Inspiration: Purple & Yellow

interior design by Charles Rutherfoord (images WOI) 

    one of my purple & yellow inspired paintings Blossom & Waves (40x40cm, oil on canvas)

 Two of my silk pillow designs

Over Easter the colours purple and yellow have kept me busy. Egg yellow, like in the packaging of Aqua di Parma and deep shades of purple. I simply love their richness. In my files I found some old tear outs  from The World of Interiors showing some interior shots of a house designed by Charles Rutherfoord. Although I have used the colour combination before in my paintings and designs I feel I would like to use them again.

Women with Passion - Joan Sutherland & my mother

Dame Joan Sutherland (Maria Stuarda) with my mother Tine van Grootel (Anna)

Just came back from a wonderful weekend with my family. My parents live in a historic house in the South of Holland near Maastricht. It is filled with things they love and cherish. Everytime I visit my childhood memories revive big time. On the piano there is this black&white photograph by Jaap Pieper. I was about 4 years old when my mother started to study at the conservatory to become an opera singer. Single mum, 3 small kids, chasing her dream on just a scholarship. She was incredably talented but in "her" days opera wasn't particulary popular in The Netherlands.
In order to attract audience, the Dutch Opera Foundation would often engage opera stars from abroad for the leading roles. For the production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda they engaged Australian born Joan Sutherland to perform the role of Maria. My mother was casted for one of the other main characters, Anna. She loved every single minute of her work with this beautiful star especiallly because she is so passsionate, down to earth, hardworking with a warm personality. After the production our family was invited to her house near Montreux (Switzerland). It was an amazing place,  I lost count of the amount of rooms when she gave us the house tour, but she made us feel very welcome.

Women with Passion - Carolle Thibaut Pommerantz

 

Carolle Thibaut-Pommerantz

 The book Wallpaper published by Flammarion

 She wrote a lovely dedication in my copy of her book.

An amazing Chinese wallpaper panel from Carolle Thibaut's collection

 

Carolle Thibaut-Pommeranz with "my" blue domino 

 

Carolle & moi in front of a fragment of "Les Monuments de Paris"

A week or two ago I wrote about my visit to the TEFAF, one of the world's most renowned art and antique fairs. It was a day full of wonderful encounters including one with the passionate, stylish Carolle Thibaut-Pommerantz. Carolle is an art dealer who specializes in vintage wallpapers from the 18th century to the art deco period, as well as fine contemporary artists' wallpaper. Her adventure, as she calls it, with wallpaper began accidentally in 1986 when she walked into an auction house in Paris. "I was dazzled and seduced by the variety of decors and the wealth of colours...". Well so was I when I walked into her booth. One of my absolute favourite pieces was a framed so called "domino" with blue flowers and acanthus leaves. As it happens it is also on the cover of her book WALLPAPER recently published by Flammarion. The book is an absolute must have for everyone who loves interior design. Thank you Carolle for introducing me to your beautiful world of wallpaper.

Revamping!

I have been playing a little bit with the lay-out of my blog today, in between errants, client visit, and shuffling a bit more furniture. I can't get the header quite right yet. Technical things are not really meant for me. In the picture a chair and moodboard patiently waiting to be repositioned. To be continued.....

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.