Growing up in a sports-oriented family, I was the odd one out, always busy with all kinds of creative activities.
From the time I learned about the profession of fashion-designer (I must have been around 8 years old) my mind was set.
About 10 years later I passed the entry exam of ‘De Hoge School voor de Beeldende Kunsten’ in Arnhem, The Netherlands (now called ARTez), where I studied at the fashion department.
Thinking back at my first outfits on the school’s catwalk, I recognise now they were actually quite sculptural.
I happily continued into a career as a fashion stylist, working first in The Netherlands, then in Hong Kong and briefly in Italy.
During my ten year stay in Hong Kong I ventured into interesting positions which however took me gradually further away from the creative aspect of the fashion business.
Therefore, in my last year, I took up wheel-throwing lessons every Thursday morning in the famous Fringeclub.
And that was a classic case of love at first sight (or rather love at first touch)!
Unfortunately, all this was cut short way too quickly as life moved me to a place called Valmareno in the north of Italy, wedged between the Dolomites and the Adriatic Sea, an hour’s drive from Venice.
That’s where I still live today.
Beautiful, quiet, rural… and no pottery course to be found anywhere near.
Skip 17 years when I was told about a small ceramics school. A 35-minute drive from my house. (And it had been there all along!)
Found it, went in, touched clay, got going and never looked back.
That was in 2017.
I can honestly say that since that moment I can count the clay-free days on one hand.
It has naturally become my new profession.
In fact, after an initial outburst of rather sculptural work, I now also make more daily-use pieces such as bowls, plates, mugs, small vases, candlesticks, napkin holders, small wall plaques, necklaces etc.
So here I am in my home studio, making things, either wheel thrown, mould pressed, slab built or slip-cast and often a combination thereof.