From 2007 to 2009 I made mixed media collages on paper and on panel that were quite personal at times. Their starting point was often a text I read or overheard somewhere. Since then I have moved on to illustrating. My current website really functions as my illustration portfolio. I made this page to show some of my older work.
Katlijne van der Stighelen, a Belgian art historian from Leuven, has written some very nice things about it in her new book Vrouwenstreken. Onvergetelijke schilderessen uit de lage landen (Womens tricks/female brushstrokes: unforgettable women painters from the Low countries). Van der Stighelen is well acclaimed for (amongst others) her academic books on art by women and the famous Antwerp exhibition Elck zijn waerom (1999), the first overview of Dutch and Flemish art by women.
She has now written Vrouwenstreken as a more personal and intuitive essay, trying to capture how female artists look at their own intimate lives and the world and express their feminine view through their imagery.
Van der Stighelen refers to my former website as a public diary and a ‘kneedbaar atelier‘ (a plastic studio) and ‘een intiem gynaceum waar rolpatronen worden bevraagd en waar vrouwen inspiratie kunnen vinden om op een humoristische manier een metamorfose te ontwerpen‘ (an intimate harem where rolemodels are being questioned). I like it that she calls me an iconoclast! Never thought of myself like that – but it is true, I like to provoke a bit. Most of all I like to poke fun at myself and the rest of the world.. we are all of us such very normal people!
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| She had believed that she could make a difference in his life Collage on panel, 30 x 30 cm |
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| I wasn’t the best version of myself for a couple of years. Collage on panel, 30 x 30 cm |
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| Marten Jans bad dreams are mostly bureaucratic. (On the cards it says: you may not remove this card.) Collage on paper  Mom, piss off |
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| She was beginning to get that awful feeling she always had after saying something hurtful to somebody Collage on paper |
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| Collage on paper |
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| My poor Henk thinks school is dull |
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| Collage on paper |
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| Collage on paper |
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| Collage on paper |
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| Sorry, but you are the most boring parents I know. I am not looking forward to come visit in the future. Ceramic plates and transfers, diameter 30 cm. |
Collage on panel, 30 x 30 cm
Collage on panel, 30 x 30 cm
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| A quote from an official assessment in an adoption procedure. Collage on panel, 30 x 30 cm |
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Everyone’s eyes are blue in Kommerzijl (2007) |
Kommerzijl is a small town in the traditionally poor, northern coastal region of the Netherlands. For centuries its inhabitants have left to seek their fortune elsewhere. There was never any immigration into the town from other regions, so the gene pool was never mixed. As a result, every single person there has blue eyes. I discovered this on a trip we made there when the town celebrated its 400th anniversary. In the huge party tent, where hundreds of Kommerzijlians had gathered, I was the only one with brown eyes. I felt like a freak.
Congratulations Kitty on being published in this book. It sounds very interesting.
Lovely to see so many examples of your work as well. You have a razor sharp wit!
Wow! Congratualtions – you're famous!
I do like your collages there is a nice mix of the old with the new.
Congrats on the inclusion. I definitely think of you as an iconoclast and these images reinforce it. I love these, so snarky!
Congratulations on being sighted in such a wonderful way! You've always been one of my favorite ARTISTS, not just women artists! Ha! Loved the on-line retrospective of your work! I feel familiar with many but I'd some how missed the "She not quite sure how life works" and it could become my favorite! Also, never knew the origin of the Katy's Grandma line, hmmm. Anyway, pleased and proud to know ya! Thank you so much for providing the translation to English! Love, love,
Fantastic!
So cute and strong collages !