About the artist
Photo Maaike PutmanEvery work of art starts with an idea, but when does the idea become art? We all know the ‘end point’ of art: framed in the museum, but where does it start? Central in my work is the tipping point where something turns into art and thus becomes valuable.
My first experience with art was as a seven year old boy. Playing with sand I discovered that each grain of sand had a different shape and colour. I sorted the grains on colour and suddenly I had a collection. To me, that was a magic moment, because how could something worthless and so small become so important? No one had told me that sand was so beautiful and that you could collect it like stamps and coins! That was my first real experience with art. Not so much the making but more precisely the seeing!
Nature is my greatest source of inspiration. Everything is different in nature and yet the same again. Everything is simple and yet complex. Everything is known and very unknown. Criteria that good art must meet.
To create my work I need space in my head and a sketchbook. Most of my work starts with a drawing in which I can try out different starting points. Unnoticed I make all kinds of decisions when drawing, which later prove to be crucial.
Actually, I am a lazy artist. For dreaming you need little, only time, no raw material and no labour. The second most laziest way of making art is to let people look in a different way, so that everyday things turn into art. To achieve that, unfortunately, hard work is involved: you have to be effective and precise in what you are making. You could say that I provide the glasses that allow spectators to view the world in a different way.
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Dutch
Dutch