Mirror Boxing

The loud call of the oystercatcher always reminds me of the Wadden Sea, one of its natural habitats. But the salty wetlands of the Wadden Sea aren't the only place where I meet these beautiful birds.

They also colonize more inland areas, like college campuses and industrial sites. These worlds of glass and steel may look like unnatural places for them. But as long as it's not too crowded, they seem pretty okay. Most of the time, at least...

Those peaceful nights

In the Netherlands, sailing is big. Really big. Or perhaps, the country is just a tad too small to fit all those sailors in. But on hot summer days, everybody seems to get out on the water. In the evenings, even the smaller natural harbors and inlets are packed full of boats. There's the smell of barbeques, dinghy-racing kiddo's and the five other boats you have to climb over to get ashore. Mass tourism, Waterworld-style.

Winter in the Netherlands

Today, I am posting three paintings instead of one. These three are part of one whole. Together they try to capture the atmosphere of winter in the Netherlands.

Winter sailing, winter quietness

Often, I hear people say: such a shame that summer is over, I enjoyed sailing so much! Or: ‘I am glad that I live in California/Malaysia/some other warm country, so I can continue sailing all year long. Some people seem to assume that sailing is impossible during the wintertime! But they couldn’t be more wrong...

The cruising life? Oh, if only we could afford that!

You guys sailed to the Channel Islands? With your own boat? For ten weeks? Wow guys, that’s really cool! And look at those pictures you took! Amazing.. This is quite different from our holidays. Two weeks in some Spanish beach resort, that’s it. Some people are just so lucky. I gotta admit I’m kinda jealous here.

Indian summer sailing

Officially, summer has been over for about three weeks now. But we've been given some beautiful warm, sunny autumn days to enjoy. And enjoy them we did! Last weekend, we sailed off for a club meeting with Euros, the student sailing association that built our boat.

My Boeier project

As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting much art on my blog lately. I have been working on a painting of a Dutch traditional Boeier vessel. Now, she is finally finished. In this post, I will show some pictures of the whole process, from quick sketch to finished painting.

A Holland Holiday Getaway..

This year, we have been spending a lot of time fixing our boat. Last week, all this work finally paid off, when we finished the last repairs. Time to take that hard-earned holiday break! We had about eight days, so no overly ambitious sailing goals this time. We spent the week on our country's sweet water lakes.

When you sail, the quietness is never far away...

I made this drawing from a photo I took during a winter sailing trip. It is a picture of a lock in the Wieden-Weerriben National park.

First time solo!

Last weekend, I did a crazy thing. I went on a solo sailing trip for the first time of my life... in another boat than my own. And it was great!

Little Big Adventures

At anchor in Beauport Bay, Jersey. 

In this post I'll be telling some more about me, my boyfriend, our little sailboat and the big adventures we had with her.

It all started some nine years ago, when me and my boyfriend Ivo decided we wanted to explore the world on a sailing boat. We were students at that time, with no boat, no money and no prior sailing experience. So that dream seemed miles away... 

A Not-So-Quick Sketch...

Sometimes, my drawing tends to get a bit out of hand. Last weekend, I had the house all for myself. More than enough time to get some work done! I was all pumped up for two productive days, when I stumbled upon some nice pictures of sailboat reflections on the Internet...

The Lemsteraak

Where we sail, traditional wooden vessels are quite a common sight. These vessels are called 'flat-bottoms' because they lack a keel. Instead, they have two dagger boards, one on each side. This gives them a very shallow draft, wich enables them to sail the shoals of the Frisian lakes and the Wadden Sea.

The beauty of engineering

Today I am posting a bird's eye view of one of the bridges we pass when we bring our boat to her winter berth. There is a reason I chose this particular bridge for my drawing. At the west side of the bridge, there is a lake with a number of small islands in it. Perfect for a spectacular sunset scene like the one I have drawn. But that's not the only reason. Next to the bridge, there is a really cool piece of engineering.

Above and below

In the Netherlands, great crested grebes are a common, but beautiful sight.

Next to beautiful, crested grebes are also fierce hunters. And they need to be, because their young are always hungry. Very, very hungry. I see their parents catch so much fish, I often wonder how it's possible that there is any left. But there always is...

In this drawing, I wanted to show both aspects: the beauty above the surface, and the deadly hunter below. 

  

The Zombie Mode

We all have those days when we seem to be swallowed whole by the rat race. For me, it is no different...

Love is war...

At this moment, we're working to get our boat ready for next season. There is a large canal adjacent to boatyard we work on. The yard also has its own little harbor. So when we work, we are surrounded by all kinds of water-loving birds, like ducks, coots and gulls.

It's a peaceful sight, most of the time. That's how I drew these two ducks: peaceful.

A winter fairy tale

Last year, we took a two-day trip, from the town of Lemmer to Giethoorn. Just an ordinary weekend trip, but it turned out to be really amazing..

My second first post

So, finally, the moment is here. I am writing my very first post... on my second blog!

I already have a Dutch-language sailing blog, which has a faithful audience of sailing enthusiasts. There, I always get a lot of positive responses when I post my art. So I will keep posting my art there too, don't worry!

So why then, would I start a second blog? Because I wanted to give my art a place of its own. This blog will be centered around my art and my photographs.

I hope you will enjoy it...