David Hicks II

Another touch of David Hicks. A page from Maison Francaise. The picture was taken in 1978 in David Hick's interior design store in London. He designed everything from the furniture to the ceramics. A real candy store. I will have MY candy store at some point! davidhicksfrance.com

David Hicks

Today I became a "facebook" fan of www.davidhicksfrance.com/. To you who know my art & designs will immediately understand why I am drawn to his work. Who says colour clashing interiors can't be stylish! Picture: courtesy davidhicksfrance.com.

Artists at work

    

A big canvas today. The over-sized version of a water colour sketch I did last week. Size matters! Can't help loving to attack a canvas where I need at least a step stool or a chair to reach the top. It reminds me of a picture of Matisse at work on "Nymph in the Forest" in his studio at Hotel Regina in Nice (photograph by Varian Fry). He will always be my one of my heroes.

Blossom

Rainy Saturday what great day to paint. Almost done with one of my signature blossom pieces for my next exhibition at Arps&Co Fine Arts in Amsterdam.

Kaleidoscope II

This is one of the water colour sketches I did after my visit to the quilt exhibition at Textile Museum of Canada. I am going to translate this to one of my new oil paintings. Can't wait!

Kaleidoscope

On the last day of my Toronto trip I finally had time to do a bit of culture and went to the Textile Museum of Canada on Centre Avenue. They had an amazing exhibition of antique quilts curated by Max Allen. What a craftmanship. I feel inspired by the patterns and have already started to make sketches to use in my paintings and textile designs.

Toronto

Well I have been off line for a few days. I flew to Toronto last Friday and have been helping my sister who just moved to her new house in the Beaches.  In the picture a quick water color impression of her romantic blue house.

Holiday spirit

I made an illustration for the invitation of my festive exhibition at Stock Interiors in December. Jeroen and Leonie Stock have a wonderful eclectic taste. They have no fear when it comes to combining colours and patterns and that is exactly why my art and textiles feel at home in their store.
http://www.stockinteriors.nl/

Addicted to tinkering around

Whoops... another day has past and I am still tinkering around with my water colours. May be it is strange coming from an artist to say that I almost feel guilty having done hardly anything else. Unfortunately my to do list does not spontaneousely shorten by itself. Well, tomorrow is another day to tend to the building of my webshop, sales calls, press release, accounting, grocery shopping, getting my winter boots fixed, making homework with my kids, etc. etc.

Tinkering around

I am spending the day tinkering around with water colours. I have a small exhibition in one of my favourite interior design stores, Stock Interiors in Amsterdam, in December. I usually paint my  "Interiors" in oils on big scale canvasses but I am making a series with water colours for this exhibition as the store is small. Water colour is asking a lot more from me in terms of focus as with oils a "mistake" is easily corrected. Here is one I did this morning featuring my French lamp.

Style

I find that this picture defines style. It is from a Kate Spade homeware advertisment.

Minnie mouse and the recovering economy

On today's business news I heard that the Dutch economy is recovering. One of the factors being increased exports to Asia. I have a "minnie mouse" business but everytime I ship my products to other countries I feel proud. Last week it was boxes filled with my stationery published by Bekking & Blitz, destination Singapore. Let there be loads of minnie mice.

Shoot

I gave myself a present today. There are those days that one just deserves it.. So far I have been taken pictures with my phone for my blog. Mwaaaa not too good. I am no camera wizard so I bought myself a very simple tiny canon ixus. Tried to "shoot" my mood board first.

Fearless

I have always been fearless when it comes to mixing styles, colours and patterns. I can drewl over intriging photographs of interiors and I have been collecting articles and books on interiors for many years. Here are two pictures by Pascal Chevalier of Eric Wright's flamboyant Parisian appartment. I believe they are from an issue of The World of Interiors many years back. He didn't want his appartment to look "predictably decoratively correct". Oh how I can relate to that!

Feeling blue

Today I am feeling a bit blue. It doesn't suit me at all, but I can't deny that there are days that I am just wondering "what the hell was I thinking.....". I am lucky that those blue episodes don't last for long. There is just too much enjoyment and challenge in what I am doing.....painting, creating something new.
The picture is by Henny van Belkom a very talented Dutch photographer whith a passion for interiors.

Stars, food & art

There are days that I get more little stars in my eyes than usual. I designed 10 culinary greeting card illustrations for 3 Michelin star chef Jonnie Boer and his sommelier wife Therese of restaurant the Librije. This picture was taken last Saturday (after a divine 5 course lunch!). Next to me in the picture is my culinary" partner in crime" Lise Goeman Borgesius.

Interior - Kees van Dongen

In my blog I occasionally show picures of artists' studios. I love visiting them but there are plenty that I will never have a chance to see for the simple reason that they have vanished. Alexander Liberman was a photographer who set out to visit artists after World War II to document their lives and inspiring surroundings. Here is a picture of Dutch painter Kees van Dongen in his vast Paris studio, 87 years of age, surrounded by his paintings and cherished objects, reading, his desk cluttered, he almost disappears in the space.

Objects of desire

A little display with objects I cherish, including porcelain birds and an old art catalogue featuring work of Braque. The quality of this picture is lousy, I really need to buy myself a proper camera!

Princesses

Besides Snow White I am connected to another princess as I was named after one: Mariska, the circus princess. It was a very popular book in my childhood written by the Hungarian writer Sandor Kis. I keep it on a stand next to my mood board. On the cover a little girl balancing on the back of a horse, how appropriate!

Textiles

Designing fabric is one thing, having them produced a whole other ball game. I work with a wonderful fabric producer. I get excited everytime I get a new production in. The colours are always as vibrant as I intended them to be. This picture features the orange version of my "In Bloom" series.

Yellow

Filing some pictures I came across this "yellow" one taken at an art opening in Amsterdam. Besides wearing yellow I also love to use it in my paintings, especially cadmium yellow which has a beautiful depth and warmth.

Come rain, come shine

Unbelievable the amount of rain today. I am longing for the sun pouring into my house. Here is a picture I took this summer. A glimpse of my interior with plenty of sunlight.

Women & Shoes

I have done quite a few shoe paintings and illustrations. I did these summer slippers as a greeting card for a goodiebag at the International Amsterdam Fashion Week. What is it with women and shoes. A shoe to a woman is what a woman is to a man. Simply irresistible!

Playing with Vogue Nippon

I have been playing with pages of Vogue Nippon today as I need to create some fun affordable pieces for an event this Sunday. I have painted my signature blossoms, but what a different feel they have with models and Japanese characters shining through.

Working Sundays

It is not unusual for me to work on a Sunday. Today it was cold and wet, ideal conditions to sit behind my apple with a cup of tea (and too much chocolate!!). From my desk I look outside but also into my open plan kitchen. Here is a snapshot of a little corner in my kitchen.

Oblivious

Spring cleaning today (in October!) made me go through boxes with old photographs. This is me 12 months plus, completely oblivious of what it takes to get from where you are to where you want to be...I love life!

Exposed!

I would not be able to "expose" my work with the help of other creative people. This is the advert for Singapore magazine Expat Living that graphic designer Petra Bullee is working on. We are still making some changes but it's looking fab already.

Sales efforts

There are days that one just has to tend to sales. Creating is one thing, being admired absolutely wonderful, but hey......Here is a picture of my marketing campaign for my designer pillows, courtesy of one of my French corporate clients Sofitel Accor.

Artist Studio - Picasso

I have always been intriged by artist studios. I love to visit them and collect books & pictures of studios. This is a picture of Picasso's atelier Notre-Dame de Vie at Mougins from a book by photographer David Douglas Duncan.

Bejeweled

I have been commissioned to design a Christmas card for a jewelry store. I have been dreaming up some earrings, but now I want them!

Florence Broadhurst

I am reading "Florence Broadhurst, her secret & extraordinary lives" by Helen O'Neill. I came across her name because I saw her amazing wall paper designs in a magazine. I love reading about other artists and designers, to find out what drives and inspires them. The story of Broadhurst is indeed extraordinary as only at the age of sixty!! she launched herself as a designer, founding a high-end wall paper design studio. I am a big believer in reinventing, innovating oneself. This is what keeps me passionate and full of life.

Progressing painting

Finally some time behind my easel today. I am just a one woman band, as a start-up I simply do "the works", from designing, to sales pitches, marketing, the book keeping (aaargh my favourite part), coordinating the production of my pillows etc etc. There are days that being able to paint feels like a luxury, but it is the basis of all my creations. The great thing is that I never lack inspiration so when I have the time it just flows...Here is a detail.

Still in the mood

Mood board

I simply can not live without my mood board. Ideas float and I pin them down. Here is a detail of my life-size mood board with a sketch that I made for my "Owl 76" throw & cushions.

Singapore revisited

Today I received photos of the opening of my exhibition at Originals in Singapore, courtesy of Expat Living magazine. Geri, owner of Originals, and I with Dutch ambassador Johannes W. Gruvonius Jansing who was so kind to open the exhibition.

Chaos Theory

Since I was I child every once in a while I have this uncontrolable urge to change my space. I cherish my furniture, art, nick nacks so the content of my appartment does not really change, but I am very creative moving things around. Once I start it looks like a bomb has dropped in my appartment. This is why my father nick-named me "Kate Chaos".

Flowers

One of the beauties of Amsterdam is the abundance of flowershops. McBloom is around the corner of my house and even if I do not need flowers I often stop to look at their display. Simply divine!

Splurge

Today my ever stylish friend Mo advised me to go to vintage boutique "Petit Salon". Situated at one of Amsterdam's canals the "Singel". It turned out to be a real candy store, just the right thing when you need a treat. I am now the proud owner of a "vintage" silver Chanel hand bag!

New Collection

My new pillows have arrived today!! Warm yellow, mint green, rich, bold, little gems on your sofa.

Let there be light

Light is essential. I love lamps with a history, lamps that create atmosphere. I found this lamp base a long time ago in the South of France. I fell in love with it instantly. The Hermes orange, the delicate portrait "en profile" framed with little pearls. It has also been a source of inspiration for some of my work.

Interior with White Roses

I love painting interiors & still lifes. My source of inspiration is all around me, every little corner, filled with books, flea market finds, art...My house is an oversized mood board.

Work in progress

Inspired by my trip to Singapore I started a new painting this weekend. Here is just a detail. So far I have applied two layers of paint. It feels great being back behind my easel. It will be a long night...

Singapore

Today is the last day of my exhibition in Singapore. My work looked great in the space of Geri Murphy's Originals. I am happy that some beautiful pieces have found new owners!

Mae West

Walking in the French Quarter in New Orleans this Summer I found a great little store named after its owner Nadine Blake. One of the things I picked up was a series of cards with quotes of Mae West, hand printed by Nadine's husband. "I used to be Snow White but I drifted" was one of them. I love quotes, especially when I can relate to them.