Rots en branding

“My rock” 

I met Michiel at Frisse Blikken during a rather turbulent phase of my life (see also the painting “Chaos”). The first time I saw him, I knew it right away – this man is special. Michiel needed a little bit more time ;-). 

What I quickly realized is that Michiel gives me the peace and calmness I sometimes desperately need, even when I don’t realize it myself at that moment. I can experience emotions extremely, both positively as extremely happy, as well as less positive, like anger or sadness. Michiel is stable. I soon started calling him ‘my rock’. He can handle my ups and downs, he occasionally grounds me and helps me put things into perspective. My mind can be filled with thoughts that keep popping up, but when I can lay next to him for a while or when he gives me a hug, my mind is calm and at ease. 

I wanted to create a painting that symbolizes that specific peace for me. For this, I had to look for a different technique and style then I normally use (read: lots of color and texture). Michiel pointed out this style to me – acrylic ink with lots of water. By adding water to the ink, I visualized the flow of my emotions. By applying layer upon layer and letting them dry in between, these flows have become sort of mountains that symbolize ‘rocks’ for me. 

So, in symbolism, material, and the fact that Michiel pointed me to this technique – it turns out to be the ideal combination of the rock and the waves.