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| oil paint on canvas, sketch of the weather, A4, 2026 |
Two friends
There is a certain motivation involved to travel to the other side of the world in pursuit of making art. One might call it a 'slight madness', because we could have chosen a different life. A regular job, a home, a circle of friends. And yet, when opportunity arises, we take up our art materials and go. With 'we' I mean me. And maybe also Yoko. We're birds of a feather, so to speak. In 2004 I met Yoko Enoki in Antwerp where she studied painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. It was the start of our friendship, driven by an ongoing dialogue of rare topics, mostly on painting. What moves us to make art? There are so many answers. These past few days I have been looking forward for the moment when Yoko arrives in Zundert. I cleaned the Kosterswoning and adjacent atelier, I put my paintings and materials on one side to free up space for her, I planted chives, pumpkin and coriander in the garden, I thought about sightseeing in the countryside. The anticipation gives rise to my best abilities, I want to paint as good as I can to welcome her. To paint for someone makes me feel part of a past and present all coming together in this beautiful town. The old pear tree flowers, big white clouds drift by in a wide blue sky, the beech trees and hedges are coming into leaf. Everywhere we hear birds singing.
But the expectations didn't match reality. I don't know what happened. There is no explanation, I guess we drifted apart like the clouds in the sky. The residency was an incredible experience, we met wonderful artists, the hawthorn flowered in drifts of white so strong they light up blue at night. The owl hooted from nearby. With binoculars I looked at the night sky and between the stars new stars appeared. I walked on the Moeren, former peatlands turned into nature conservation. I stood on the dirt road looking at dry shrubs of heath, the air bright and simmering with a pale yellow sun. We divided the time in the studio and tried to make our time here as good as possible. It's no one's fault. Friendships come and go.
Our duo exhibition is on view from 26 april to 30 april at Kosterswoning, Elisabethlaan 1a, Zundert, The Netherlands. Open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 12.30 - 16.30h https://www.vangoghhuis.com/artist-in-residence/
The forager's allotment I made in the museum garden of the Van Gogh Huis is accessible via the Van Gogh Huis museum. https://www.vangoghhuis.com/en/vincent-van-gogh-house/
