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...
Reflections Of Life
Sitting alone near the pond
seeing the day fade
All things are reflections,
distorted by our mind
Only the heart sees pure
Only body and soul tell what’s right
A heavy rain storm just passed the Flade Sø, a lake directly behind the dunes of the North Sea and part of the Nationalpark Thy...
A morning by the sea, the water is called back by the tide, bringing the beach back to the land. Thousands of waves, as far as the eye can see, weave together like an infinite velvet sheet.
Whether it is a cloudy or sunny day, open spaces in a forest have something magical about them. And the denser the forest, the greater the magic when you suddenly find yourself in a place where an abundance of light welcomes you.
In my System Change post, I explained man's impact on earth and raised a number of questions. The most important: Do you know what your ecological footprint is?
No one answered that question. No, I'm not disappointed, because I actually didn't expect it either. And the question was also not asked very directly and not very prominently in the beginning of the (long) post.
Still, ....
August 19, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
An Iris is a fascinating flower, especially if you look at it very closely....
It was a beautiful winter day for a long walk.
As we approached the edge, the sunlight displaced the darkness of the dense spruce forest...
Golden wings of light move slowly through the cold evening air, bringing the last light of the day into the darkening forest....
August 17, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
Longing for that morning
I remember the garden
where I used to walk
Alone among the flowers
as the sun rose
into a long summer day
A walk through a flower garden, early on a summer morning....
It's still dim when I wake up. I get out, I can't stay in bed. For a moment I go outside, it is cold. I enjoy the quiet first hours of the day.
Then you wake up. Your hand touches me, a warm embrace, a kiss. The day begins.
Just as I sometimes dream of spring or summer while it is still winter, I also sometimes dream of winter on a warm summer day.
It is a kind of vague longing for peace and quiet, for moments of reflection. Summer is a hectic time of blooming, ripening, harvesting, processing and making ready for storage...
There is nothing like an early morning walk in nature, where you get to witness the awakening of that piece of earth. The light, the smells, the sounds, the cool breeze caressing your skin….
What sense are we missing right now? Oh yes, of course…
A sunny, warm spring day. It is quiet in the forest, not a breath of wind, no one to be seen. As I walk deeper into the forest, the young greenery closes me off more and more from the busy world. I walk on slowly, as if in a dream...
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.
A woman bicyclist rides from under a bridge into the light. From darkness to light, an escape from the shadows.
What color is the sea? Blue, gray, brown?
None of those. The sea has the color of the sky, of the sun, of the clouds. The oceans are the soul of the earth and reflect the mood of everything that uses them as a mirror.
Out for a walk early in the morning on a beautiful sunny winter day, I see a group of gulls fight each other for a piece of bread....
On a sunny day during a walk through the beautiful undulating fields at the south side of Nissum Bredning, a part of the Limfjord in northwest Jutland, Denmark.
Sunset above the Limfjord. Evening falls, summer clouds take possession of the sky at the end of a warm August day.
I made this work standing on the shore of Krik Vig, a bay in the Limfjord, Thy region, North Jutland, Denmark.
'Today we have used up resources for an entire year, we are now living at the expense of future generations'.
Is that it, or is there more to it?
In the shade of a large oak tree
I dozed in the noonday veil
In a dream I was a flower
my body breathing the sunlight,
trembling in a summer breeze
No entanglements of outer things,
without feelings of emptiness
Serene in the oneness of nature,
without seducing thoughts
Just inner silence
I sit on a stone,
on the east side of the pond
Staring at the water,
waiting.
Nobody understands why
All I want is to see how
the setting sun colors the flowers
in the ripples
of a summer breeze.
I heard the wind and smelled the
scents of a cold winter morning
I dreamed of a path just for me,
...
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.
A deserted beach, a deserted sea. It is low tide, the waves approach the coast in a regular and calm rhythm. The murmur of the waves that die on the sand, deepens the silence.
A heavy rain storm just passed the Flade Sø, a lake directly behind the dunes of the North Sea.
Then the beautiful warm light of the almost setting sun, touches the wet grass and reeds around the lake...
Weeping pine tree –
Blue rain falling to earth,
mixed tears of happiness.
Weeping pine tree - A pine tree on a sunny winter day, the sunlight brings tears of happiness, but mixed feelings because of the declining state of nature.
Summers on the west coast of Denmark are not summers of long days with bright blue skies. The westerly winds bring clouds almost daily...
July 21, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
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Tiny wild flowers, two of them already fading, one waiting to explode in beautiful colors...
It is early in the morning. The cold haze of the night rises from the damp grassland. A light breeze brushes the grasses. Their soft rustle welcomes the sun. The quiet beginning of a new day in this beautiful nature reserve.
Symbiosis
Drowned forests
Nurturing seaweed
Symbiosis
Commissioned by a poet for the cover of her new book of poetry, I created two new versions of the work Symbiosis. Herewith the second: a shoal of fish swims through a kelp forest.
In addition, I added an insightful quote from Charles Darwin and a link to an article on kelp farming.
‘Origin’ is an experimental photograph, made with a digital camera without using a lens.
It is the first result of a search for light in its purest form. And at the same time, the project is a representation of the beginning and end of life, followed by the last breath.
Sometimes a balmy summer evening by the sea can be so incredibly quiet that colors can be heard. Do you also hear the bronze gong and copper bell, or even the Tibetan singing bowl ?
It is early morning on a beautiful, sunny but damp spring day. Sunlight warms the forest floor, patches of fog rise. The trees seem to be moving, appearing out of the mist, as if they are gathering for their morning meeting.
By mid-afternoon at the beginning of spring, the sun is already quite low in the sky. The bright light reflects in the calm water and in the pools of shallow water created during low tide. Light, sand and water dissolve into each other.
A sunlit open space in the forest, full of young waving birch trees eager to drink the sunlight, surrounded by a beautifully decorated wall of pines and somewhat older birches that move in the wind like in a slow dance...
Awakening Fields - Early morning. Relatively warm southern winds blow across the fields. Colors emerge, the land seems to awaken from its deep sleep.
An Island - A small island of reed and grass in a wintery cold Baltic Sea, atb the south west coast of Sweden. The sun shines between the clouds and hits the island, lighting it up in a special way.
Reaching into the highest worlds,
drinking from the three wells
Yggdrasil, from Old Norse Yggdrasill, is an immense mythical tree that connects the nine worlds in Norse cosmology.
An immense ash tree that is center to the cosmos and considered very holy. The gods go to Yggdrasil daily to assemble at their things.
Longing for that morning
I remember the garden
where I used to walk
Alone among the flowers
as the sun rose
into a long summer day
It is early one summer morning, I am walking through our forest garden. The first sunlight awakens the flowers, they open their petals and show their vibrant colors. Musing, I pause for a moment among the ornamental onions. Is it a memory or a dream?
A bright white light? Eternal darkness?
It is my conviction that after our death our spirit, our soul, or call it our energy, travels to its origin somewhere in the universe. Once arrived, our energy is reunited with the energy from which everything around us once originated.
Endless Road - A dark, gray and rainy day in June. It is beginning to get dark and the wind is finally abating. A curtain of rain obscures the view. But I know this road, I know we're almost home.
Longing for that morning
I remember the garden
where I used to walk
Alone among the flowers
as the sun rose
into a long summer day
A walk through a flower garden, early on a summer morning. Musing amidst the allium, is it a memory, or a dream?
July 3, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
Silent forest
A tree hums
Dark sound
Forests often have an enchanting atmosphere. The murmur of leaves enhances the silence, the dim light hides a lot of details... At the same time, scarce light can give objects a different, mysterious form. And a creaking branch will make you look around to discover...
It's early in the morning. A beautiful iris opens its flower and turns toward the sun. The petals bathe themselves in light, seeming to dance in slow motion.
Iris is a flowering plant genus of more than 300 species with showy flowers.
Iris is not only the scientific name, but is also widely used as a general name for all Iris species.
Weeks later, the allium has finished blooming. Her exuberant colors fade to an earthy brown, seed pods form where the purple has sacrificed itself so the seeds can ripen.
And then the seed pods open, the seeds slowly becoming visible...
June 29, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
In the rhythm of our wings...
Soulmates... Fellow travellers on our journey of life, helping to grow beyond the horizons of our individual selves.
It is nice to have a soulmate, a privilege. But not a given, nor conditional for a happy life.
what do you encounter when you look beyond the hollow words and empty promises ?
Your Self.
Your own responsibility.
The growing up of your children and grandchildren, or those of family and friends. The offspring of one society.
Why don't we take that responsibility ?
'Beyond The Void' is the second artwork of a triptych about the endless series of hollow words and empty promises made by politicians, leaders and big corporations regarding…. Well, regarding everything that harms the earth, harms nature, harms the poor, harms the future generations….
Follow me on the journey through the void. More thoughts on this subject in the third post tomorrow...
'The Void' is the first artwork of a triptych about the endless series of hollow words and empty promises made by politicians, leaders and big corporations regarding…. Well, regarding everything that harms the earth, harms nature, harms the poor, harms the future generations….
Follow me on the journey through the void. More thoughts on this subject in the third post, the day after tomorrow...
My LinkedIn connection Ashok Subramanian posted a review on 4 poems, with my poem Lost In Moonlight among them:
I walked in the woods, on a path I walked
many times before, completely lost in thought,
not noticing that darkness was falling, that stars
...
And Then The Sun Stood Still - Summer.... - I love this time of the year, in which the whole cosmos seems to come to a standstill for a moment...
Thinking of nothing,
slowly I walk through silence
towards the light
Is that possible, thinking of nothing? The moment you are aware that you are thinking of nothing, you are thinking again....
Symbiosis
Drowned forests
Nurturing seaweed
Symbiosis
Commissioned by a poet for the cover of her new book of poetry, I created two new versions of the work Symbiosis. Herewith the first...
In addition, I added an interesting development on kelp farming.
Travelers
Dark sounds fill the void
A strong back breaks the waves
Travelers of the deep
But do humans never succeed in saving a species from extinction?
Of course they do, and the humpback whale is a good example.
Blooming Forest
Bright sunlight dances
Coral reefs breathe new colors
Old forests in bloom
Would coral reefs stand a chance in the future, protected by drowned temperate rain forests in warmed waters in now too cold areas?
Their condition has never been worse…
The Other World
You ask me why I live
alone in the mangrove forest,
at the edge of the infinite sea.
I smile, I am silent
until even my soul grows quiet:
it lives in the other world,
one that no one owns.
The trees bloom.
The waves keep coming.
Mangroves, just as seagrass beds and coral reefs, keep coastal zones healthy. Mangroves provide essential habitat for thousands of species. They also stabilize shorelines, preventing erosion and protecting the land — and the people who live there — from waves and storms.
Symbiosis
Drowned forests
Nurturing seaweed
Symbiosis
Kelp forests are dense areas of kelp growth that occur near coastal waters. Kelps are ‘primary producers’ that modify the environment to create suitable habitat for a great diversity of species. Therefore they are known as foundational species.
Bloom
Pulsating blue
float gently between the trees
forest in bloom
I show you how I see the earth from, let's say, a few centuries from now. An amalgamation of the forests and the oceans. With hopefully in the distant future a rich ecosystem that has managed to adapt to the new conditions.
Refuge
Sea turtles
finding refuge
among old-growth
In the new collection Drowned Earth I show you how I see the earth of, say, a few centuries from now in this collection of new artworks.
Swimming In Tears
While trees cry
fish shed their tears
in endless waves
When I imagine what the earth will look like in 100 years, the image that comes to mind most emphatically is one of an earth with sharply rising sea levels.
The previous owner of our house had a huge fondness for rhododendrons. So we have them in many shapes and sizes. And we love the poisonous tea that comes from it 🙂
Did you know that oceans and seas are so polluted with PFAS (forever chemicals), plastics, pesticides and other poisons that you cannot breathe clean air on any coast?
Nowhere.
The “spray” from the waves is seriously polluted... Add to that the incalculable amount of crap in the air everywhere on earth....
A sunny, warm spring day. It is quiet in the forest, not a breath of wind, no one to be seen. As I walk deeper into the forest, the young greenery closes me off more and more from the busy world. I walk on slowly, as if in a dream...
Reflection Of Stillness
Translucent thoughts cling to my mind
A dream is blown away, without
disturbing the reflection of stillness
A sunny day in June in the nature reserve ....
(Click to read the whole post)
Autumn Fire
Cold trees lean against the morning sun,
full of longing.
Light swirls around the fading leaves,
a rustling autumn fire.
Early in the morning in a forest near the city of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. It is cold, but the autumn sun warms everything it touches.
A bright morning arrives fresh and new
Pine trees lean toward the first kiss of light
We walk together among the trees
as the sun climbs into a warm spring day
A special calm comes over the evening when the sun disappears behind the horizon and the light of the day slowly dies. Nature awaits the night, the trees lean against the darkening colors.
I love that intens, quiet moment of the day...
Midnight
a memory, a dream
A moonlit silent scream
Confused, a handful of
tears. We forgot ...
I love those fresh, quiet spring days, where the sea still reflects the colors of winter, and the sun colors the sky in the shades of summer....
Crying Pine Tree
Crying pine tree –
Blue rain falling to earth,
mixed tears of happiness.
It is based on a photograph I made on a walk on a bright sunny day on the threshold of spring, in nature park Lövö, a beautiful fairy tale like peninsula on the Baltic coast in the Kalmar region, Sweden.
It was one of those typical windy Danish late summer days. Fierce rain showers passed over all day, alternating with brief moments of sunshine. On the beach, you could see the showers coming from afar, especially when they were shone upon by the setting sun.
Lost In Thought
I walked in the woods, on a path I walked
many times before, completely lost in thought
not noticing that darkness was falling, that stars
appeared in the sky, that moonlight
brightened my path. A sound brought me out of my musings...
Do you dream in color? Or in black and white? Or both, or do you not know? Are all people dreaming in different color palettes, or does everyone have her/his own palette?
Some people are always dreaming in color, other's in shades of gray, or both in an irregular variety. Many people are not sure, or hardly remember it.
A search for my color palette, an experiment.
A beautiful sunny winter day. A group of gulls fight each other for a piece of bread. When the seagull with the bread in its beak crosses a wide ditch, the whole group follows; screaming as if panicking to lose sight of the seagull with the bread.
The 'Abysmal' triptych from the Infinite Sea collection comprises three digital artworks created from manipulated photographs to elicit a surrealistic atmosphere. These pieces highlight the profound connection between nature and human emotion, while they inspire a reflection on our environmental impact and urge a less consumptive lifestyle.
In my System Change post, I explained man's impact on earth and raised a number of questions. The most important: Do you know what your ecological footprint is?
No one answered that question in a comment. No, I'm not disappointed, because I actually didn't expect it either. And the question was also not asked very directly and not very prominently in the beginning of the (long) post. Still, ....
Niloofar Mahafel, an Iranian artist born in 1998, has been passionate about painting from a young age, holding her own exhibition at nine. She has refined her skills in various mediums and showcased her work at Tehran's Milad Tower. With a B.Sc. from Isfahan University and a focus on strong womanhood themes, Niloofar seeks international representation, and her art is available for purchase.
We all know that spring brings new life to the unfamiliar forest, no matter how dark it can be there. New life, nourishing for everything alive.
Yet there is a fear of entering that unknown, that darkness.
But knowing we need that renewal, I set out. Will you join me, come after me?
March 3, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
Huge amounts of toxic
content drowns the lands
Dead eyes,
the earth cries
The sun colors the morning
in the hues of dead trees
on the banks of greed
How high may become
the price the future
will have to pay?
" The computing power for AI models requires immense – and increasing – amounts of natural resources. Legislation is required to prevent environmental crisis.* "
Why can companies develop products and services that are a danger to a human being or even humanity? And that even without making a proper risk assessment beforehand and submitting it for approval to a government agency that judges on objective criteria that protect humanity and its home?
And why, after the production and delivery of a product or service is no longer of interest to them, can companies turn around and walk away with pockets bulging with money, after which a government becomes responsible for the damage and you and I foot the bill?
So why do you and I accept that we are footing the bill for the second time? Didn’t we already pay heavily for the highly profitable products and services for the companies as well?
And why do you and I allow money, the ultimate driver of greed, to rule us to a degree that our children and grandchildren will end up in a world that is completely poisoned and unlivable, even in those locations where Western man has been able to build his destructive world in a comfortably mild climate for the past millennia?
Are we so addicted to consuming that we do not care at all, or that we think (hope) that inventiveness and not yet existing technology will bring the solution to problems that are already so big that we cannot comprehend the consequences? And that while technology has never yet brought an solution to a big problem without in turn creating new, often bigger problems?
So tell me, what do you think a 1.5-degree temperature rise in the next decade will mean for the earth in - let's say - 150 years if it is not also and above all accompanied by an immediate end to greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and poisoning of air, water and land, depletion of the earth, destruction of biodiversity, ...?
Do you really grant your grandchildren and/or the grandchildren of your family and friends, that world?
* Note: we are already in a huge environmental quadruple crisis. Are we longing for one more?
Link to the article the quote in the beginning of this post is referring too.
Artwork: Earth Cries (2), by me (of course...)
Text continues below the image
'Earth Cries (2)' is a new artwork in my collection 'Drowned Earth', prints are available, contact me for a quote.
Through my artworks I ask you to reflect for a moment on the nature around you, on the beautiful feeling that nature can evoke. Thus to think about your actions to support the wellbeing of the earth and everything that lives on it. And on what humanity loses when many of us continue on the destructive path of ever more greed and consuming. And please, reflect on how you can survive in this rapidly changing world…
So do you want to know your ecological footprint?
Then visit this website: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en
And do you want to reduce your ecological footprint?
Then ask me, I will help you. For free. Or simply visit my website and choose in the menu for Your Footprint.
And if you appreciate my writings and art and want to support me, you can buy me a piece of fruit here: https://ko-fi.com/jacobberghoef, thank you 🍏 !
So are you interested in more? Then read what I wrote about System Change, Man's impact on the earth, Organic Change, Regenerative Agriculture, Regeneration
'Suixtinction' is self-inflicted extinction, where species destroy vital conditions for life through overconsumption, pollution, and resource depletion. It's happening now, with dire consequences felt globally. This term and the related digital artwork mashup signify an urgent wakeup call to address these pressing environmental issues.
Wandering between dreams and reality on a crisp winter morning, the artwork 'Blooming Winter Dreams' captures a magical 3D effect, created by Karina Mosser painting on a photograph. Part of 'The Narrow Path' collection, both original and various print editions are up for grabs—drop a message to own one.
Jacob Berghoef's "Earth Cries" combines art and poetry, expressing grief over Earth Overshoot Day 2023. The work highlights the toxic, irreversible damage we've caused, living off the earth's credit without a way to repay. It's a wake-up call to consider our incessant consumption and its grave, lasting impacts on the planet.
June 1, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.
Marshes captivate with their mysterious allure and fragile beauty, influencing Jacob Berghoef's latest 'Flat Lands' and 'Digital Art' series. His transformative digital art, derived from photos taken at Overasseltse En Hatertse Vennen, manifests in limited edition prints that embody the ethereal marshland atmosphere through surreal editing. His works are available for sale, complete with authenticity guarantees.
May 18, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.
In "Spring Morning At The Pond," an artwork from the collection "Secret Places," I expressed the serene beauty of spring using digital techniques. Using impressionism and surrealism as the foundation, I transform photographs through color and effects to evoke a surreal atmosphere. Limited and open editions are available for purchase, with the limited edition including a signature and certificate of authenticity.
In the morning of my dream
Only shadows will remain
Echoing the light of my thoughts
'Echo Of My Thoughts' is a new digital artwork, made by transforming one of my own impressionistic photographs through extensive editing to achieve a surreal effect.
My work encourages reflection on nature's beauty and the consequences of human destructiveness.
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. Anuscka's original blog post inspired a digital artwork, capturing this therapeutic essence.
January 1, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.
In the tranquil medieval village of Corenno Plinio, narrow streets and old stairs evoke a time long past, with few signs of modern tourism. The artwork 'Awakening (2)' from the 'Lost Cities' collection is a digitally altered photograph, aiming to capture a surrealistic atmosphere.
December 31, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.
The first light
Slowly awakening trees,
for a brief moment
woven in liquid gold
'The First Light (2)' is a new artwork in my collection 'Wavy Fields’.
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
Want to inquire about an art piece?
All content © 2014-2025 Jacob Berghoef (Jaap Berghoef)