Once upon a time, there was this cute little crocodile who was called Cute Crocodile (duh). His teeth were so sharp and scary that none of the other animals would befriend him.

One day, he decided to throw a little party to wow them. He made confetti and sent out invitations, but of course his teeth got in the way. Only Manic Monkey showed up - being manic he didn't see the danger.

They had a good time, the pair of them. In fact, they had such a good time, that Cute Crocodile didn't eat Manic Monkey (like he had planned).

THE END

PS Top1 didn't get through to the next round. I got the impression the jury was looking for a good story behind the art work. He probably should've prepared something like "I've always felt there was more to matter than meets the eye. When I heard about the Higgs boson, I knew I had to explore it. That particle gets to the core of my being. My very soul." Bla-di-bla...

But we had fun visiting the Fries Museum!

A couple of weeks ago, both Top1 and myself entered amateur art competition Het Vierkante Ei.

My painting was turned down, but to our delight his sculpture (an interpretation of the elusive Higgs boson) made it to the first round!

I guess this means we'll be heading to the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden come Saturday.

Such good timing - my man was in need of a boost. I am so proud!

PS Just added our portfolios in the sidebar. Go check out Top1 there!

This is the first in a series called "Impromptu Meetings". They will all be figurative, and I've decided on a maximum of three to four hours per painting to keep them fresh. The paintings in another series I am working on, "Flow", all take at least tenfold that amount of time. Riding the flow is a time-consuming hobby ;-)

PS It's the little fellow that is feeling blue, not me. Although I can sympathize with him, at times.

PPS Do visit Theresa for more Corner Views of the world. It'll be worth your while.

When we moved to this old house in 1999, I was strong as an ox and stubborn like a mule. I convinced Top1 the renovation wouldn't take more than a couple of years. Never did it cross my mind that I'd have children some day, that I'd be overwhelmed by the increasing discrepancy between my inner world and the world at large, that I'd want to paint other things than walls and doors.

I feel so incapacitated these days. The house and all the stuff in it need constant attention. Attention I am no longer willing to give. I want out.

But I have to stay put. We have to finish decorating, because that will increase the likeability of our house. We have to declutter (by we I mean Top1, of course...) According to some websites, we even have to depersonalize our home.

My heart is filling up with images and words, my head is filling up with worries and my hands are filling up holes in the walls.

I guess a couple of arms wouldn't hurt either...

We've been busy with other things than creativity (alas, alas).

Today, I felt a little poetic vibe - hope that will grow from an inkling to a full-fletched urge to spit it all out.

For the Dutch among you, here are a few "beginnings" (these poems just popped into my head today, so they need to simmer a little bit. It's work in progress):




And just added one in English as well:

Before I met Top1, I was scared of spiders. Top1, son of a biology teacher, taught me all he knew about these marvellous creatures, and lo and behold, my fear was gone.

Nowadays, I quite appreciate the little (and not so little) buggers that visit us from fall to spring. I simply adore the big ones!

To me, having a lot of spiders in the house means our home is a warm and welcoming place, where all creatures can co-exist in peace.

I've been searching for a long time. It started years ago, when I lived in another part of the Netherlands. I decided to take art classes with a local artist. That didn't work out - I was too stubborn to accept her teachings. I knew I shouldn't give up, but I did.

When we moved to Groningen, I decided to try again. I took art classes in a proper art center this time, but alas - it didn't feel right. I was ready to be taught, but nobody was teaching. I asked questions, but didn't get the answers I was looking for. So I quit, again.

After Top3 was born, I felt it was time. I decided to try Jukwerd, and there I found what I was looking for. It has been an interesting journey so far, one that has opened up whole new worlds. Third time lucky, I'd say!

The first church is the one in Jukwerd, where I take my work every week to paint in a group. The second church is the one in Meedhuizen, where we had the group exhibition this weekend, and the third photo... well, that's a self-portrait.

Bert and Ernie are my favorite Sesame Street figures - and their Dutch voices are done by my favorite Dutch actors Paul Haenen and Wim T. Schippers. Both have done a lot in theatre and in TV series. They are actors and artists in their own right. Enjoy!

Hop on over to Theresa for more Corner Views of the world.

PS Bad stuff happens. We'll find a way to make a living, although it will be tough. Decent jobs are hard to find in this part of the Netherlands, especially when you're older than 45 (Top1 is almost geriatric ;-)) I am looking into new opportunities for myself as well. Can't live on love, now can we?

I wish I still was that little girl. The sadness infiltrated my life not long after my dad shot this Super8 movie. He died young, taking part of me with him. I still miss him, especially in challenging times.

Yesterday I turned 38. It was an uneventful day (apart from the Trojan Horse). Top4 dressed up as a clown for a childrens party, and came back a princess. I baked some cakes and checked my e-mail. Most of the time, I felt sad.

A few weeks ago, Top3 added some 90 extra Gogos to the population of GogoCity, and so their habitat was getting a bit small. His solution: A Trojan Horse, filled to the rim with little soldiers, ready to attack the Funky Beans and their home ("Mooiland" castle).

Please note the fan at the horse's backside - I bet real horses and cows would love that kind of device to get rid of flies in the summer...

This is one of the paintings I've decided to submit for my first art exhibition.

The group exhibition is titled "Made in Jukwerd", as the 52 participants all are students of artist and art coach Rieks Pepping, who lives and works in the church of Jukwerd.

The exhibition is hosted by the Stichting Huis van Meedhuizen, in yet another church.

I'll be in Meedhuizen on Saturday, February 12 and possibly also on Sunday, February 13. If you are in the neighborhood, do pop by!

Don't think for one minute this is the sky we get here nowadays, in winter time. No siree.

This is the sky I witnessed last summer, on a camping site in Friesland.

I only spotted the angel-like cloud figure on the left just now, sifting through my vast (ahum) evening sky photo collection.

I am not religious at all. But I do enjoy symbolism. And an angel in the sky to me is a pretty nifty symbol. So, I am glad this theme was picked. Otherwise, I would have missed this cloud floating heavenwards...

Hop on over to Theresa for more Corner Views of the world!

At the "fake finish"?



Or at the "real finish"?



We're all grumpy here.
I blame the lack of sun.
Winter, be gone!