In this fast, perfect and digital world, I step on the brakes as a maker and embrace the slow, imperfect and analogue process. I like to paint with ink and use these graphic drawings as a basis for colorful prints made with old printing techniques such as screen printing and Riso print.
Accidental discoveries
Serendipity means that you accidentally discover something valuable and beautiful. In this digital world we increasingly strive for perfection, for more, for feasibility, for speed. As a maker, I put on the brakes and, in contrast, I would like to enter a slow process in which I work analogue and with traditional printing techniques. All kinds of influences can cause the result to be different than you thought: the energy of your brushstroke, your own mood, the pressure you apply, the material you work with. You have to let go of your control and perfection and allow coincidences and mistakes. That is a challenge, but it ensures that you make beautiful discoveries through those coincidences and mistakes, outcomes that you did not expect. This means that every work has something human, something tangible and unique.
Slow down
Last year I spent two weeks as an artist in residence at a print studio in the mountains of Bulgaria. My goal was to produce like crazy there and make a lot of new work, but I actually learned to slow down and ended up making only one work in two weeks. In an almost meditative way I painted lines and circles in a grid with ink, which I then used as a basis for a screen print. I really enjoyed the process and realized that I need this process - which is a huge contrast to my work as a designer for others - as a maker. This way I continue to grow as a maker and designer and remain balanced at the same time.
Perfectly imperfect
As a graphic designer I love simplicity, working in grids, color and abstract shapes cast in a beautiful composition. You aim for a calm image that seems exactly right. Filling in these grids by hand and then printing them with traditional printing techniques such as screen printing or Riso print makes this an error-prone process. It is precisely in those mistakes that there are coincidental discoveries, which may make the print imperfect, but much more interesting and charming. I want to inspire others with my process and my love for graphic printing techniques. We don't always have to strive for perfection, the beauty and the soul often lies in things that are just not right and that we have no control over.
