I made the (originally black and white) photo for this artwork in the bird sanctuary Agger Tange near the town of Agger on the north-west coast of Jutland, Denmark.
The color was added using digital painting tools. The objective is to explore different atmospheres, only by adding abstract colored areas.
The photo that I used to create this artwork is made with an Eastman Kodak No. 2 Folding Cartridge Hawk-Eye Model B camera, manufactured more than 90 years ago, between the years 1926 and 1934.
The photo that I used to create this artwork is made with an Eastman Kodak No. 2 Folding Cartridge Hawk-Eye Model B camera, manufactured more than 90 years ago, between the years 1926 and 1934.
A quiet afternoon in early spring, silence lies like a blanket over the marshes. The wind whispers softly in the reeds, telling stories from around the world and of all times.
Lilac dreams in the sky,
veiled by light,
floating on the wind
After a crisp summer night, the first rays of sunlight hit the damp fields. A light haze rises and disappears to the horizon, carried by an emerging summer breeze....
It's a warm winter day, after a few sunny days the fields are gently turning green. A walk early in the morning, the rising sun just rising above the hills. A veil of mist rises from the cold lake, drifting across the fields with a gentle breeze.
Early on a beautiful spring morning I wandered through the fields along the bay Krik Vig, part of the Limfjord. Except for the rustling of the wind and a few birds, it's quiet…
The humid morning air and a fresh sea breeze blend the colors and scents of a beautiful new day.
A gray, foggy day. A day like so many, where you only see vague outlines of the path you are walking. The silence and lack of sight are oppressive at first. Until you regain peace and confidence, and let the trees guide you.
A hazy winter morning in a birch forest near the city of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. It is cold, a pale sun tries to dissipate the cold of the early morning frost.
It's early in the morning. It has been snowing all night, there is no one else in the forest. Carefully you take a step into the fresh snow….
It is early in the morning, but it is already light when I wake up. The sunlight filtered through the curtains quickly dissipates the last images of my dream. Only vague shadows and colors…
The fields are covered with a thin layer of snow. The world waits in stillness for the night to come.
It was so quiet that afternoon, just before sunset... No wind, no birds, no cars... Nothing.
As if the world had been completely abandoned.
Even in the darkest forest, the light will find its way to the ground....
A winter day awakens, the colors growing brighter, more intense, as I slip out of a dream...
It is a beautiful, sunny and windy winter day when we climb the high dunes on the coast of the North Sea. Reaching the top of a dune, we sit down, in the sun and a bit sheltered from the wind. The horizon is barely visible because of a haze of fine drops of seawater. Even the wind tastes salty...
The part of Denmark where we live is known for the beautiful Nordic light. The sunsets over the North Sea and the fjords and lakes in autumn and winter are magical, at least: if there is not too much cloud cover. When I made the photo for this artwork, the conditions were perfect: a humid atmosphere and veil clouds.
A cold and stormy winter morning on the beach of the North Sea near Agger, North West Denmark. Seagulls hover on the wind, waiting for the sea to bring them something to eat. Diving down, sometimes landing on the water, and not always successful in catching something edible...
Winter morning, the smell of a new day. I stroll along the path between sleeping and waking, I don't want to let go of my dream yet. A cold breeze through my hair, the sunlight touches my face...
Sometimes I want to scratch and bite people (figuratively speaking, of course ;), to wake them up a bit about the predicament in which the earth and nature find themselves. And thus a predicament in which many millions of people already find themselves today. Drought, hunger, lack of drinking water, almost unbearable heat, huge amounts of rain, rising sea level, and so on and so on...
At the end of a beautiful sunny day, there are often some clouds over the sea. Does that make the sunset less beautiful? Often it doesn't, or it even makes it more beautiful. The clouds make the colors even more intense.
Early in the morning, the first light of the rising sun lovingly embraces nature's awakening...
It is very cold, the sky is clear and the meadows are frozen. The ideal conditions under which a Nordic sunset shows itself in all its splendor.
The light along the long coastlines of Nordic countries is special: clean air, bright sunshine interspersed with wind-driven clouds and rugged coastline. This light has inspired many artists, especially impressionists from more southern European countries loved to come to the Danish and Norwegian coasts.
The sun sets under a heavily clouded sky, and for a brief moment shines over a slightly frozen Limfjord near the village of Amtoft, North Jutland, Denmark.
I love Fado music and, more in general, Portuguese folk music.
One of the most beautiful Portuguese songs for me is Meu Alentejo sung by Dulce Pontes.
But even without knowing a translation of the lyrics (and I don't speak a word of Portuguese), this song really touched me the first time I heard it. And it still does...
" What if we stopped waiting for disaster to strike, creating a global safety net to protect those hit hardest?
During COP29, we asked our community: What if everyone gave just 1% of their income to accelerate climate action? An incredible 88% said they would. "
Yeah, sure...
Early morning light
Patches of an unfinished dream
floats towards eternity
It is quiet in the forest, this morning. The sun is just rising above the horizon, its fragile rays gently touching the trunks of the trees still damp from the cold night.
A dark evening in a city where it is raining briskly. The street is almost deserted, shopkeepers have just turned out the lights and closed their stores. Two people are walking down the street talking and laughing under a yellow umbrella. I feel a strange desire to know what the two are laughing about....
When Laura Ann Reed, a friend and poet from the US, sent me a new poem she had written, her words spoke to me so strongly that I immediately had a vision that for me matched her words. Moreover, I also immediately knew which two 10-year-old photos I had to put together to make the image I had in mind.
Fresh snow, as far as the eye can see. The forest looks spacious, light, and larger than usual. It is quiet, and the world feels deserted. Only the muffled crunch of our footsteps in the fresh snow.
Have you ever tried to follow the pieces of an unfinished dream as it drifts away when you wake up ?
Soft waving reeds in a chilly breeze. The ripples on the icy water make it hard to see anything below the surface. An ideal hiding place for dreams…
The sun has set, the water of the fjord rapidly takes on the cold color of the night. Thin cloud veils seem to swallow up the colors of the sunset, until it's dark.
During a long walk in a dark and grey forest, the sun briefly but brightly breaks through the cloud cover just before sunset and illuminates the forest in fairy-tale autumn colors, as only the setting autumn sun can do.
An unexpected snowstorm blinds us
Even as we squint into the sunlight
Blinded, shivering, caught in the brightness
Turning away from its fierce glare
The burning, live-giving light
The soft, chilling snow
Flirting, sparkling, fluttering
...
After many days of rain, the late afternoon sun shines almost horizontally through the damp forest. It is quiet, except for a soft rustling, a song of the last leaves of the trees…
On a beautiful morning I wandered through the fields along the bay Krik Vig, part of the Limfjord. Except for the rustling of the wind and a single bird, it's quiet…
A more impressionistic transformation of the artwork Autumn Leaves, and that one is based on a photo that I made of the forest floor in the windy northwest corner of our garden, with a great variety in trees with leaves in all kind of shapes and colors.
The morning light and the silence in the deserted forest, create a special atmosphere. It gives space to let your thoughts run free.
An artwork that I made on the occasion of the exhibition 'El Duende' in 2017. I made two series of photos in the mountains near Bellano, Italy. When making those series, the theme of the exhibition inspired me. I went looking for the spirit of mountains and valleys.
It's early in the morning. The first sunlight touches the moss between the trees. And as if the forest had been waiting for it, immediately the most wonderful scents rise up and mingle with the nightly smell of thawing leaves and wood.
Spring. A gentle breeze takes the petals of fading cherry blossoms into the light. Although still far away, or perhaps just because, a new version of this artwork.
Yesterday the first version of this artwork, it went wrong again with the ability to comment, so grab your chance at this new, digitally transformed version 😉
"You white men are lost. You don't understand the land. Too many silly questions.
Your presence on this earth will come to an end.
amid wild cherry blossoms overcome by fragrance
my fury
sank to its knees
...
Life is precious; we only have one. But what if you had as many lives as the balloon salesman has balloons in his hand?
We are witnessing the beginning of a pitch-black period.
For all those who care about nature, about the oppressed, about justice and democracy.
And for those who care about the rights of women, of those with a different opinion, sexual orientation, of those with a colored skin...
It is the first week of November, more than 3 weeks before that terrible day. And the first advertisements are already appearing.
So it is high time that I post again the works from the series Colorful Days....
If, with this mini series, I manage to persuade just 1 person to buy less this year, or maybe even not to participate in the madness called Black Friday, the earth will have made a small victory....
In all the turmoil of the world, there are trees that remain standing perfectly straight. Offering protection and holding on no matter how severe the storm rages around them. Deeply rooted, connected to the earth and to the trees around them.
We need a lot of money to fight the crises the earth is in. So why is so little happening to combat all these crises ? Are we short of money, then ? Well no, not really. But the rich countries prefer to spend it on unhealthy food, luxury goods, weapons, even bigger houses, subsidies for disastrous crises increasing activities.
A weekend read...
Lying on our backs in the woods, we observe nature's symphony flying above, and the gentle dance of light amid the trees—a phenomenon known as Shinrin-Yoku, or "forest bathing," celebrated in Japan. It refreshes the body and mind, enhancing health and well-being.
Sickness, loss, violence, life-threatening circumstances, dying.... There are many moments in a person's life when she/he is held captive in icy darkness.
But whatever you believe in, ultimately there is the embrace and oneness with the light of your origin.
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...
A walk on a rain-soaked path along a canal on a winter evening. It's getting dark, time to go home...
The days of cold autumn rain. Looking out over drowned fields, ten years ago in the province of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Autumn is a beautiful time, a time when nature tenderly covers the fallen seeds with brown and vibrant colored leaves. Food for the new growing season...
Last Monday, COP16 in Colombia started, the United Nations international summit on biodiversity.
An important summit?
I'll take you through a few considerations.
A weekend read...
A gray, foggy autumn day. A day like so many, where you only see vague outlines of the path you are walking. The silence and lack of sight are oppressive at first...
After a beautiful late summer week mid September, it's autumn now. The temperature has dropped considerably but it is still very pleasant to work outside. The past week even 'warm' for this time of the year.
Many trees are now mostly bare, but the maple is still holding its coloring leaves firmly. And the leaves of the hawthorn look like they could stay on the trees for many weeks to come.
Early in the morning after a rainy and windy autumn night. The first light of the rising sun lovingly embraces nature's awakening...
A beautiful autumn morning. I go outside to walk the dog. We see the horizon 'releasing' the sun, its warm light kisses the clouds above the fields.
Wandering between dreams and reality on a crisp winter morning...
Do you also sometimes dream about silent winter days?
What is an earthly mushroom on the scale of a galaxy? Less than a speck of dust on your windowsill... Not even the size of an atom in the infinite expanse of the oceans.
Yet they can be merged...
What is an earthly mushroom on the scale of a galaxy? Less than a speck of dust on your windowsill... Not even the size of an atom in the infinite expanse of the oceans.
Yet they can be merged...
The first rays of the sun reflect in the vapors rising from the valley after a heavy rain shower.
The morning breeze touches it, like the ripples of a silk scarf draped over the mountain tops…
Do you know those moments? A setting sun, just above the trees, in a completely clear sky. In the foreground a lake that reflects all the light... A lot of light...
With COP29 (the "29th UN Climate Change conference") approaching, we are being fed scientific publications that give us the latest updates. Although these are not happy reads, it is important reading for me. It inspires me to make new work. And motivate me to live the way I live. Above that, it inspires and motivates me to tell you about it.
And why this post, why am I telling you this? Why do I hope you will read the whole thing?
Because it's important that you know the condition of your home. It is your only home, our only home.
A weekend read...
After a beautiful late summer week mid September, it's autumn now. The temperature has dropped considerably, rain showers are frequent, although not very heavy.
Many leaves have been blown off the trees and bushes the past two weeks, we are collecting those fallen leaves from the paths and grass almost daily and putting them in a large mesh basket so they can compost in the coming months.
When are we most fascinated by a sunset? For many people, it is when the sky is colored in saturated, vibrant colors….
Realizing this, I set to work on another sunset photograph….
Screaming sounds of power
saws numb your thoughts
Ears bleed, hearts tear
Forests cry
The sun colors the evening in
the hues of the choking smoke
that kills tree after tree
How high may become
the price the future
will have to pay?
When are we most fascinated by a sunset? For many people, it is when the sky is colored in a beautiful palet of saturated, vibrant colors….
Autumn is generally a gray, rainy season in the northern part of Jutland. More gray than winter, at least if there is a real winter. But for that very reason, the overcast skies and brisk winds that can suddenly give the sun plenty of room, it is also the season of beautiful, intense sunsets...
Many people dream of an earth that is safe and clean, that is treated with care so that it can give enough to all that lives on it without becoming exhausted.
Only when all those dreams come to life in common sense and people take action to live modestly as a part of nature, the earth can recover through our care and compassion for all that lives, giving us what we need.
As Clouds Before the Wind
... When she wakes
she lifts the shade, impatient for a glimpse
of flight: a sparrow, a swallowtail—
something with wings she can memorize.
Thick clouds of black
smoke darken the sun
Eyes tear,
trees cry
The sun colors the evening
in the hues of the flames that
scorch tree after tree
How high may become
the price the future
will have to pay?
It is early in the morning, but it is already light when I wake up. The sunlight filtered through the curtains quickly dissipates the last images of my dream and emerging thoughts disrupt the story...
It's early on a beautiful autumn evening, no wind and a bright blue sky. There is silence in the forest. A palpable silence, soft and thick like a wool blanket.
Yellow leaves gently fall to the ground. The sunlight wraps them in gold...
On a not too windy day, waves are very calming to me.
They play a game with the sun and the sky, reflecting and chasing each other's colors that in an endless variety continuously present a breathtaking spectacle.
When I walk through our garden, I love to touch the trees and plants I walk by. It creates a connection with the nature around you when you not only sniff scents and enjoy the colors, but when in addition you feel the softness of leaves, the hardness of bark, the fragility of flowers….
I am happy and proud to share with you three recent collaborations with Kari Trenten: Sources Of Inspiration.
Besides my artwork, I added a few lines of Kari's blog. Click the title to read the complete blog.
We are always happy when they come to check on us, when they take a bite to eat with us from all the goodies there are in the garden.
So we try to disturb them as little as possible, watching them silently and motionless as they pass our garden...
Harvest. Not by far over yet. Pears, apples, pumpkins, zucchini’s, the last few blueberries, wild strawberries...
And, of course, it is also the time to harvest seeds: Marigold, Poppy, Cornflower, Perpetual Kale, …
Tomorrow, Friday, I will post the following text on LinkedIn.
Some of you have no doubt noticed over the past six months that the LinkedIn jacket no longer fits me....
More than 15 years on LinkedIn, the last 5 of which have been exclusively, the only social media I use... Now I have decided to close my account as of next October 1.
I have always found LinkedIn a pleasant environment and a good medium to display my art, to tell something about my philosophy of life and lifestyle, and air my opinion regarding the state of the earth.
When we are at the beach, we spend a very large part of the time with our gaze focused on the ground. A few square meters around our feet are continuously scanned as we slowly walk forward. Periodically we stop, and let our gaze wander to the dunes, the sea, or the sky….
Harvest. Not by far over yet. Pears, apples, pumpkins, zucchini’s...
And every time when I walk into the garden, I notice a 1, 2, 3, ... details that I have never seen before. Full of enthusiasm I then call out to Anuscka: come and see what I found here !
Early on an autumn morning, the just-risen sun caresses the landscape. The sounds are muffled by a light haze rising from the cold waters of the river. The first rays of the sun cause a shiver, both from the awareness of the night's chill and the longing for the sun's warmth....
A sunny autumn day
The garden breathes colors
Leaves whispering
After a beautiful late summer week, it has now become autumn. The temperature has dropped considerably, compared to that warm week. Rain showers are frequent, although not very heavy.
Many leaves have been blown off by a summer storm, we are collecting those fallen leaves almost daily...
A surreal sunrise of 2 suns during a rainstorm ?
That was my first Star Wars-inspired thought when I saw this….
Our garden is slowly preparing itself for winter. Due to a strong summer storm a few weeks ago, autumn has arrived early. Leaves have blown off, what is still on the trees has mostly turned brown...
We have a wide variety of trees and plants in our garden. Some immediately recognizable, like a birch, an oak….
Others with a lot of effort and searching, like the Swedish whitebeam. And a few only after seeing and photographing them for a full year in all 4 seasons...
One of the most extraordinary colored sunsets I have ever seen. The color palette was so special…. And slowly the colors blended more and more, until it was too dark to distinguish any colors at all....
We return to the beach, this time in the month of May. We make a walk on a stretch of deserted, beautiful beach on the west coast of North Jutland. This beach is called Bøgsted Rende; in high season it's often crowded here with several dozen bathers. But the rest of the year, beach lovers are rarely to be found.
What I did find was this strikingly blue “fingerprint” ...
The weather has been beautiful for several days with temperatures well above normal for early September, but it cools off considerably at night, resulting in damp mornings. Dewdrops adorn the grass and the leaves of trees and shrubs.
Then I notice a bluish glint, standing out beautifully against a brown mottled background….
Today another beach find. Well, can you call something that has a length and weight like a passenger car a find? But weathered it is, by sunlight, salt water and wind, the original colors and textures no longer reveal the origin.
When I find something on the beach, other than the things that 'belong' on a Danish beach like stones, shells and seaweed, I often visualise in my mind the journey that object could have made....
In the open window the wind ripples the curtains
the rising moon brushes the wall
Just for a brief moment
tree leaves float through my room
Light makes magic. Whether it is sunlight, the light of a candle or the light of the moon...
Today a beach find. Weathered by sunlight, salt water and wind, the original shapes, colors and textures are hardly recognizable anymore.
When I find an object on the beach, other than the things that 'belong' on a Danish beach like sand, stones, shells and seaweed, I often visualise in my mind the journey that object has made.
Nature is brimming with a huge, fascinating collection of shapes, colors and textures. And at every moment of the day, wherever you go and no matter where you look, you will find a new treasure chest of abstract natural artworks.
Exploring this infinite pallet by crawling through forests, fields and over beaches, provides a vast amount of material and inspiration for a new collection of abstract, slightly reworked artworks.
Nature is brimming with a vast, infinite collection of colors and textures. And every moment of the day, every place you go, everywhere you look, every change in weather and light, opens up a new treasure chest of experiences.
Exploring this pallet, by crawling through forests, fields and over beaches...
I heard the wind and smelled the
scents of a cold winter evening
...
A beautiful sunny winter day on a path near a canal near the town of Heumen, in the vicinity of the city of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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.
So getting lost in the pale light is very easy when you stroll around for a few hours...
Late in the afternoon on a clear winter day, two barnacle geese fly towards the low sun. The sunlight seems to dissolve them in the cold winter air.
Duendes crossing my path on a sunny morning...
In some Latin American cultures, the Duendes are believed to be forest spirits, helpers of people who get lost in the forest so they could find their way home.
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