Born in 1956 and raised in Kortrijk (Belgium), I graduated from university with a civil engineering degree in Information Technology. Then I worked for 35 years as a project leader and program coordinator mainly in the IT-strategy department of a major Belgian bank.
These management and technology related activities provided me with essential skills in working in a structured way and also activated an interest in innovative and creative environments. My alongside interest in fine art, classical music, philosophy and literature compensated for the more technical aspects of the profession.
It was therefore for no one a surprise that, at the end of my professional career, I subscribed for Fine Art, Art History and Music History classes at the ‘Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten Kortrijk’ (KASK Kortrijk) and at the ‘Conservatorium Kortrijk’.
From this early start - up to today - I was very lucky to find support, guidance and encouragement from several passionate professional Fine Art teachers: Hervé Martijn, Ludwig Allaert, Ilse Petillion, Anne Van Outryve, Griet Vandewiele, Jan Dheedene, Letske Mistiaen, Gilles Dedecker, Dieter Van Der Ougstraete, Ann Dever and Thomas Huyghe.
Classical Music History and Music Culture classes and seminars given by Katelijne Dessein and Beatrijs Van Hulle added valuable experience in this other more abstract High Art area.
The passionate and responsive way in which Jan Amelynck leads his Art History students at KASK Kortrijk from impressionism over expressionism up to the 1970’s and 1980’s and contemporary new artistic more conceptual movements provided additional insight and an urge for further discovery.
I imagine that all the above explains my preferences for painting, sketching and a conceptual and project based approach in my works and an indisputable interest in the materiality of the oil paint, pastel, charcoal and other similar media.
Curiosity about life in all of its aspects is certainly a major driver behind the works. Many works evolve from a simple question, a question that starts with ‘Why’. For instance: “Why are we fascinated by eyes ?”.
I also do enjoy the ‘experimental’ moments, bringing up new ideas, discovering and testing new media and techniques, especially the support that multi-media technology and computer based visualization applications can offer, that I would label Digital and Virtual.
I discovered step by step a passion for color and light and an interest in balancing figuration and abstraction.
I find it also intriguing to try out some ‘cross-overs’ to other artistic disciplines i.e. music and literature.
The works are certainly in no way outstanding fine art but the whole process of making them provides me with valuable energy, a strong focus on the moment and a happy kind of feeling.
In one word: Flow”.