The Kate Chaos Files - Spring Flip

My parents have always lovingly called me Kate Chaos. Yes guilty as charged. I am a creative chaotic soul, but once in a while I get the urge to create a new space for myself. At that point the beach towels come out of their hiding place as they are my tools for flipping round my furniture. A trick I learned from my mother. I am only a small girl and when I get the urge it has to be done yesterday and not tomorrow! So when there is no extra pair of hands around I am still able to move even the most impossible piece of furniture such as my oversized Empire cabinet, a family heirloom. Here are some pictures of my Spring Flip. Slowly my space is starting to look habitable again. I will share some more pictures once I have restyled in more detail.

Just an Impression

I was flat out yesterday. After a show I always feel a bit drained. So I had a nice quite Sunday by banning my Mac, strolling around Amsterdam with a friend from Stockholm who flew in for the show. Lovely dim sum lunch, a bit of shopping...
I promised pictures here are just a few taken before and at the beginning of popping the first bottles of bubbles. After that the camera was left unemployed on the table between the nibbles and the glasses. Anyway it gives an impression of how the work is displayed in the store. Thank you friends, fans and family for coming!

Showtime!

Absolutely no time to do a posting yesterday as I was busy hanging my paintings for my exhibition. In my next posting I will share pictures of my work in the setting of the gorgeous interior design store of Eveline Schmitz. For now I will just share some pictures of work that will be on exhibition (I am showing 20 pieces in total).

The Blogger Sisters - Ashlina Kaposta

The wonderful world of blogging continues to amaze me. Girls, Blogger Sisters!!! How on earth do we find time everyday to post delicious inspiring stories and pictures. Do we still feed our husbands, boyfriends, kids, dogs, cats and the goldfish? Do we ever find time to sleep? Do we still get our work done or is blogging our actual dream job? There is one girl in Beverly Hills that continues to amaze me: Ashlina Kaposta.
Vibrant, colourful, energetic, a real power blogger with a big heart and great taste. Her blog is one of my favourite daily shots of inspiration. Do visit her blog on Secrets of Domestic Bliss.

New Press - GLAMOUR

Editor Janice Deul was so sweet to write about my upcoming exhibition The Art of The Mix, starting this Saturday in the gorgeous setting of interior design store Eveline Interieur in Bloemendaal (Netherlands).
Thank you Janice!

Showcasing - Singapore 2005 - Early days

 In this picture: gallery owner Ros Lovell, Dutch ambassador Chris Sanders & the artist

The opening 

It all started in Singapore around the year 2000. On my business card it said "Regional Director Legal & Compliance Corporate Finance". Living in a colonial mansion, travelling, working round the clock. Every time I came back from a trip my head was spinning. So I took up a hobby to relax and empty my head: painting.
I never had any formal art education. I just started, followed my instinct, translating the many impulses my brain received on canvas. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Jakarta, Mumbai... I strongly believe that I would have gone mad without the escape to my brushes. Friends were supportive and genuinely enthousiastic, started to buy my work and one thing led to the another. In 2005 (still in banking) I had my first solo exhibition in Singapore at Galerie Cho-Lon (which unfortunately closed last year). At that time we had moved back to Amsterdam (via Stockholm). In 2006 I finally dared to jump and quit my corporate job to become a full time artist and designer, blazing my own trail in a world that I am starting discover slowly but steadily.

Blue Vibes

SOLAR in "Safron & Navy"  (pictures: Cadrys)

Thanks to a comment on my Red Vibes post from Mark yesterday I have more vibes to share. Mark was so kind to point me to the stunning Florence Broadhurst rugs collection. My absolute favourite is the SOLAR in "Safron & Navy". The collection is made by handwoven rug specialist Cadrys.

Red vibes

The World of Interiors -Rug by Odegard

 Portrait of Guus Preitinger (the artist's wife) by Kees van Dongen dated 1911

Wallpaper "Japanese Floral" by Florence Broadhurst

I was digging through my "archives" yesterday as I am trying to decide on the colour scheme for my booth at the Dutch "Maison et Objet" in September.  I love strong colours but I can not say that I have one particular favourite. Red is vibrant and warm, but it can be very dominant. However if applied in the right manner it can add the right punch whether it is in interior design, art or fashion.

Women with Passion - Emilie Charmy

Yesterday I spend the day at TEFAF Maastricht, the world's leading art and antique fair and I fell in love... I fell madly in love with French artist Emilie Charmy (1878-1974). It was my first encounter with her work and her story. In Emilie's days many women were shunned from the art world but she pursued her passion despite the fact that at the time women were not allowed to study at the art academy.
She worked amongst others with my big hero Matisse. While painting she would follow her instinct, using bold colours and developed her own distinctive style. Standing in front of her work you can just feel the passion, the love that she had for her art.
In this picture I am standing with Mr Zimmerman of Kunsthaus Buehler in front of one of Emilie's striking self portaits.

A painting on the front cover of Women Artists and the Parisian Avant Garde by Gill Perry (unfortunately out of print)

Self portrait

Emilie Charmy in her Studio

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

click here to visit webstore

 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE WEBSTORE

Artist Studio - Amsterdam

Pictures by Henny van Belkom for Joie de Vivre magazine

Here are some pictures that I would love to share.  Taken in the studio that I had just before I decided to become a full time artist and designer. The pictures look like the ultimate artist's dream. Yes it was a wonderful studio with high ceilings, ornaments and lots of light but the girl holding the brush was at that time still a corporate girl only "playing artist" in her free time!

Reflecting on Imperfection

pictures: brochure Hermitage museum, Red Room by Matisse, Interior Paintings by Mariska Meijers

This weekend I was struggling with my painting. There are days that I see every imperfection in my work. The hairs of my paintbrush that have settled neatly in the dried oils, crooked lines, uneven colouring...On those days I just have to take a step back from my work. It has never been my intention to strive for accuracy in my paintings but on those days I feel that nothing that I do is good enough.
Best remedy in such case is some fresh air and a museum visit. So I hopped on my bike yesterday to visit The Hermitage Amsterdam. Yes! In case you didn't know St Petersburg's Hermitage has a Dutch baby sister. The current exhibition is "From Matisse to Malevich" (until September 2010). Matisse is my absolut hero.  Standing in front of his Red Room with all its  "imperfections" made me smile again.

Cluster Wall

I have always been fond of this picture.  Taken in September 2005 by photographer Margré Mijer. At that stage I was still working for a bank and dreaming of a full time artistic carreer. I needed pictures to market my first solo exhibition in Singapore. I look so happy and proud in front of my first cluster wall. Now 5 years later I am well on my way as an artist and designer. Doesn't time just fly when you are having fun!

The Art of the Mix

Today some new work was photographed for my upcoming exhibition "The Art of The Mix" at interior design store Eveline Interieur (Bloemendaal, The Netherlands). I just love doing eclectic interiors. Playing with colour and patterns, juxtaposing objects. Painting interior portraits is like therapy. Otherwise I would be reinventing my house every other week!
This painting is done in oils and measures 80x100cm.

Artist Studio - Amsterdam

Pictures - Rogier Veldman for Staalmagazine

An artist needs space so they say. I have had 3 different studio's in Amsterdam but somehow I have never been able to settle in to these spaces. My house is where my soul is, it is my oversized inspiration board. Surrounded by all the things I love I accomplish my best work. Here are 2 photo's of one of my previous studio's. It was the typical romantic run down place but I kept missing my "stuff" around me.