About me

A Rebel With A Cause 

Rebellion is the true nature of individuality. By taking the path less travelled, it leads me to the treasure of exploring the real adventure of life. I rather follow and manifest my dreams than simply dreaming them and serving the machinery of society and its expectations. I am a free, ‘outside the box’ thinker.

What is a free thinker? ‘It is someone who can see beyond the current structures imposed by life. It is a person who lives for the spontaneity of his or her own creativity. Free thinkers also live freely. They follow no one, even though they may have been influenced and inspired by others’.

With my art I bring something fresh into the world. Through my art I express my individual uniqueness and my own true nature. Some people may consider me eccentric, quirky or an outsider - I on the contrary consider myself an insider to the secret processes of life. Through my art  I invite you into my free world.

“Where The Spirit does not work with The Hand, there’s no Art”

― Leonardo da Vinci

It is my life purpose to keep pointing out what humanity is doing: the depletion of the earth's resources, the destruction of nature, the perpetuation of poverty and inequality.

I do this in my own, rebellious way, by showing that man can also have a rich and fulfilling life in other ways. By not just dreaming, but by daring to do my dreams: a simple life, regenerative where possible by trying to give back to the earth more than what the earth has given me, and self-sufficient and self-determining as much as possible.

In my art, I emphasize the beauty of nature and my positive view of how it will sustain itself despite the destructive power of man. It will sustain itself, nourished by the earth and by oceans that will recover in the long run. Without humans, or with humans who no longer feel elevated above all that lives on the earth. Humans who realize that the only beneficial growth for the earth and everything on it is a growth that enriches everything, and exhausts and abuses nothing.

When I’m outside to make photos, I first look at the light. Then I look at the large surfaces, call it the rough composition, and the colors. Only then do I look at the details, and especially to determine what I want to omit from the photo. And the latter determines whether the artwork becomes abstract and minimalistic, abstract realistic, impressionistic or surrealistic impressionistic.

Artist Statement

Daily life in the western world is overflowing with stimuli that continuously force our senses to the limit of their abilities. In my photographs I seek to capture the simplicity and tranquility of natural environments and to share my experience of nature’s soul.

I create my artworks with the colors that the natural light gives me. My camera is my only tool. My work is often described by others as surrealistic and impressionistic. My style is distinct and pure, characterized by coarse grain, overexposure, soft focus and the effects created by how I move my camera when making the photo.

I like experimenting and exploring the limits of what the camera can handle.

I myself describe my style as surrealistic impressionism.

I mostly work in nature where I immerse myself in the shapes, colors, sounds and stillness of the natural surroundings. 

My work can be described as the most pure form of fine art photography, since I choose to create the abstract, surrealistic and/or impressionistic effects as seen in my photographs, using only the basic camera settings.

Photo software is used only to remove dust or to adjust brightness, contrast and cropping to improve my compositions. I don’t manipulate my photos and I don’t use digital editing tools or filters. Of course unless I am creating a digital artwork based on my own photographs, but then I will clearly indicate that in the description of the work.

The titles of my photos are an important element of the entire work of art. In addition, I often write a short poem or a few lines of prose to a photo.

Biography

I am a self taught fine art photographer, with extensive experience in analog photography, developing and printing in my own darkroom, as well as working with digital cameras.

At the age of twelve, my father gave me my first camera. It was his old camera, an Agfa Click I. Thus he could prevent that I, especially during holidays, continuously asked him to allow me to take a photo with his camera. I still have a few of the first photos I made with it…
At the age of sixteen I bought my first SLR (Single-lens reflex) camera, at the age of seventeen I wanted to learn to develop and print my own black and white films. Since I didn’t have the money to buy an enlarger, I built one myself of wood and used the lens of my camera.

Since 2014, after quitting a demanding job in facilities management and real estate, I focused on simple, natural and sustainable living. This new way of living is reflected in my work; I am exploring the simpleness and the stillness of pure, natural environments with my camera.

I was born in the city of Gouda, the Netherlands in 1959. In the summer of 2018 my wife and I moved from a larger city in The Netherlands to a small hamlet in northwest Jutland. We fell in love with the Thy-region about ten years ago… We live a simple, minimalistic life, as self sufficient and sustainable as possible, and we love it…
The North Sea and the nature reserve National Park Thy are my muses.

My photographs are being exhibited around the world and have been sold to collectors and art lovers in various countries.

It is my belief that I grow by looking, listening and feeling what others are creating -feelings, words, sounds, objects, images, … – and by trying to understand what that creation could mean to them and means to me. That does not automatically have to mean that I think the creation is beautiful or interesting.
We become richer by consciously looking around. Whether what we see is to us beautiful or ugly; interesting or uninteresting; worth to keep, remember and cherish or suitable for immediate disposal… All that is not relevant, because everything contributes to our personal education, growth and creativity.

― Jacob

Abstracting a Danish landscape

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance”

― Aristotle

How to purchase

Do you like one of my photos and do you consider buying it, but want to see how it looks in your interior beforehand?
Follow the steps on the page Preview before purchase and I’ll send you a photomontage of the desired photo in your office, living room, bedroom or any other room ! 

Questions or orders you can send to me by email

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