jacob berghoef Archives

June 1, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

Getting lost in the pale light

Marshes have a special appeal. Is it the calm water? The assumption that "the whole world" used to look like this, long ago? Or is it the many mysterious places among the reeds, where something may have been hiding?

In any case, what particularly attracts me is the pale light that often prevails through the mists, through the many light-colored grasses and reeds and through the large reflective surfaces.

Everything in a swamp seems thinner, fragile almost, untouchable….
At the same time, it is not difficult to feel part of the landscape. The silence absorbs you, the mists make you feel like you are floating above the water.

Below are three new works in my collections 'Flat Lands' and 'Digital Art'.
I made all three artworks by transforming photos that I made in the small and scenic nature reserve Overasseltse En Hatertse Vennen near the city of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

(Text continues below the images)

Dancing On The Water's Edge - Digitally transformed fine art photography - Dancing my lonely dance on the water’s edge, nobody here to disturb My silence — *Dancing On The Water's Edge*

Found Me A Place To Muse - Digitally transformed fine art photography - As I sit by the bank musing, the first light of morning gently clears the haze in my mind — *Found Me A Place To Muse*

Getting Lost In The Pale Light - Digitally transformed fine art photography - Marshes have a special appeal. Is it the calm water? The assumption that "the whole world" used to look like this? Or is it the many mysterious places among the reeds, where something may have been hiding? — *Getting Lost In The Pale Light*

General info on these artworks

These are digital artworks, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The works come in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these digitally transformed fine art photography artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. After editing it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. The result is a surrealistic atmosphere that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message, or visit my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork pages

Digitally transformed fine art photography by © Jacob Berghoef

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

May 18, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

Spring Morning At The Pond

I sit on a stone,
on the west side of the pond

Staring at the water,
waiting.
Nobody understands why

All I want is to see how
the rising sun colors the flowers
in the ripples
of a gentle spring breeze.

'Spring Morning At The Pond' is a new artwork in my collection 'Secret Places'.

Spring Morning At The Pond - Surrealistic impressionistic artwork by Jacob Berghoef — *Spring Morning At The Pond*

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

May 17, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

Echo Of My Thoughts

In the morning of my dream
Only shadows will remain
Echoing the light of my thoughts

'Echo Of My Thoughts' is a new surrealistic impressionistic digital artwork in my collection 'The Narrow Path'.

Echo of My Thoughts - Digital surrealistic impressionistic artwork by Jacob Berghoef — *Echo of My Thoughts*

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

Tags: dark, dream, echo, fine art photography, jacob berghoef, light, morning, shadows, surrealism, surrealistic digital art, surrealistic expressionism, surrealistic impressionism, surrealistic photography, thoughts

March 5, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

Healing Forest

We lie on our backs on a patch of grass among tall trees and look up. All sorts of things are flying through the air. Thick bumblebees and dragonflies, swooping swallows, dandelion fluff, an airplane on its way to a distant destination, gossamer silver threads of a spider, patches of clouds, butterflies chasing each other, a buzzard. Most you only see, some you also hear.

The swaying treetops create an ever-changing light on the ground. The shadow play is almost hallucinatory. Everywhere rustles and everything seems to be moving. With a little imagination, a gnome suddenly shuffles out from behind a tree stump, or a nimble forest elf dances on a branch.

We have been lying here for half an hour now, and the beneficial effect such an environment has on body and mind is already becoming noticeable.

Shinrin-Yoku

Japanese have known this for a long time, and have a name for it: Shinrin-Yoku. The word shinrin means forest, and the word yoku stands for absorbing the atmosphere through your senses. We call it in proper Dutch "bosbaden" forest bathing. For years it has been the ultimate 'secret' in Japan to - now scientifically proven - living a healthier, calmer and happier life.
Through Shinrin-Yoku you reconnect with nature in many ways. Consciously spending time in nature can lower your blood pressure, relieve stress and strengthen your immune system. Also, "forest bathing" can boost your energy, creativity and concentration.

Have you ever taken a forest bath?

Healing Forest - The canopy of a Danish forest, transformed in multiple layers — Healing Forest - The canopy of a Danish forest

Text: Anuscka. Artwork: me

Anuscka wrote the original text in July 2018, just before we moved permanently from the Netherlands to Denmark. She had rather severe lower back pain at the time, but experienced great benefit from meditation in the forest.

Anuscka's original blogpost

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

Tags: digital art, expressionism, fine art, fine art photography, forest, healing, healing forest, impressionism, jacob berghoef, Jacob Berghoef FineArtPhotography, Shinrin-Yoku, sky, surrealism, surrealistic expressionism, surrealistic impressionism

December 31, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

The First Light (2)

The first light
Slowly awakening trees,
for a brief moment
woven in liquid gold

'The First Light' is a new artwork in my collection 'Wavy Fields’.

The First Light - Trees in golden morning light - Digital artwork based on fine art photography by Jacob Berghoef

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

Tags: dark, fine art photography, gold, impressionism, impressionistic digital art, impressionistic landscape, Impressionistic photography, jacob berghoef, light, modern art, morning, reflections, surrealism, surrealistic art, surrealistic digital art, surrealistic impressionism, surrealistic photography, trees, water

December 31, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Kissing The Clouds

Morning glow
The sun kisses the clouds
Blinded by the eye

A beautiful autumn morning. The sun appears on the horizon, its warm light kisses the clouds above the fields in Kobberø, Thy region, North Jutland, Denmark.

'Kissing The Clouds' is a new artwork in my collection 'Wavy Fields’.

Kissing The Clouds - A beautiful autumn morning. The sun appears on the horizon, its warm light kisses the clouds above the fields. - Digital artwork by Jacob Berghoef — Kissing The Clouds - Digital artwork by Jacob Berghoef

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

December 27, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Trees Cry

Thick clouds of black
smoke darken the sun
Eyes tear,
trees cry
The sun colors the evening
in the hues of the flames that
eat tree after tree
How high may become
the price the future
will have to pay?

I feel it as my mission to make people aware of the beauty, power and simultaneously fragility of nature. Yet at the same time, this sometimes feels like hypocrisy because I am part of the society that is causing the destruction of the habitability of the earth. Even though I do my best to live simply and keep my carbon footprint considerably smaller than "the use" of 1 earth.
At times when I feel that, I also feel an urge to create a work with a poignant message....

Trees Cry - Impressionistic surrealistic digital artwork by Jacob Berghoef — Trees Cry

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

December 27, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Birds Cry

Thick clouds of brown
smoke darken the sun
Eyes tear,
birds cry
The sun colors the evening
in the hues of the poison that
factories vomit
How high may become
the price the future
will have to pay?

I feel it is my mission to make people aware of the beauty and at the same time fragility of nature. At the same time, this sometimes feels like hypocrisy because I am part of the society that causes the destruction of the earth's habitability. Even though I do my best to live simply and keep my ecological footprint considerably smaller than "the use" of 1 earth.
At times when I feel that, I also feel an urge to create a work with a more poignant message....

Birds Cry - Surrealistic impressionistic fine art digital artwork by Jacob Berghoef. Climate crisis, climate emergency — Birds Cry

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

Tags: birds cry, climate art, climate awareness art, climate crisis, climate emergency, destruction, factory, impressionism, impressionistic digital art, Impressionistic photography, jacob berghoef, Jacob Berghoef FineArtPhotography, nature, smoke, surrealism, surrealistic art, surrealistic impressionism

October 7, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

A Glimpse Of Flight

[...] When she wakes

she lifts the shade, impatient for a glimpse
of flight: a sparrow, a swallowtail—
something with wings she can memorize.

The above stanza is from Laura Ann Reed's poem "As Clouds Before the Wind", and inspired me to make this artwork.
Laura Ann is a poet from the US, her work particularly appeals to me. Moreover, she is a very inspiring woman; I am fortunate to have a regular email contact with her.
Read more about Laura Ann and enjoy some of her poems via this link to her website. The entire poem is below the image of the artwork.

'A Glimpse Of Flight' is an artwork in my collections 'Secret Places'.

Text continues below the image

A Glimpse Of Flight - "When she wakes she lifts the shade, impatient for a glimpse of flight: a sparrow, a swallowtail— something with wings she can memorize." Surrealistic impressionistic digital artwork by Jacob Berghoef — A Glimpse Of Flight

Laura Ann's poem:

As Clouds Before the Wind

There are borders toward which
she moves, although she can’t say
what galaxies they lie between.

Daily, she prepares for a parting
in the trees, waits for the window
hinge to break, the pane to crack

and fall. She’s ready for the wind
to fill her room. She has one foot
planted on another planet,

and in her sleep she yields naked
to the Eros of its magnetic field—
its ethereal embrace. When she wakes

she lifts the shade, impatient for a glimpse
of flight: a sparrow, a swallowtail—
something with wings she can memorize.

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Collaboration, Portfolio

October 4, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Drowned Earth: Swimming In Tears II

While trees cry
fish shed their tears
in endless waves

'Swimming In Tears II' is an artwork in my project 'Drowned Earth'.
In this project I show you how I see the earth of a century from now. A fusion of the forests and the oceans, with hopefully in the distant future a rich ecosystem that has managed to adapt to the new circumstances.

Will there still be room for humans in that world?
Yes, I think there will be. Will there also be room for consuming Western man? No, unless they learn to be one with nature again. It will take several generations before that happens. I sincerely wonder whether the generations of Western man who are now living on earth will be able to bring about this transformation. More time is needed for that, I fear....

General info on this artwork

This is a digital artwork, printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality cotton paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

For these artworks, I start with one or more photographs made by myself. I edit it in multiple process runs and in several layers by color manipulation and adding and editing multiple digital photographic effects. I do that until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.

The photograph(s) I begin with has/have an impressionistic, surrealistic or abstract realist style, which is the basis for all my work.

Prints are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Prints are also available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page

Published by Jacob Berghoef in Portfolio

Tags: abstract photography, abstract realism, abstract surrealism, climate action, climate art, climate crisis, climate emergency, dark, drowned earth, fine art photography, jacob berghoef, less, light, modern art, pure, surrealism, surrealistic art, surrealistic impressionism, swimming in tears