By exhibiting my work, it leaves the studio and is exhibited in isolation. In that setting, the work reveals its own strength and emotions, which the viewer may share to a greater or lesser extent. Once it is hung, the work becomes visible and is judged as an autonomous entity. For me, as the artist, that is an important moment.

Since secondary school, I have kept travel sketchbooks in which I draw buildings, landscapes and people as visual notes of my journeys, a drawn diary. For many years I resisted painting people, but I now see it as a challenge. I do not paint portraits, instead, I depict people on the move, travelling through life with all the emotions that journey entails. My own travels are the source of inspiration for these works.

As a notorious fire-maker, I have always been enjoyed fire and the act of making it. The fires on my property inspire a series of works in which fire and smoke become the central subjects. As with much of my work, which exists somewhere between heaven and earth, fire also takes on a deeper, symbolic meaning.

Each person’s palette of life is unique, shaped by their own experiences, emotions and thoughts. I record my memories as layers stitched together, from which a new image continually emerges. Each person has a unique perception of life, formed by these different experiences. The sequence of memories forms the starting point for each individual canvas.

The viaduct on Sint Geertruiderweg beneath the N2 tells the story of the annual Bronk, the procession that passes through the surrounding villages each spring, through a sketch-like mural in vibrant colours. Commissioned by the Municipality of Eijsden-Margraten, I designed and created this work.

Rooks in the field after mowing my meadow are the direct inspiration for a series of paintings and sketches of rooks and kitchen scissors. Rooks are expressive birds; their distinctive posture and the subtle blue sheen on their wings inspire a delicate play of colour. The sketches of the rooks gradually evolve into paintings and are ultimately placed within abstract compositions of coloured stripes. With its distinctive shape, the kitchen scissors suddenly seem to resemble a rook and also become a tool for painting. What is close at hand becomes the starting point.

Journeys through cities and nature inspire a series of paintings featuring figures among columns and within landscapes. Fragments of buildings and columns form the décor of the world we inhabit.

The journey to Morocco as the starting point for a series of woven works, exploring colour and interweaving. Against the dry landscape, the vibrant colours of painted houses, flags, clothing, the blue sky and dye baths stand out in sharp contrast. These colours form the starting point for interweaving painted canvases into new compositions. The weaving technique itself is based on the simple braiding method I learned at school as a child.

The fading of memory is the starting point for a series of paintings in which fragmented memory forms the foundation. Everyone encounters older people living with dementia, whose lives are shaped by fragments of memory. The parts of a lived life reveal themselves in fragments and create to a new image of life. This process provides the inspiration for a new series of paintings.

Home – No home. Refugees, young men from Africa, dream of a beautiful world in Europe. In large numbers, they arrive in a fake world of Europe, where they sell counterfeit watches, mobile phones, bags, sports shoes and sunglasses. They sell Eiffel Tower souvenirs as keychains, while they themselves do not even have a key to a home. The work reveals the painful contrast of their double situation. In search of a house, a home, they find themselves in a world that balances between fake and real. This touches me deeply.