future.

Because of those developments she decided to sell her Gallery mid 2002 and spend more time with what she loves most: painting. She moved her workshop to the particularly beautiful and quiet village of Eysden. The rural atmosphere and new location gave her new inspiration and the quiet time to work.