Chris Berens studied illustration at the Academy of Art & Design in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, graduating in 1999. He has developed a complex and time-consuming painting technique, mostly shown as mixed media on panel.

“I’m most comfortable using fine brushes and drawing inks and graphites, but I also regularly use water color paints, markers and acrylics”, Berens says. “For some time now I’ve added digital image making to my line of techniques, meaning 3D sculpting, digital painting and image processing. I combine and mix them with my more traditional media.”

After his first major solo show at Jaski Gallery in 2005, Chris Berens’ fame spread quickly. The young artist has already exhibited all over the world, from Amsterdam to New York, from Tokyo to Los Angeles, Seattle and Singapore. He also designed the cover for Panic of Girls, an album which was released in 2011 by Blondie. Deborah Harry and Chris Stein, founders of the band, are admirers of his work.

Back home Chris has been the subject of a television documentary. Chris Berens, Master of his Magical Universe was made for Dutch broadcaster Avro’s Close Up series in 2013 and has since been broadcast several times at home and abroad.

Chris Berens also featured prominently in the television documentary Krabbé searches for Van Gogh, in which actor/painter Jeroen Krabbé traced the path of Vincent van Gogh in co-operation with Dutch artists.

 

The Hug Squad - New Dawn

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Olena

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Olena is the Commander in Chief of New Dawn, the special unit of The Hug Squad.

She is known as the gentle warrior. Although she prefers things to be solved peacefully and with diplomacy she is known to chase away many Kikimora’s and Baba Yaga’s and to chop a couple of heads off a Zmei. Olena has fought many battles over swamps, forests and steppe. She is not afraid to get her clothes wet or her hair in disarray and just when there seems no hope left, she takes out the big guns and makes her creatures rise above themselves, inspiring them to do the greatest of things.

Olena is also known to protect the children. She sees the power in their innocence and she takes care of them, making sure they eat right, get enough sleep and get good education and have fun. She sings them songs and tells them tales about knights and dragons and when she is old she will sit down and write a tale of a particular unpleasant Leshy who was defeated by the fierce creatures she protected a long long time ago.

OLENA is fierce but gentle. She is tough, but only when she needs to be, compassionate when she can. She is willing to sacrifice her own private freedom for that of the future generation.

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Agloolik

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

Agloolik is a protective guardian for the creatures on the other end of the water surface. In return, they keep him company. And they play with him.

But he also provides aid to fishermen and hunters. If hunters pays Agloolik a visit before fishing, and promise to come back, Agloolik will bless the hunters with a nice juicy catch.

Agloolik rules in the depths of puddles too inhospitable for other gods of the sea to bear, and has guided humans to waters filled to the brim with fish and sea life beyond the reach of gods who do not dare venture into his watery sphere of influence.

That’s the sort of thing Agloolik comes up with. He’s alone a lot. Doesn’t have a lot of fellow conversationalists. Not above water anyway. But Agloolik can’t talk underwater. He ins’t a fish, has no gills. He tried, once, which scared away all of his underwater pals, and all that came out was, well, “AGGGLLOOOLLKK”.

But it’s all good. Agloolik is happy enough. He has friends. Acquaintences. And he does have fun.

AGLOOLIK doesn’t need much. He likes company. Even though he’s an introvert, he enjoys the close proximity of other beings.

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Astraea

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

ASTRAEA, meaning "star-maiden" or "starry night",is the daughter of Astraeus and Eos, ancestors of the Cervinae, the Old World Deer.

Astaea is the maiden goddess of justice, innocence, purity and precision. She was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age, the first of the Ages of Man.

In the present and ongoing Iron Age, the last of the Ages of Man, the world is extravagantly out of control. People covet gold and despotism, family and friends fall out and come to face each other. Astraea abandoned the earth in the beginning of the Iron Age. Fleeing from the new wickedness of humanity, she ascended to the heavens to become the constellation Virgo. Although some say that the fifth and last of the deteriorating Ages of Man was ushered in by the evacuation of Astaea.

According to myth, Astraea will one day come back to Earth, bringing with her the return of the magnificent Golden Age.

ASTRAEA is innocent. She is pure, just and precise. She has no agenda. Let alone a second or a third. When something feels good, it’s good, when it doesn’t, it’s not. She doesn’t pass judgement of value, but she does value her own judgement.

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Alkonost

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

Al lives in the past. She likes it there. Playing outside all day, Summers are Summers and Winters are Winters, no responsibilities to speak of, Stuff is affordable, simple times. She is playful and cheerful and pleasant and has such a beautiful voice. Her voice heals the souls of every good-natured creature that hears it, it showers them in sweet memories.

AL is mindful. Mindful of what she feels, hears, sees, smells and tastes. The fact that she lives in the past doesn’t change that. She lives in the past from where we stand. It is always now for her. She is always here. As are we all.

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Auntie Tumnus and her Babies

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

Auntie Tumnus is a quaint lady. She likes rain. And wind. And cold. And darkness.

The dark is a welcome pendant of the light, she said. She teaches her babies to ride the storm instead of to seek shelter and wait for it to pass. As one thing is for certain, only in darkness can on see the light, and this too shall pass. What you do in the meantime, is up to you. She encourages her babies to look closer whenever they feel the urge to look away. Not to be afraid of the dark, but to acknowledge and appreciate the fact that it illuminates the noise and reveals the stars.

ANTIE TUMNUS is synchronized with the circle of life. She does not fear death or deterioration, she sees the beauty in the breakdown, and she finds her magic in nature.

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Billy el Bulli

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

Billy grew up in a rough neighborhood. His father was a tough guy and an undefeated hombreador. Billy learned how to be quick as a cat and to eat like a bear and he’s grown up to be quite a bulky chunk of beef. He, now, is the undefeated champion. He does his part. He fits in. Half his village loves him. The other half is afraid of him. He’s everything his father hoped his boy would grow up to be. But there’s a part of Billy that doesn’t want to fit in. Not here. He wants to give it all up.

Well, not everything. He loves being quick as a cat. He enjoys eating like a bear. He just wants to follow his heart. See, he’s been looking at these two guys that frolic around town that everybody laughs at. Always joking about them behind their backs. They seem so happy. The look so free. Not caring what anybody thinks, ‘cause it’ll only be a second and then there gone. Billy wants to be part of that. Billy wants to dance. He loves to dance. And he loves to cook. Billy wants to be a dancing cook.

BILLY EL BULLI is brave. Even though he feels his family might not understand, his surroundings might not accept, he listens to his heart, he follows his dreams. And that, is bravery.

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GuruGuru

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

GURUGuru is an Indian white wolf. Her parents named him Guru as it means "Dispeller of darkness" or "One who points the way”, not because he is a Guru of any kind. He just radiant. Luminous. Literally. Guru’s mother was something of a living legend when she was pregnant with Guru. Her belly lit up in the dark. And when Guru was born, it became clear that she was not the luminary one, Guru was. Great things were expected of him.

He must be so special, they said. He must be very talented, they whispered. He is destined to lead the way, they cheered. But Guru went nowhere. He did nothing. Had no specific talent whatsoever. He just sat. Silently. Al day, every day. Smiling. It drove the creatures around him crazy. Who does he think he is, the creatures around him growled. He does nothing. How come he gets to do nothing all day, when everyone else in our community works from daybreak to nightfall, we get payed so poorly, and we don’t even have time to spend the money we make.

Sure, Guru sets the table and has a meal prepared for when we get home, but that is not an art or special gift. There’s food aplenty where we live. He doesn’t even have to leave the area to get it.

“Exactly”, Guru finally said. We are all together. We are safe. We have plenty of food. We raise our children together. We have no enemies, only friends. All of you work so hard. For next to no reward. And I just smile. Could it be, you aren’t upset with me, but with yourselves? Can it be, that every time you come home from work and there’s food on the table, but you’re too tired to talk to each other, tell stories, or read, or play, you see me and can’t seem to remember how to is you’re not doing the exact same thing? Come, sit around me, there’s plenty of light in me for all of us. And they did.

GURU is a guru. Through no intension or fault of his own, he teaches us you don’t have to accomplish anything in life in order to shine. You are perfect, just the way you are. Right now. Believe it to be true. It’s true.

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Juniper, the Tree

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

A long time ago, there was a woman who felt she didn’t have a purpose in life. She felt empty and redundant. She decided she wanted nothing more than to be a mother. She lived in a time before candles on birthday cakes, before shooting stars, even before wells or coins to toss into them. So, one winter, she decides to go into the courtyard, sit under the juniper tree and make a wish.

She closes her eyes and concentrates, so hard. After an uneventful while, she feels the wind playing with her hair and leaves stroke her cheek and hears the swish, rustle and crinkle of woodland creatures. When she opens her eyes, the giant tree stands leaning over her, a smile gently crackling his crusty face. She reaches for his outstretched hand and right then and there is when and where the magic entered the world.

JUNIPER believes in magic. She has to. It is her right to exist. Not to believe in magic is not to believe in herself. So she has no choice but to believe in magic. And even if she did, she would.

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Parzival, the Red Knight

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

The original red knight was King Ither. Ither is the son of one of the sisters of Uther and therefor a cousin of King Arthur. The young Parzival wants to be a knight and is obsessed with Ither’s shining armour and can think of nothing else he could ever want more or even equally. In the heart of one of his tantrums focusing on the object of his obsession, Parzival pokes king Ither in the eye, takes his armor, puts it on, starts calling himself the Red Knight and rides off on Ither’s horse in search of a mentor, who will instruct him in the ways of knighthood.

He meets one of the knights of the Square Fable who teaches Parzival the most important duties of a knight are self-control and moderation. He then realizes what he has done, turns around and rides for many moons until he arrives home. He is determined to make right what he’s done wrong. He finds King Ither, and offers him his armour, his horse and his humble service. King Ither laughs, puts his hand on Parzival’s shoulder and tells him to rise like an equal, for he has successfully passed the test and may now officially call himself the Red Knight.

PARZIVAL is able to see and acknowledge his weaknesses. He is prepared to admit he was wrong. To himself and to others. Without the sensation of losing face. This way you cannot lose. Either you win, or you learn.

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Pixie

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

PIXIE loves a good fairy ring. He is something of a fairy ring chaser. He just can’t get enough. Some might even call him a fairy ring nut, but that’s really not fair. You see, fairy rings are actually rather interesting phenomena and Pixie has found out quite a bit about them. For example, in England fairy rings are caused by fairies or elves dancing in a circle. When humans join in the dance they will be punished by the fairies, and made to dance in the ring until they passed out from exhaustion. Pixie is not human.

In Germany, fairy rings are actually known as witches’ rings. They are the place where witches dance on Walpurgis Night, a spring celebration taking place exactly six months before Halloween. Pixie can’t wait. He’s already bought his ticket to Germany.

And in Austria, dragons are to blame for the appearance of fairy rings. They burn them into the forest floor with their fiery tails.

But that’s not all Pixie’s found out. In some countries they are portals to another world, in others the mushrooms are simply used as dinner tables for fairies. Sometimes they bring good luck and they might just be a sign of a fairy village underground. But whatever you do, never step into a fairy ring, as you may become invisible or become trapped in it, like forever.

PIXIE is an enthousiast and a believer. When she hasn’t seen something, she has no reason to believe it doesn’t exist. In fact, she’ll have all the more reasons to believe that is does. When she’s never done something before, she has no reason to suspect she can’t do it.

She’s not naïve, though. She does strive to remain her good sense. And as much as she asks herself “why shouldn’t I?” she also, from time to time poses the question:

“Why should I?”

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Ratty

mixed media on panel
19 x 13 cm 2022

Ratty is a busy little bee. He’s full of restless energy and likes to do stuff. He’s not a great thinker, no world leader, but he sure can run like the wind. He runs up and down this colossal Juniper tree to carry messages between the bird, perched atop the tree, and the serpent, who dwells beneath the tree roots. The bird knows a lot and wants to convey his findings and impart wisdom. The snake interprets and speculates.

For ratty there is no truth or lies. There’s no right or wrong. No up or down. There’s only here and now. He just tries to remember what the snake said. Then he runs and runs and delivers the message and then tries not to forget what the bird tells him.

RATTY is honest. He doesn’t let anyone truth or gossip affect him. He knows there’s no such thing as truth. Or gossip. There’s only assumptions, interpretations and intent. Information he receives does not change the world and therefor does not change the way he sees it.

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Aarne Thompson Uther (Atu)

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Atu, the barking white lion, lives in the backyard of a man with three daughters. He has remained unseen successfully for many a generation. Knowing his humans are afraid of dogs, he has taught himself to bark whenever one of them would come too close, and scare them off. One day, Atu hears the man tell his daughters he must leave on a journey and asking each of his daughters what they would like him to bring back. The oldest wants diamonds, the second pearls, and the youngest a singing, springing lark.

This makes Atu fall madly in love with the youngest daughter.The man, however, has not a clue what in God’s green earth a lark is, but is afraid to tell his daughters that and risk being even more of a laughing stock than he already is. Without saying another word, the man leaves and Atu forgets about this event for a while. One day, the man returns with diamonds and pearls, but no lark, which makes Atu feel sad and sorry for the youngest daughter and love her even more. One night, as Atu enjoys being the king of his own kingdom, -the far back of the backyard of the man with his three daughters- he sees the man wandering about the garden, getting awfully close, mumbling “lark, lark what in heaven’s name is a lark”.

Atu starts his barking, but instead if running, the man is starteled, and looks Atu straight in the eyes and utters: Lion.. Bark.. Lark? LARK!, runs into the house and orders his servant to catch it. Instead of taking offence to this thread, threatening to kill them both for calling him a lark, the lion decides to pardon the man’s ignorance and look upon the event as a sign of fate. He lets himself get caught and led to the youngest daughter. She, too, instantly decides to spare her father from yet another humiliation and graciously accept her ‘lark’. In the end Atu moves into the house and the servant is given the task to build a large ornamental bird cage in the back of the backyard, go to the colonial flee market and buy a couple of ‘Leeuwerikken’ from a Dutch merchant.

ATU is passionate. He knows what he wants and he gets creative in finding ways to get it. He is considerate of other people’s feelings and is willing to slightly adjust his course in order to spare the feelings of others.

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Anna Agneta

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Anna Agneta is the third wife of famous ornithologist. She stays home, loving and raising their four children. While her spouce was out and about, galavanting in the field, digging up one new bird after the other, little did he know that a fellow naturalist was making fun of him behind his back, denying the origin of a certain species, the tailless mutant of a jungle fowl. Anna Agneta snuck into her husband’s lab and took the poor bird in and loved and raised it as her own fifth child. She never demanded any recognition. Nor did she receive any. Until now.

ANNA AGNETA is selfless. She does what she feels is the right thing to do, even if that means her standing in the background. She sees that quality in you, too. The things you do, come from a place of love. You might feel you’re standing in the shadows, but you will be seen and your will be acknowledged.

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Antonio

mixed media on paper
26 x 18 cm 2022

Antonio is an instrument maker best known for his association with the polymath Figaro, for whom Antonio produced instruments including a military compass.

Antonio is the son of a clockmaker. Antonio had been working as an instrument maker for years, when suddenly, Figaro entered his shop and hired him as his personal instrument maker, and Antonio's wife became Figaro’s cook and housekeeper.

During the four years he lived Figaro’s household and thereafter, Antonio constructed instruments for Figaro, notably the military compass that Figaro invented and sold. Antonio would build more than 100 of these compasses for Figaro, making him the world’s first mass producing monkey. Antonio also helped Figaro produce other instruments, including botched balances, tushy thermometers, monkey magnets and various kinds of drawing tools for cave people and architects.

For his services, Figaro paid Antonio a meager salary of six bananas per year (in addition to room and board), and has not been caught complaining by anyone, ever.

ANTONIO is humble and takes pride in what he does as well as in who he is. He takes life as it is served and will strive to find satisfaction and achievement within its limitations.

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Amos

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Before becoming a shepherd, Amos was a sycamore fig farmer. His prior professions and his claim "I am not a shepherd nor a son of a shepherd" indicates that Amos was not from the school of shepherds, which, he claims, would qualify him as a true shepherd. Amos' declaration marks a turning-point in the development of shepherdism.

It is not mere chance that his buddies Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and almost all of the shepherds with a significant amount of sheep seek to protest against the suspicion that they are professional shepherds. He made his point vigorously that no one ever asks him about shepherism.

It’s been many years, now and Amos has been at his game very happily. He stands on his hill, leaning on his favorite sheep, accompanied by his favorite shepherd’s squirrel and sighs. He is Amos. King of his hill and happy, after these years. Amos is a shepherd.

AMOS doesn’t like to be pinned down. He doesn’t like to have his life carved out for him. He wants to be a free agent. He wants to go where he pleases. And he wants to change his game however and whenever he wants to.

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Baku and Maruka

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Maruka loves to dream. But she’s afraid to go to sleep. Sleep is a particularly vulnerable state of being for Maruka because she believes, as young as she is, that her spirit and physical body seem to separate while she dreams. She read that somewhere. And now it’s real. Maruka has thought about this eerie feeling a lot and has come up with the profession of pillow shifter.

You see, to Maruka, the pillow is not what a pillow is to you. It is a threshold, a sort of magical device, that allows her to travel to another world. Because of this, pillows must at all times be treated with respect. Up until today, it would have been so disturbing to her to wake up and discover that her pillow had been shifted. If her pillow would have been moved while she was asleep, it was possible that her spirit would not be able to return to tiny body. This threat turns a seemingly harmless prank of the Pillow Stealer into a super scary one because of the vulnerable unconscious state of dreaming.

So now Makura wants to be a pillow shifter when she grows up. She doesn’t have to go to sleep in order for her to dream. She just needs a pillow. And in case she does fall asleep, she has Baku. Baku is a dream-eater, is a benevolent, cuddly but ravenous creature with a specific appetite for and the power to eat nightmares.

BAKU AND MARUKA work smart when they can, and only hard when they have to. And most of all, they work together. Maruka has a deep desire and an equally deep fear. As a professional dreamer, she knows that thinking, fearing, desiring or feeling something makes it as real as it gets. So, she maps it all out. Her dreams, her desires, her fears, her doubts and her thoughts. And together with Baku, she works around the problems. Not by sidestepping, but transforming them into ideas, opportunities and solutions.

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The Bao Brothers

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

The Bao brothers have been taking a sabbatical. They were just fed up and they had it up to here. They needed a fix. A hook. A fresh start. They felt their brain function was slowly deteriorating, their muscle strength and motor skills were weakening and their stress level had reached an all-time high.

So they left the province of Shanxi to their west, Henan to the south, Shandong to the southeast and Liaoning to the northeast, as well as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north and sat down.

It’s been two years now and what this is what they’ve come up with. Balls. So far, they’ve made three. Their plan was to start rotating two or more balls repeatedly in the paw. Intended to improve their finger dexterity, relaxation of their paws, at the same time aid in the recovery of muscle strength and motor skills, further exercise paw muscles, improve their brain function and reduce stress. And it would have worked if their hands weren’t so damn small.

THE BAO BROTHERS are looking for solutions. They know that in the problem lies the solution, but they now know that the problem of only looking at the solution is that one quite easily creates a new problem. And by only focusing on the problem, it will get bigger.

What they have learned is that when looking for solutions, one needs first to locate and define the problem. And to keep their eyes on the problem. And to transform the problem, into the solution.

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Barney

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Folklore surrounding Barney the barn owl is better recorded than for most other owls. Barney has a sinister reputation probably because he is a bird of the night, and darkness was always associated with death. On the bright side, a group of poets used Barney as their favourite "bird of doom."

Word spread rapidly, resulting in rumours, the one even more ludicrous than the next. As a result, Barney was chased and sought after for years, forcing him to go in hiding. People wanted to catch him, dress him up and call him Susan in order to ward off evil and lightning, villagers would walk around Barney’s tree, in the hope he would turn and turn his head to watch them until he would get dizzy and fall. Barney-broth was said to cure kids suffering the heebie-jeebies.

Even though Barney’s a dude, rumours were spread concerning the healing powers of his eggs, when baked ‘sunny side up’.

Obviously, none of this is true. Barney is, however, known to predict the weather. He’s become to be so good at it, seeing Barney is considered good luck in parts of Europe.

BARNEY focusses on the good in people. He is tolerant and not at all spiteful. He knows his worth he knows when he is appreciated and when it’s better to move along.

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Brunhild

mixed media on paper
26 x 18 cm 2022

Brunhild is a shieldmaiden, a female warrior. For some reason, she is sometimes lovingly referred to as a valkyrie.

She will meet you mid-battle when things are going South and ask what you need. It’s not like you can ask for anything though. She has two options really. Well, three. First, you can keep going and she’ll go about her business. But that one doesn’t really count, as it’s not much of an option, given her timing and the size of the pile of crap you’re in.

So two options. There she suddenly is. She can guide you to the left, where there’s this great big sunny meadow, you’re welcome to use. Just take a load off, lie in the grass, eat a buttercup, drink from a shepherd’s purse, that sort of thing.

The other option will take you to this majestic, enormous hall. Inside the hall with a gold ceiling Brunhild has been slaving away all day to make this magnificent feast. Just for you. And a couple of other guys who look like they too can use a refreshment.

She looks like the main character in a saga or a poem. She is a powerful Amazon-like queen. Once you see her, you immediately know it’s her. Just remember, she’s on your side and both options are fine. It doesn’t matter which path you take, just take her hand and leave the mud pool.

BRUNHILD picks you up when you’re down. She offers you a way out. You will have to go the distance yourself, but she will give you the strength and the confidence to do so.

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Caren

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Caren is a psychopomp. It is her responsibility to escort newly deceased souls from the dinnertable to the afterlife. Her role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to gently guide them.

Also, Caren is a mediator between the unconscious and conscious realms. A coin to pay Caren for passage is sometimes placed in the mouth or on the eyes of a departed animal. Some say that those who can not pay the fee, have to wander between the dining room and the kitchen for one hundred years, until they are finally allowed to cross. And although Caren appreciates a good shiny silver coin, she’s not that demanding. She doesn’t want their money. They’ll need that themselves to pay the ferryman. She happens to like fish, or shepherd’s pie or a good stew and is especially fond of nice juicy fowl. And let’s face it, they will not be needing that particular part of their entity anyway. So really everybody wins.

So at the end of the day, more than anything else, Caren is a helpful animal and she makes the best of an otherwise unfortunate situation.

CAREN has the ability to rise above any situation. She knows her own strength and she is aware of her flaws. She is willing to work on the flaws she can change and prepared to accept the ones she can’t. She is sympathetic towards her surroundings, and realistic enough not to dwell and linger in pity or self-loathing.

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Caroline

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Caroline is the wife of Rudyard and the custodian of his human cubs in his absence. Carrie was born to a prominent local family with a reputation for being unconventional.

Carrie met Rudyard via her brother, who was in the Raja’s menagerie with Rudyard. She was the mastermind behind the escape of Rudyard and her brother and took a cheetah, a sloth bear, an elephant, a couple of grey langurs, a golden jackal, a bat, a peacock, a porcupine and a pack of dholes with her in the process. And after she led everyone out of the menagerie safely, she taught Rudyard how to transform his collar and chain and wear it like a crown. When Carrie’s brother decided to join the circus, Rudyard was distraught and spent time with Carrie, wooed her and married her a week later. The bride was given away by two large water buffalos called Rama and Mysa, who exclaimed "It’s a union of which we cannot forecast the future."

Rudyard had planned a round-the-jungle trip for their honeymoon, but Carrie insisted they build a home for run-away human-cubs instead.

CAROLINE is a mother in every fibre of her being. She is comfortable in the background but is confident to take place in the drivers’ seat, she can make tough decisions in the name of love. Even when she is strict, she is sympathetic, warmhearted and merciful.

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Catharina and her Henri

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Catharina is a noblewoman. An art lover in the broadest of ways. Everything she does echoes the festivities for which Catherine's court is famous. The fêtes, picnics, and mock battles of the magnificent entertainments, all hosted and designed by Catherina.

The musical shows in particular allow Catherina to express her creative gifts. They are usually dedicated to the ideal of peace in the realm and based on mythological themes. To create the necessary dramas, music, and scenic effects for these events, Catherina employs the leading artists and architects of the day. Historians already call her "a great creative artist in festivals." Catherine gradually introduces changes to the traditional entertainments. A distinctive new art form emerges from these creative advances. Owing to its synthesis of dance, music, verse, and setting, the production she is about to perform will later be regarded by scholars as the first authentic ballet there ever was.

The legend that Catharina introduced a long list of techniques and utensils to process citrus fruits for the first time is a myth commonly discredited by most food historians and attributed to the invention of the limelight by her faithful husband, King Henri.

CATHARINA has vision. She takes things to a higher level and does not need to do it all by herself. When she sees a talent in others, she will gladly share the limelight.

HENRI takes pride in the little things. He enjoys seeing others shine and will make an effort to put them in the spotlights.

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Cis and Echo

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

This is the story of Echo and Cis. Once upon a time, a nymph and a river fell madly in love and after one year of love the nymph gave birth to the child they called Cis. As much as Cis was a result of their love, nymphs and rivers aren’t known for their superior parenting skills, so Cis wandered the great earth alone. One day Cis was walking in the woods when Echo, an air nymph saw him, fell deeply in love, and followed him. Cis sensed he was being followed and shouted "Who's there?". Echo repeated "Who's there?" She eventually revealed her identity and attempted to hug him.

Cis backed away and told Echo to go and find love elsewhere, as he felt he was to blame for his parents leaving him. Echo came closer and gently ushered Cis toward a brook, where Cis leaned over the water and saw himself, radiant and in the bloom of youth. Both Cis and Echo stared at Cis’ brearthtaking reflection for what seemed like hours. Their gaze met in the depth of the brook, they smiled, which soon broke out in uncontrollable laughter. Right then and there they decided they had all they would ever need. They vowed to stay together always, to make this place their home and garden and that is where they will remain.

CIS AND ECHO see your beauty. It shines from within you, it defines your appearance, and it even rubs off on your surroundings. There is a person out there who sees you, in all your glory and your grace. You will find each other. You may be closer than you think.

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Clarice

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

One day a wolf snatched a lamb from a herd of sheep and ran to his house into his dining room. He was just about to eat the lamb, when the lamb said: “By all means, sir Wolf, please do eat me. But see, the thing is, I just ate a lot of grass. I’ll taste like grass. You don’t even like grass, do you?” The wolf did in fact not like grass one bit, but he decided he liked lamb more than he disliked grass. “Fair enough,” said the lamb. “I just have one request. I have heard your singing voice is sweet like potato pie and soft as a chicken’s thigh. Could you sing me a tune, please? I love to be eaten after a good song.” The wolf was so flattered, having only sang in the shower before.

Even though he thought she sounded quite nice, he never had the nerve to sing in public and didn’t think anyone ever had heard him. So, after a moment of silence, the wolf closed his eyes, and started to sing. It wasn’t so good, but the lamb kept smiling. After the last trembling note had left the wolf’s throat, the lamb clapped her hoofs together and said it was the most beautiful song she’d ever heard. “It made me want to dance.”, the lamb said. “You know, if you sing another song, I can sign along and dance to our tune. By dancing, the grass in my tummy will be digested much faster, and I will taste so much better”.

The wolf thought this was a marvelous idea. He cleared his throat, the lamb started to tap his hoof and they burst into a savage singing and the lamb hippity-hopped all around the dinner table. They sounded so terrible, several animals came up to the house to see what was wrong with the wolf. After the wolf and the lamb had stopped, the wolf smacked his lips, but the lamb said: “That was so lovely. I think we sounded just divine. Look, we even have an audience.” The lamb turned to the visitors and said: “I just happen to know that Pyewacket here is a virtuoso at the singing glass and Mrs. Cricket plays a mean violin.”
The wolf was so excited, he started to wag his tale, , howled in excitement, grabbed a smoking pipe from the table and started to conduct the merry bunch. And ferociously they sang. And fiery they played and frenzied they danced. Feeling confident for the first time in his singing career, the wolf opened the window and sang. Oh, how passionate the wolf sang, uncontrollable, untamed and utterly euphoric. The lamb danced his finest terpsichore and jigged, jived and boogied right out of the window. The wolf kept singing, smiling and waving at the lamb and he howled: “You’ve been a lovely audience! Come and see us again!”

And sir Wolf, Pyewicket and Mrs. Cricket played and sang and danced until the next morning. As the sun rose and the early birds were their first crowd of the day, they decided to never ever stop and roam the lands, travel from village to village and hit the clubs as “the Angelic Sir Wolf, his Wicked Mrs. Cricket and the Enchanted Singing Glass.”

CLARICE is smart, she keeps her head cool and her spirit lifted. She evaluates a situation and is able to anticipate. She makes a plan to get herself out of trouble, and adjusts her plan as the situation unfolds.

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Dixie and Douglas

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Dixie is fascinated by speculative fiction, elaborate visions of plausible future, alternate and extraterrestrial ecosystems, that sort of thing. Dixie is influenced by the Contemporary Conservationist Crusade of Concerned Children, especially fueled by their begging requests to save the tigers, dolphins, bees, sharks, whales and the planet. Dixie began to ponder that should the tiger, the dolphin, the bee, the shark and the whale go extinct, something would inevitably take their place. She decided to sit down, fold her hands, put up her thousand-yard stare and make up a perfect future-proof descendant of modern day animals, exploring various natural processes, most prominently evolution and natural selection.

He would be an egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal. The duckbill must be rubbery and flexible. And he has teeth. Or one superstrong pad, instead of teeth. He would be a mammal, so the babies can safely drink from their mother’s breast. And he would lay eggs so he can protect and hide his babies in a hole that he dug. He’s great at digging holes and corridors. And the eggs would be super small. And blue, so no other animal would think it eatable, should he ever have to leave his egg babies to find food or go for a swim. And it senses prey and enemies through electrolocation.

It has a venomous spur on the hind foot. And extra bones in the shoulder for more strength for digging and more weight for swimming underwater. And a much stronger jaw. And he is an excellent swimmer. And when on land, it engages in knuckle-walking on its front feet, to protect the webbing between the toes. And it glows a bluish-green color in the dark. And he is like the ultimate creature and my best friend. And his name is Douglas.

DIXIE is a creative mind. She is sensitive to warnings and imminent danger, but will not be paralyzed by them. Instead, she puts her creative mind to work in a solution-oriented way. She wants to make a better future by learning from the past, but however grand and noble her causes, she will always keep it personal.

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Domo

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

DOMO is a member of the the Domovoy . This guy is called Domo. There are thousands of them, And they’re all called Domo. The Domovoy are believed to protect the well-being of one family in any of its aspects.

A family can only have one Domo. And people can never meet or see another family’s Domo. Unless you don’t have a family and therefor no Domo and then are accepted into a family with a Domo. Domo is very protective towards the children and the animals of the house, constantly looking after them.

These guys are believed to share the joys and the sorrows of the family they choose to stick with, and to be able to forebode and warn about future events, such as the imminent sickness or misfortune of a kindred person or other calamities which may threaten the welfare of the family. The Domovoy become angry and reveal their demonic aspect if the family is corrupted by bad behaviour and language. In this case, your Domo may even quit and leave the family unprotected against illness and calamity. You might grin or chuckle, but do not underestimate the demonic aspect of your Domo. Or the positive effect your Domo has on you and your family.

DOMO is a family man. Anyone can be family. He feels very strongly about the concept of family. You treat your family with respect and love and the one who treats you with love and respect is your family.

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Dorothy

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Dorothy feels lost. She is looking for the Right Path. This path is said to begin in the heart of the far end and it is to function as a guideline that leads all who follow it, to the ultimate destination, located in the exact center of the entire continent. Whatever that may be. Apparently, all the other fawns start off on this road, knowing where to go, simply having to follow the path.

Dorothy, however, is forced to search for the road before she can even begin her quest as she doesn’t seem to be anywhere near it. So, she starts looking for it. She sees many pathways and roads nearby, all of which lead in various directions but none of them seem to stand out or call to her in any specific way. Just when she decides to give up, she hangs her head and there it is. Right underneath her hoofs. Still hanging her head between her forelegs, she sees a path, lit up in a bright yellow glow, winding and twisting behind her.

Has she been on the Right Path all along? Why didn’t she see it before? The path goes on and on and on behind her, but it stops right beneath her feet. Is this it? Did she reach her destination? It sure doesn’t feel like it. Should she turn around? Has she been walking the Right Path backwards and is she at the starting point? Unsure what to do next, she hesitantly tips her hoof in front of her and quickly retracts it. A warm yellow light emerges from the ground, right where she planted her hoof. Slowly she lifts her head and looks into the dark in front of her. And then she sees it.

DOROTHY will not hang her head. Even if a situation seems too big to oversee, she knows the only way forward is one step at a time. And should she later on discover that she has taken the wrong turn, turning back is a next step, too. There is no going back, as even going back is a step forward. It all depends on your perspective. She will not be discouraged. If, for any reason, the bigger picture is obscured, she relies on her inner and moral compass and trusts her instinct.

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Eleanor Gwyn

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

After a storm all but destroyed the royal hen house, Eleanor Gwyn became a celebrity figure during the Restoration period.

Praised by fellow fowl for her comic performances as one of the first actresses in the henhouse, she became best known for being a long-time mistress of King Cock-a-Doodle-Doo of West-Fowlia. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by the royal household, she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of her time and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of Cinderella. Speculatively due to her masculine energy, she was sometimes referred to as William Nell.

ELEANOR GWYN is a positive spirit and a show girl. When life sets you back, instead of throwing in the towel, she creates, sees and seizes opportunities to turn a seemingly hopeless situation around.
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Entgen

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Entgen is an Independent woman. She can take care of herself and she doesn’t need people to tell her what to think, feel or believe.

In the era of the Seven Netherlands, a witch trial was conducted in the summer months of 1674. The accused was Entgen. She was arrested on charges of “Hexerei oder quaede Zauberei" (Witchcraft or malicious Wizardry). She was held captive in the dungeon of the local castle.

A request to the court was put in writing to hear on 31, often rather curious, points and the prosecutor demanded that the accused be forced to confess. Brave and strong as she was Entgen did no such thing, but it didn’t matter.

Near the end when time and space started to dissolve, she looked at the darkening sky, acknowledged the imminent signs of the storm approaching and called her dear owl friend Susan for consultation and guidance. She turned to warn her fellow villagers for the impending storm and advise them to seek shelter, who, in turn, ran off screaming “Hex! Hex!”.

Entgen and Susan looked at each other and smiled. Then together they wandered into the open field to watch the dark clouds accumulate and feel the wind brush their cheeks. Sensing the gentle scent of white jasmin, she patiently awaited the rain.

ENTGEN knows. She knows the soul of the water and the earth, the air and the fire. And of the spirit itself. She does not fear the night as in her darkest hour, the moon and stars talk to her, comfort her and sing their song of wisdom, welcoming her home. They know she knows. They have been telling her so her whole life. And that is enough for her.

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Gabrielle

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Gabrielle is the daughter of a king and a fairy. Gabrielle's mother has broken the laws of fairy society by falling in love with a human, so she is sentenced to remain in the fairy region and as an extra punishment, her daughter Gabrielle is sentenced to marry a hideous beast when she grows up.

Before Gabrielle's mother disappears, she manages to find a kind looking beast and she places it in a magically hidden abbey until Gabrielle grows old enough to meet him. She leaves a magic mirror in the abbey, so the hairy beast, called Lob, can look at his future wife and doesn’t have to feel so alone. Even though it’s a one-way-mirror, Gabrielle stands in front of it as often as she can.

GABRIELLE has an open mind. She will not be influenced by other people’s beliefs or superstitions, predictions or warnings. She will approach any situation with an open view, without prejudice, bias or preconception.

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Genevieve

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Genevieve is a heroine of medieval legend. The story concerns a virtuous red panda falsely accused of infidelity. She runs away and seeks refuge in an enchanted forest.

An enchanted forest is a forest under, or containing, enchantments. An enchantment is a formula triggering a magical effect on a living organism or object. Magic is the application of rituals or actions employed to cause and attract supernatural forces.

The supernatural involves phenomena that are not subject to the laws of nature.

An enchanted forest represents unknown places, and situations of liminality and transformation. The forest can serve as either a place of threatening danger, or one of refuge, or a chance at adventure.

You are Genevieve. It’s your story. You decide.

GENEVIEVE is in control of her own destiny. She has learned that facts are as infinite as they are futile. Facts in itself are meaningless. It is the decision of what facts to focus on and what facts to ignore that makes your truth. And truth is subjective. And never be afraid to change your truth to your needs.

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George

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

George is a botanist and zoologist. Although George was born in a beer barrel, he was educated in Oxford, receiving his M.A. after years of hard work. He took up the profession of medical practitioner for stuffed animals. 2 Years later, he became the assistant lecturer in botany at the University of Plant Science. He was a co-founder of the Society of making up names for plants and animals, and became a fellow of the Royal Society of Topdogs and Bigwigs.

A year later George became assistant keeper of the natural history department at the Museum of Stuffed Animals. He found that most of the items donated to the museum were in very bad condition. He stated it was impossible not to entertain doubts as to its genuine nature, determined many of the stuffed animals and birds had gotten mixed up in parts and put together quite badly and had to be burnt.

At a later age, he slowly drifted away from his medical practice and focused on his intrinsic artistic drive. Combining his two passions in the field of herpetology, he made up numerous new species of reptiles and amphibians.

GEORGE has worked very hard. He has earned every bit of respect and appreciation he received in his professional career. When he started having doubts, he explored and found other passions. Instead of deciding to go in another direction, he took it one day at a time only to find out his two seemingly incompatible passions in life turned out to be a great combination.

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Ginger

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

There once was a fox named Ginger who wanted to go to the moon more than anything in this world. He tried persuading his friends to come with him. No, they said, the moon is so far, too far. No it’s not, the fox replied. It’s right there.

The fox looked at the moon all night and dreamt about it all day. His friends just rolled their eyes and laughed behind his back as well as in his face. The fox didn’t care. He didn’t even hear them. He didn’t even see them. All he saw was the moon. All he heard was the moon. His friends expected him to either come to his senses soon and return into their midst, tail between his legs, or somehow make his way to the moon, never to be seen or heard of. But the fox stayed put, in the middle of an open field, eyes closed, eyes fixed at the moon, all the while his smile growing broader each night every day.

After a while, his friends decided it had gone on too long and walked toward him. So, they said, are you done? Do you give up? Give up? The fox replied, ever smiling. I’m there. It’s here. Look up. Can’t you see it smiling at me? And they did. And they could.

GINGER has goals. She decides where she wants to go and she will not rest until she succeeds. She knows that both success and failure are in the eye of the beholder. And to measure your own success through the eyes of anyone but yourself, is just silly.

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Hanske

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

A rich lady named Hanske lived in a house with golden floors and silver walls. She possessed more ships than all the merchants in town combined and she got more and more rich by the day.

She summoned her best sailing master and she demanded him to bring her a ship full of grain, at that time the most valuable thing on earth.

“Do you not have enough already? You have silver and gold, why demand goods so perishable? Is it status you seek? Is it decadence?”, but the sailor abode her wish nonetheless.

After a long quest the sailing master returned with a boatload full of grain. The woman asked “on which side of your ship did you load the grain? “Starboard” replied the boatsman. “Then toss it over at the portside.”

Then began a period of intense heat and drought, the water slowly started to withdraw and was reduced to a large pond and the hills all around caught fire. The woman stood in the water while all the woodland creatures came running from the hills and gathered around her in the cool, fresh water. Where the grain was tossed overboard, a vast field of golden grain grew and there was enough food for all of the townspeople for the years to come.

HANSKE is compassionate and thinks ahead. Despite her own good fortune, she will not become blind for the frailty of balance and the vulnerability of life. She keeps sight of the larger picture and will always invest in the future even if that does not yield her any personal gain.

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Henry

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Henry has been all alone for as long as he can remember. He lives on his own private planet. Alone with his thoughts, his dreams and his imaginary friends, to whom he declaims his poems. You might feel sorry for Henry, but there is no need, he says. He has a hard shell that suits him well, an armor for protection so he feels no affection. So he says.

Sitting on his tiny planet, he looks up at the stars. He so desperately wants to be somewhere else, anywhere else, he decides to leave his planet and starts to make the journey in search of other worlds, other planets, other moons, other dreams and maybe even new friends. One given moment, between Sunday evening and Monday morning, he finds himself on yet another planet, enjoying the sight of yet another group of creatures living together, laughing together and he smiles.

But it is a sad smile. Not a smile of recognition, not even a smile of craving, but a smile of knowing what is missing in his life. The sadness suddenly overwhelms him and he can’t bear to watch the happy bunch anymore. Instead, he looks away, to the direction he came from. And there, among the millions of stars, he sees his own private sun, and slowly orbiting in front of it, his teeny tiny planet he calls home. And he mumbles: “My world's sunne Becomes a starre elsewhere"

Slowly his smile returns to his beautiful face, he stands up and recites:

“The frigid spheres that 'bout them fare; Which of themselves quite dead and barren are, But by the wakening warmth of kindly dayes, And the sweet dewie nights, in due course raise. Long hidden shapes and life, to their great Maker's praise.”

The creatures around him look at him and they smile as Henry’s armor starts to crack and crumble. And throught the cracks his light startst to show, for this whole new world to see his beauty, that is, in fact, out of this world.

HENRY has the power to rise above himself. To look at himself from another perspective. He has learned that even the most intense feelings, good or bad, look small and insignificant from a distance. And whatever you feel in comparison to others, the opposite is also true, when looked at from another angle.

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Hevelius

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Hevelius has built an observatory, widely known by the name Sterrenburcht (Star Castle), on his back, equipping it with splendid instruments, ultimately including a device with wood, glass and wire tubes he constructed himself. This to the curiosity and presumptuous concern of his fellow moon bears (or moonies) as all others had been using state-of-the-art tubeless aerial telescopes.

The other moonies tried to persuade Hevelius to use telescopes for his measurements, yet Hevelius was keen on demonstrating that he could do well with his apparatus. He is thus considered the last astronomer to do major work without the use of a telescope, but, as far as anyone knows, the first one to have come to learn so much about the moon. For example, her name is Annie, short for Anaxagoras. She has no dark side. No man ever really set foot on her. There are no moon phases, those are her siblings, and she is the only one who can talk to werewolves.

HEVELIUS walks his own path. He doesn’t let anyone tell him what he should do or how he should behave. He knows that the general conception of today is tomorrow’s object of ridicule.

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Isaak and Rebecca

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Isaak and Rebecca have seemingly been in the same place for centuries. Facts and meaning have been subject of speculation since before their arrival. Spectators, passers-by, travelers and day trippers have in the past identified the couple as a Jewish father bestowing his blessings upon his daughter on her wedding day.

This interpretation is no longer accepted, and the identity of the couple is uncertain. The ambiguity is heightened by the lack of anecdotal context, leaving only the central universal theme, that of a couple joined in love. Speculative suggestions as to the couple's identity have ranged from an artist’s son and his bride, to a poet and his wife as well as several couples from the Old Fairytale.

ISAAK AND REBECCA are the embodiment of love and respect. No matter the connection, no matter the background story, the power of expressions of the tender fusion of spiritual or physical love transcends culture, time and place.

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Johannes

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Johannes is an astronomer. A lover of the immense as well as the immensely small. He is obsessed with magnificent subjects like the weather and the solar system and can suddenly be absorbed by a seemingly insignificant insight like how to economically stack watermelons.

When asked where this obsession came from, Johannes reminisces: “As a child, my mother showed me a great comet in the sky and a few nights later my father took me out at night to see a lunar eclipse. At that moment, looking up at the sky, I discovered that the planets in the solar system have oval-shaped orbits. If I’m not mistaken, I was also right then and there the first to correctly explain how earthlings see. Oo, a snowflake. See how perfectly hexagonal symmetrical its shape? Wouldn’t that be a perfect occasion to extend the discussion into a hypothetical atomistic physical basis for the symmetry.”

JOHANNES has a wide range of interests. Thinking of one thing one moment and the next thing the next, may make him seem untrustworthy or flaky or even weird, but in fact it enables him to see connections no one ever made before. It permits him to think outside the box, color outside the lines.

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Julie and Gaston

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Julie is an opera singer. Little is known for certain about her life; her tumultuous career and flamboyant lifestyle are the subject of gossip, rumor, and colourful stories, and have inspired numerous fictional and semi-fictional portrayals.

Julie is the daughter of Gaston, the Master of the Horse for the King. Her father trained the court pages, and so his daughter learned dancing, reading, drawing, and fencing alongside them.

The Opéra has hired Julie, having initially refused her. She debuted as the first marsupial opera singer some years ago. She performes regularly with the Opéra, initially singing as a soprano, and later in her more natural contralto range. The local Marquis wrote in his journal of a performance by Julie that hers was "the most beautiful voice in the world".

When Julie learned that singers were addressed as "mademoiselle" whether or not they were married, she changed her stage name into La Marsupilalala.

JULIE is a diva without the appurtenant demeanor. She has payed her dues. She hasn’t cut any corners. She is a self-made star, but knows where she came from and takes her exemplary function to the new generation very seriously.

GASTON is a proud father. He was ambitious in his day, but gladly steps aside for the new generation.

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Kit, The Zenko Kid

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Kit is a fox. He comes at night, sneaks into your bedroom and sleeps with you. Always. Every night. To protect you. He loves it, but to be frank, he’s a little fed up with all the misconceptions, crying kids, screaming moms and dads throwing slippers at him. So, he is here to explain some things.

“Goodmorning children”. In classical Japanese, kitsu-ne means 'come and sleep', and ki-tsune means 'always comes'. Its origin lies in the oldest surviving kitsune tales, and unlike most of those in which a kitsune takes the form of a human woman, marries men and destroys their lives in the process, this one does not end tragically. So pay attention.

A man spent the seasons longing for his ideal of female beauty. He met her one evening on a vast moor and immediately married her. Simultaneously with the birth of their son, the man's dog was delivered of a pup which, as it grew up, became more and more hostile to the lady of the moors. She begged her husband to get rid of it, but he refused. At last, one day the dog attacked her so furiously that she resumed vulpine shape, leaped over a fence and fled. "You may be a fox," the man called after her, "but you are the mother of my son and I will always love you. Come back when you please; you will always be welcome." So every evening she snuck back and slept in his arms.

You see, it’s very different. I know, there’s the shapeshifting, the marrying a man, the running off, but the fox returns to her husband each night as a woman. And then leaves each morning as a fox but you see my point.

Another cool thing worth mentioning I think is Kitsune possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. The word kitsune is sometimes translated as 'fox spirit'. This does not mean that kitsune are ghosts, nor that they are fundamentally different from regular foxes. Because the word spirit is used to reflect a state of knowledge or enlightenment, all long-lived foxes are to gain supernatural abilities. There are two common classifications of kitsune:

The zenko are benevolent, celestial foxes associated with the devine. The yako tend to be mischievous or even malicious. Oh, right, and there’s the ninko, an invisible fox spirit that you can only see when it possesses you. But no one really likes to talk about those.”

KIT is proud to be who he is and where he comes from. He feels one should know all the facts and hear the entire story before one passes judgement. He encourages you to learn about your background and take pride in your ancestry.

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Maria, Ignatius and Cornelia

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Maria was born in Gouda, you know from the cheese. She married a prominent and prosperous brickmaker. He was a bit of a tool, she wanted to divorce him, he refused, but she received a considerable sum of money from him. Years later, Maria got into a rough patch when her land was flooded to prevent the Meanies’ army crossing the Goodies’ Water Line and then her son-in-law borrowed money by fraudulently using her name.

All in all, she’s been through a lot, it’s not all been pretty. She’s known wealth and she’s known poverty. She’s been hot, she’s been cold. She’s been wet and she has been dry.

After all this time, in the autumn of her life, were you to ask her what’s the single most important thing in the world? Her answer would be love. In her case, Ignatius and Cornelia. To love them and to have them love her back.

MARIA has been through a lot but has never let life’s troubles take her down or affect the way she sees the world. Misfortunes and setbacks have made her wise, not cynical. Hard lessons have softened her judgement on herself and others.

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Ripley

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

One autumn day, the Dutch villager Ripley wanders from her village into an open field with her black mink Wolf to escape her husband's nagging. She hears her name called out and sees an egg lying in the field, making thunderous noises. She decides to open up the egg and discovers the source the noise: a group of ornately dressed and bearded men who are playing nine-pins.

She asks who they are and learns that the men are the ghosts of the crew of the Halve Maen. She joins the men in their game and drinks some of their liquor and falls fast asleep. When she wakes up next to the egg that now produces a soft humming, she notices she is wearing antiquated Dutch clothing and Wolf has turned silvery white. She picks up the egg and starts to walk back to the village. Getting closer, she notices it has been reduced to a handful of wooden structures around a brick tower. Once she has reached the village, a couple of barefoot children runs up to her and ask her who she is.

She looks at Wolf and states: I am Chronos, I was engendered by earth and water, this is my companion Chaos, and this, is an egg. The egg started to roar, and Ripley howled: “hush, for the egg will produce the hermaphroditic god Phanes who will give birth to the first generation of gods and will the ultimate creator of the cosmos.” The children laughed, Ripley smiled, and she taught them how to play nine-pins.

RIPLEY does not take life too seriously. Or herself, for that matter. She will just as soon put her belief system overboard, when new light is shed on life or a particular situation. If she is to receive new insights, she is not afraid to change her ways, her game or her name.

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Rudyard

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Rudyard, Kip or Rudy to his friends, even though his would insist on calling him Joseph. Rudyard is a night panther (melanistic Indian leopard) who serves as friend, protector and mentor to what he lovingly refers to as his “human-cubs”.

He has been offered knighthood several times but has graciously declined. Here he is seen, mere moments before receiving a versatile and luminous narrative gift.

He sits his man-cubs down, scattered around him and begins his story; “Born in captivity in the menagerie of the Raja, I patiently begins to plan for my freedom.

Once I was mature and strong enough, I broke the lock on my cage and escaped into the jungle, where my ferocity and cunning nature won me the respect of all its other inhabitants, except for that no good of a tiger. None but you, my dear cubs, ever learned that I once wore a collar and chain,” explaining Rudyard’s special insight concerning man-cubs. Because he had learned the ways of men, he is also more loving to the abandoned human children who came to be under his care and protection.

When his story is over, before Ruyard sends his man-cubs out into the jungle again, they sing the “Outsong". As his man-cubs run off Rudyard calls out, "Remember, Rudyard loves thee... Remember, Rudyard loves thee."

RUDYARD is your friend, mentor and protector. He knows what you have been through and looks after you. Having gone through the same stuff you have, he is especially observant of signs of loneliness, and old sorrow.

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Sequoia and Tamos

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Sequoia is a Squeao-ta-mos from the Wabanaki tribe. Should that make not a whole lot of sense to you, Wabanaki means people of the dawn and Squeao-ta-mo means swamp lady.

A Swamp Lady is said to be a female ghost that lives in the swamps and makes mournful cries. Anyone who tries to follow the sound of her crying will be lost in the swamp and killed. She is primarily a bogeyman to scare children away from straying into the swamp. By some tellings, Swamp Lady is a malevolent creature, intentionally luring children to their deaths out of spite or so that she could eat them. According to other people, Swamp Lady is a more tragic figure: the ghost of a childless woman who calls children to her out of genuine loneliness, only to have them die when her ghostly hands touch them.

Either way, it’s not like any of that. Meet Sequoia and Tamos. Where Sequoia goes, Tamos is bound to be few steps behind. They’re a comical duo: Lady and Swampie. They do a bit. An act. Where they stumble across the swamps, and the only thing they say is each other’s names. After all these years, it still makes them wheeze with laughter. Lady and Swampie are less of a mythological character than a playful reminder that it is always a good idea to play in the swamp, especially after dark.

SEQUOIA AND TAMOS are misunderstood. Because of where they live and where they come from, people tend to fill in the details and connect the dots. Filling in details and connecting dots is a tricky business. It makes assumptions about the space between the dots, when really all you have is dots. And let’s face it, the space between the dots takes up a whole lot more space than the dots.

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Shelley and Mary

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Mary is the daughter of a feminist and a philosopher. She is the mistress of a famous writer and poet, who on a regular basis organizes gatherings in which contemporary literary heavyweights congregate. Mary would sit in the corner as discrete observer. At age of 19, in the Year Without a Summer, Mary accompanied her lover and his important writer friends to stay with a befriended Lord. Cold and incessant rain confined them to the house for months on end. Mary, raised to act like a lady, withdrew herself from her distinguished superiors.

Sitting around a log fire in the Lord’s villa, the elite company amused themselves with making up ghost stories, one even worse than the next. Her husband and his sophisticated friends laughed at the poor quality of their own stories and counted themselves lucky for not having a witness of any consequence. Mary, raised to think like a warrior, sat at the far end of the room, snuggled up to her soul companion Shelley for warmth and comfort and together and in silence, they cooked up the greatest story of all time.

SHELLEY AND MARY have a good sense of self-value and will not let climate, spirit of the time or expectations dictate their self-image. They will not let others tell them what they can and cannot accomplish or be discouraged by other people’s achievements.

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Sonney

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Sonney is a benevolent, whimsical creature. According to the records in the Library of the Stars, Sonney is a sweet, playful creature. A little similar to an anteater, without the long nose and with arms longer than his body. He should be capable of bestowing great fortune on people and places that amuse him. Or to those who are fast enough to catch him as they would always find a silver coin in the bottom of their pocket or the inseam of your coat.

It is even considered a favorable omen just to have seen the "lucky piggy" as it is lovingly referred to. Supposedly, he’s not the brightest of minds and regularly has to be fished out of a well or pond. On the other hand, it’s very well possible that he just likes to sit in the water, blow some bubbles and wait around in the hope you’ll pass by and are in the mood to play catch with him. Think fast, though, he might not look it, but he will give you a run for your money.

SONNEY is a transparent and straightforward. In his generosity, he likes to make other people feel good and will reward any positive behavior with a sincere smile.

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Torngarsuk and Pyewacket

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

A thousand miles from anywhere, where it is so cold, that very cold is considered quite warm, Torngarsuk is a sky god, and one of the more important deities. He has many names, spoken in languages long gone with the icy winds. Translated in the common tongue, some of his names are The Ever Wandering One, Grandfather, Stepfather, White Sea Deer, Rider of Icebergs, God’s Dog or the Old Man in the Fur Cloak. Torngarsuk is a mischievous spirit, worshiped by offering in the shape of a nice juicy fish. Or jewelry. He’s a sucker for anything that shimmers.

Torngarsuk is the master of whales and seals and most powerful supernatural being in the colder parts of this world. He appears in the form of a bear. He is considered to be invisible to everyone but the fishermen.

As a grand spirit or demon Torngarsuk is invoked by fishermen when one needs the weather predicted, or when the ice it too thick to sail out and they’re in need of a hole in the ice or a polynya. There is another spirit that is invisible to everyone but the fishermen, who teaches the fishermen how to see things from the sunny side. His name is Pyewacket, he is what they call a familiar spirit and he sees Torngarsuk as his benefactor and best bud.

Fishermen like to keep a familiar spirit like Pyewacket in a leather bottle which they evoke and consult like an oracle. Even though that is one of his skills, Pyewacket much rather hang with his awe-inspiring but mischievous spirit buddy.

TORNGARSUK AND PYEWACKET are a fun-loving gang. But they are loyal and will treat anyone who respects them with an equal amount of respect. They know the qualities people respect them for, and will indulge them without feeling used or exploited.

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Willow and Yoki

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Willow and Yoki are siblings. Fox siblings. More specifically, Japanese fox siblings.

Yoki has been experiencing that he starts to possess paranormal abilities that increase as he gets older and wiser. According to Yoki’s mother, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. While his father speaks of foxes employing this ability to trick others— as foxes in folklore often do—his mother portrays them as faithful guardians, friends, and lovers.

Other supernatural abilities commonly attributed to Yoki’s kin include possession, generating fire or lightning, willful manifestation in the dreams of others, flight, invisibility, and the creation of illusions so elaborate as to be almost indistinguishable from reality. Some tales speak of foxes with even greater powers, able to bend time and space, or take fantastic shapes such as an incredibly tall tree or a second moon in the sky. Willow is brand new. She is what they call a Kitsune-bi.

WILLOW AND YOKI have special powers. To love, to befriend, to protect, to trick and to deceit. It’s all inside them. They have to choose wisely which power to feed and which to starve.

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Yizhi

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

There was an old sky-blue maned she-wolf named Asena. She wandered into a deserted village, where she heard a strange howling. She found a young wolf that looked nothing like her, did not speak her language, nor did it wear the same fur, did not even walk on four paws.

She took the youngling, put her on her back and ran back to her den. There they remained and they became a family. Years later, Asena gave birth to Yizhi. Yizhi was no ordinary wolf.

Yizhi possessed spiritual powers, and parts of his body retained specific powers that could be used for various needs. No one knows what specific parts. No one knows what specific powers. Except for Yizhi.

YIZHI is different. He doesn’t resemble his father and he isn’t anything like his mother. But instead of feeling lost and alone, Yizhi feels special and unique. But Yizhi also knows that we all are special, we all are unique. And we are all different. And we can all feel lost and alone sometimes.

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Avi

mixed media on panel
100 x 60 cm 2022

Avi provides a place of comfort for all the members of the Hug Squad. It is her bedroom, her observation post, her cabin, engine room, flight deck, headquarters. She makes sure everyone can recharge.

The things that recharge them vary from person to person, creature to creature.

Some recharge through sleep, others through heightened consciousness.

Some through solitary confinement, others through connection.

Some reflect, others gaze into infinity.

She makes sure everyone can find rest, be themselves and be at peace. She does so, by dreaming. Here she is at home. Here she is at peace. Here, she is the Aviator.

AVI has dreams. There’s so much she wants to do. There’s so much she wants to be. She wants to be a pilot. She wants to be an explorer. A scientist. An adventurer. Biologist. Zoologist. Writer. Painter. Designer. Wizard. And that’s okay. As long as there’s still time, all is possible. As long as it’s not too late, possibilities are endless.

And it’s never too late.

Now is a good time to start dreaming.

Now is a good time to make them come true.

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Lob and Gabrielle

mixed media on panel
127 x 78 cm including frame 2022

Lob, or Lob-Lie-By-the Fire, also referred to as The Hairy One. Lob is a very content and fulfilled creature. He’s gigantic, and very, very hairy. He really likes the way he looks and the fact that he is, if not for his fur, naked, doesn’t bother him in the least.

Lob doesn’t need much. He happily helps you out with any household chores you may have in exchange for leftover food, a saucer of milk and a place in front of the fire. Lob is very strong and doesn’t get cold. He will run any errand you have for him. Whether it’s herding sheep on a snowy night, logging rocks, reaping or sowing, mowing the lawn, repairing fishing nets or even a boat, Lob will do so with a smile on his hairy face.

He loves to be in your company, silently. You can invite him to snuggle up against you, or you can offer him your last cookie, (which he will share with you all the same). Just do not ever offer him clothes. He will not thank you for that. Gabrielle did her research. She found that many an old manuscript speak of Lob, although his name may vary, it is most certainly him. And on more than one occasion, Gabrielle read the specific warning not to present him with clothing. In 1512, in the wine cellar of an abbey in Northern England, Lob was offered a monk’s habit and Lob allegedly cried out:

“Cap for the head, alas, poor head Coat for the back, alas, poor back Breeches for the breech, alas, poor breech.”

Supposedly, Lob subsequently departed in a "melancholy wail", the manuscript furthermore declares that his “voice could thenceforth be heard in the whistling winds of the mountains, mourning the loss of his friar friend.”

LOB AND GABRIELLE are one. They have been apart for most their lives. They haven’t known about one another for most of their days. But when the day finally came, where they met, they just clicked.

They are both what people call ‘silent waters’. They spend their happiest days in solitude, reading by the fire. They have been alone for most of their lives. They enjoys being alone. And they enjoy it best when they’re together.

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Mielikki

mixed media on panel
155 x 99 cm including frame 2022

Millie is a legend. Everything about her is legend. She is known never to shake hands. Instead, she looks a person in the eye and states:

“Mielikki, master of forests and the hunt, wife of a forest spirit, mother of Nyyrikki and Tuulikki.” When in a good mood, she is known to add “said to have played a central role in the creation of the bear.

No one has seen her at work. She disappears for days, sometimes months on end and just when gossip about her whereabouts starts to tip sideways, she’ll suddenly stand in the door of a bar, silencing the crowd, leaving them strung with anticipation.

When asked where she’s been, one of the stories she’ll tell is that a local hero offered her prayers, gold and silver so he could catch the ‘fabled elk’. Once, she claimed to have been asked to protect cattle grazing in the forest of a far-off country it is thought very important to stay on her good side. Rumor has it she is also offered prayers by those who gather mushrooms and berries, but she doesn’t like to talk about it and will not thank you for asking about it.

As mythical as her own stories might be, Mielikki IS known as a skillful healer of paws of animals who have escaped traps, helps chicks that have fallen from their nests and treats the wounds of other helpless creatures. She knows the healing power of herbs and will even help humans if they know well enough to ask her for it.

MILLIE is the protagonist of her own story. She does what she does, there’s no changing that. And she’s alone in life. There’s no changing that, either. Believe me, she’s tried.

But that is fine. It’s great, actually. When she’s at work, the mind wanders. Even though she loves doing what she does, it does get something of a drag, doing what she does, day in day out. Year after year.

So, she started making up stories. Adventures. And when she’d have a couple of days of, she couldn’t wait to tell the people she knows about her adventures. And so she did. And they loved it. And they believed it. And why shouldn’t they? Her adventures are very real. And very much hers. And her alone. And she wants to share them. They’re just too good to remain untold. To remain untrue.

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The Hug Squad

Cameron

Cameron

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

CAMERON is the world’s largest squirrel. He was kindly asked to leave by his kin as he would gobble up all the acorns.

Luckily, he has found a friend in Sir Ewen, who is the only remaining white wolf in his dimension. Cameron will often keep him company. They make each other laugh and keep each other warm. As Sir Ewen will not leave his den very often, Cameron is out and about on his own a lot. He considers himself quite the luminary as humas tend to mistake him for the last white wolf.

CAMERON is torn between two worlds. He is outgrown one, while the other is just a little beyond his scope. He will step up and learn the ways of the wolf. But he can’t do it alone. No one can. And no one should. He teaches you to challenge yourself and take the next step. Be brave, so is he.

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Darius

Darius

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

Darius is the world’s largest bunnyrabbit. To be more specific, he is Giant Country’s smallest bunnyrabbit. He had been living in Giant Country as much for the entertainment as to the confusion of the Giants. Giants would be amused to tears by the size of this tiny bunnyrabbit one moment and utterly confused as they would lose it the next, due to their clumsiness and species-specific myopia.

“Wheresitgone?” They would shout. And when they would find him, they would squeal his name in utter euphoria: “Darius!” One day, Darius found a bunnyrabbithole, leading him straight to our side of this world, where he was lovingly taken in by a family who eventually guessed his name through the exhausting process of exclusion.

DARIUS is all coziness and fluff. He’s so happy to be part of your family and thrilled you now know his name.

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JacobLudwig&Carl

Jacob, Ludwig & Carl

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

Jacob Ludwig and Carl are collectors of facts. Their publications are part of a scholarly project to identify and preserve the spirit of white fluffy creatures. Much to their frustration, they are not taken seriously by academics at all and their findings seem to attract mostly children.

Among their self-proclaimed greatest achievements is the revelation of why owls always seem to wear glasses, while rabbits hardly ever seem to need them.

JACOB, LUDWIG & CARL believe in fairy tales. They are grown-up, sane, respectable creatures, who have not lost their sense of wonder.

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Joseph

Joseph

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

Joseph is the first baby koala. There are koala’s but they all seemed to have opened their eyes at the same moment, and when they did, they were all grown up. No koala ever knew where koalas came from, so the elder koalas tell the younger ones, koala’s come from pearls. And so it’s always been, and so it shall be.

One Easter morning, an exceptionally bright pearl cracked, and in it was an actual baby Koala, the first one ever. All elder Koalas gathered around him and decided to call him Joseph.

JOSEPH is the Benjamin of the Squad. Although he hasn’t been around for long, he is loved all around and has the ability to connect and unite.

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PlinyTheElder

Plinius the Elder

mixed media on paper
12 x 12 cm 2020

Plinius looks a bit grumpy but is intensely misunderstood while he is in fact a gentlest of creatures.

His twin Nigidius wrote about him in the first century of the Common Era: “I do not like Plinius. No one does. Plinius is thought to be a very bad omen, being as it is a funereal bird. Besides that, he lives in deserts and in terrifying, empty and inaccessible places. Its cry is a scream. If it is seen in a city, or during the day, it is a direful portent, though several cases are known of Plinius perching on private houses without fatal consequences.” This is of course a textbook example of the strategy of an evil, envious twin and is not taken seriously whatsoever.

Plinius has an allience with Accipiter the hawk, another misunderstood creature with a pungent scream, who came to his aid after this defamation. Plinius is not fond of the island of Crete. He went there once but was very soon to leave.

PLINIUS is an introvert. He is a very melancholic being. He deeply empathizes with the grieving, the heartbroken and the sad and enjoys the silence of solitude. He prefers the night-time and rarely seeks out crowded places. He keeps you company in your darkest hours. He will not ask what’s wrong, he will not tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. He will just be there, sitting calmly and silently by your side.

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Adam&Iblis

Phu

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

Phu is a Phooka in learning. Phooka’s are ghosts or other discarnate spirits in disguise. Phu has taken on the shape of a white furry bat. Phu is learning to be a friendly mimic who, with permission, utilizes other creatures’ bodies and take them for a ride of a lifetime. To be clear, it’s the soul that’s been taken on a journey, not the physical body itself. So no harm done, guaranteed fun for all parties involved.

Usually, it happens at nighttime, preferably when the lucky subject is asleep. In this case, Phu takes his buddy Timpi on a ride, who is in hibernation and always in for a fun experiment anyway, so it’s all good. Once fully trained, Phu will take Timpi on great adventures. He will hurry with him over precipices, carry him up into the moon, and down to the bottom of the sea. He’s not quite there yet, at this point he’s happy he’s managed to actually turn into something of a bat.

PHU is a storyteller. He will draw the curtain on a compelling opening scene and together you will embark upon a wondrous journey. The only boundaries will be the perimeters of your combined imagination. You just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

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Sedna

Sedna

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

Sedna was once a girl who thought she was so breathtakingly beautiful, no man she had ever met deserved her. When she came of age, her father commanded her to marry the first person to enter the city, which happened to be a cloaked raven. The raven took her to his nest high up on a cliff in the midst of the open sea, but she did not care for it at all and she wanted to go home.

So, her father paddled to her rescue in his kayak and she jumped off the cliff into the kayak. She missed the kayak and crashed into the ocean and all of her toes and fingers snapped off. They slowly floated to the bottom of the sea, transforming into seals, sea lions, otters and walruses. Sedna too sank into the deep blue of the ocean where she was metamorphosed into a beautiful whale. All of her deep-sea friends gathered round her and worshipped her. There she has resided as the goddess of the sea ever since.

SEDNA will help you find your place in life and in this world. If you feel like you’re not good enough for your surroundings, or too good for that matter, that only means you’re not in the right place. She will take you by the hand and travel the world with you and stick with you, just as long as it takes to find your true shape, your place and your home.

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SirEwan

Sir Ewen

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

Sir Ewen is the last white wolf. He would prefer to stay indoors, if it weren’t for the fact that he is being chased by Cameron the Ghost Squirrel since 1680. This makes him jittery and ticklish. He is a rare sight nowadays, but from time to time, he can be seen wiggling and squirming around Killiecrankie.

SIR EWEN is dealing with some personal stuff. He feels responsible for things he can’t control. He is haunted by the past and afraid of the future. If only Sir Ewen would realize the cold draft in his neck will turn into a warm hug as soon as he finds the courage to simply turn around.

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Susu&Watari

Susu & Watari

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

Susu and Watari are Japanese dust bunnies. They roll around in your house, they sleep under your bed, snuggle up in corners and nooks. They appreciate and even applaud sloppiness. They feel too much dusting, vacuum cleaning, cleansing and wiping is a sin and a waste of time and energy.

SUSU and WATARI are the guardians of time, life and love. Their greatest reward is to watch you grow, evolve and live your life. They feel dust, scratches, scars, wrinkles, baldness and general decay, flaws and defects are the trophies of life. They are proof and witness of the most valuable thing we are given, time.

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Willem&Gerrit

Willem & Gerrit

mixed media on panel
12 x 12 cm 2020

Willem was a well-respected Polar bear in his day, but also, a bit of a scoundrel. One fine day, when he was hanging with his buddy and accomplice Gerrit “the Feather”, they saw a group of humans trying to get to the Far East by dragging their ship through the rough ice patches of the North Pole and set up camp in a poorly constructed cabin.

They watched them muddle for a bit before Willem decided to play a joke on them and scared them off, using his scariest voice. They both had a big laugh about it later and Willem wrote about it in his journal inside the cabin, which they decided to keep as a clubhouse.

WILLEM & GERRIT are your buddies. They’re there for you, they have your back. They might play a joke on you but it’s all good fun and they’re good enough sports to take a punch as well as dish them out.

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Abel

Abel

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

He is the first to venture off his home island. Seeing two unknown vessels appear at the horizon, he was quick to realize things could only go South from here. With a little help from his domestic friends, he grabbed and obscured the moon, for him and his friends to successfully remain unseen in the dark of night.

The ships stopped for a moment and then moved on. After the moon was reinstalled, he saw his fellow islanders had planted a flag with his name on it. And so, Abel had saved the day and he and his diabolical plan were to be forever remembered.

ABEL is fun. He is smart, he is brave and considerate of your feelings. He fights for the greater good and as long as no other being is hurt, he’s all in.

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Antoni

Antoni

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Antoni is a very well-respected -albeit slightly odd- merchant, surveyor, wine gauger, glassblower and microbiologist. Among Antoni’s most notable accomplishments is his home-built microscope and his pioneering work for cell- and microbiology. He never washes his feet except once unintentionally, when he decided to stand in the water until barnacles started growing on his legs. He keeps flees in his socks and fly eggs in his armpits until they hatch, for research and good company.

ANTONI is a scientist in the broadest sense of the word. He is fascinated by everything. He studies the world with an open mind. He does not judge. He observes.

But most importantly, he SEES you. He will encourage you to follow your wildest dreams and cheers you on on all your endeavors.

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Aoshima

Aoshima

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Aoshima lives on an island in the Ehime Prefecture, which is mostly known for its very large feline resident. Aoshima was known to have outgrown local humans by ratio of 10:1.

But as both tourists and residents kept bringing her treats and offerings, in the last known poll the ratio had greatly increased to almost 36:1, until she had the exact measurements of the island itself, and the last human fled to the mainland, leaving her to be the sole resident and namesake of the island. Now her best friends are fish, coral and the occasional seagull. She’s one big, happy feline.

AOSHIMA still can feel lonely sometimes, too. Whenever she’s in need of human companionship, she visualizes her deepest wish, and a new friend presents itself from an unexpected angle. And there you are. You are everything she could hope for and she hopes the feeling is mutual.

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Caspar

Caspar

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Caspar is a famous botanist. He stems from a long line of scientists suffering from a rare condition that resulted in the subject of their specialties manifesting out of the tops of their heads. After the mysterious passing of his grandfather the zoologist specialized in elephants; his father the planetologist and his uncle and fellow botanist and cartographer of the forests of Europe, he took on the job of finishing the uncompleted books his uncle left him.

He wisely decided to focus on the smaller species. He managed to complete and publish several works of importance on exotic plants. At the moment he is preparing a dissertation on ferns. It’s quite interesting and a lot of fun, but it does attract big bugs. He might consider a career of hat designer next.

CASPAR loves everything that grows. He is focused on organisms in distress or need of love and care. He can pick up on even the smallest of disturbances in the force and is happy to write a book about all your fears, anxieties, concerns, worries and pet peeves.

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Cecilia

Cecilia

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Cecilia was the favorite and most celebrated of the many pets of the Duke of Milan. She is best known as the subject of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting the Ermine with a Lady. While posing for the painting, she invited Leonardo to meetings at which a menagerie of intellectuals discussed and studied human behavior.

CECILIA is a very confident, together lady. She knows what she wants, and she knows how to get it. She’s the toast of the town and can introduce you to just about anyone.

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Charles

Charles

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Charles is a well-known 17th century wolf who unwillingly laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale. As he had fallen desperately in love with an unidentified red creature. He followed it around the forest until he finally gathered the courage to ask it to marry him. The red creature mistook him in his carefully assembled attire for an imposter dressed as its grandmother and ran off to alarm the authorities. The heartbroken wolf has remained waiting in the clearing in the forest ever since, howling at the moon.

CHARLES is as devote as anyone can get. He’s very passionate, he’s loyal and willing to temporarily remove himself from the equation for the bigger cause. He is a romantic and despite all he still believes in true love.

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Charlotta

Charlotta

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

The heartwarming tale of Charlotta and the Ghost Marriage.

Charlotta and Fritz the Unwelcome Ghost -who we will from here on call Albert- were madly in love with one another. When Charlotta and Albert were both alive they were engaged to be bound in eternal matrimony, when suddenly Albert was chased into the afterlife. In the month of October, when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, Charlotte can still be seen, patiently awaiting her beloved Albert to come and gallantly woo her.

CHARLOTTE is extremely loyal. When it comes to love she does not see any obstacles in difference of race, size, time, universe or dimension.

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Desiree

Desiree

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

A magical white owl called Desirée, who despised the light, foretold a childless queen that she would soon have a daughter, told her to name the little girl Desirée and to invite the owl to her 1st birthday. In return, all the world would remain dark, as the owl loved the dark. He failed to mention the enchantment would last only as long as the dark.

On her first birthday, the little girl Desirée, who had never seen the light, wished for a magic, luminous dandelion to appear and for her to blow all the radiant fluff into the world so that she could finally see the world. Her wish was granted, she blew out the fluff into the world, and she transformed back into the owl’s long-time companion, a magical white doe.

DESIRÉE is the gentlest of creatures. She loves the dark but also enjoys spreading light and joy. She embraces your dark side just as much as the light within you.

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Dirk&Duyfken

Dirk & Duyfken

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

The love story of DIRK and his DUYFKEN.

Dirk and Duyfken have had quite the adventure. They both thought they were the only one of their kind. One night, both Dirk and Duyfken had the same dream. A vision of another. One of the same species as themselves, out there in an unknown part of the world. After that night, they both went looking for their other half. Dirk set sail for the open sea and set foot on a newfound land. There he left a message for his illusive little dove to find and along with instructions how to find him and took off again.

Much later, Duyfken found Dirk’s plate, all covered in sand and dirt and sailed off in his direction, but not before writing a note on the same plate. Years later, Dirk passed the same island and saw Duyfken’s inscription. He left her another note and left to find her. And so it went on and on. When they were old and weary, they finally met and shared their identical stories. They were lovers with only each other on their minds, traveling identical paths, without ever meeting. Now, finally, they were whole, and they were home.

DIRK & DUYFKEN are a brave old couple. They have both seen a lot and have had some wonderful adventures. Their story is one of hope and despair, of love and loss, but with a warm and fuzzy end and no regrets. They remind us to never despair, you will meet your soulmate, in this life or the next. Which is all the same in the end anyway.

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Doria

Doria

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Doria is slow and clumsy on the ground and does not hop very well. However, in the air, Doria is fearless and agile and free. She designed and built her own special flying device because she didn’t want to let her limitations define her.

Her family tree is peculiar, at least. Among her forefathers and offspring are a hawk, a cave beetle, a yellow scorpion, a frog, a slug, a daddy longlegs and various species of weevils.

DORIA is an anomaly. She might seem awkward or goofy, but she has her own, very specific set of skills. She would never have found them if she would have been afraid to think outside the box, to fail or to make a fool of herself. She is here for you as an example and to encourage you to find your unique talent.

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Emanuel

Emanuel

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Emanuel is a painter and a horticulturist. Being the only creature within The Hug Squad gifted with both gifts of creating and cultivating, he is given the wonderful task of painting, designing and thinking up plants that do not exist.

A few examples of plants made up by Emanuel are the fly paper plant, the dancing plant, the parachute plant, back bat flower, dragon’s blood tree, jelly fish tree, monkey face orchid, flying duck orchid, cobra lily, hooker’s lips and swaddled babies.

EMANUEL is a magical and associative thinker. He does not see or acknowledge the difference between ‘real’ and ‘not real’ and is in no way bound by scientific restrictions. He invites you to both explore the magical and the natural world and enjoy all its wonders.

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Emma

Emma

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Emma is a good and beautiful creature. She’s a moon child. She is overly sensitive to bright light; she prefers the dark. She is the queen of her own little kingdom within the dark forest. She is young and small but make no mistake, she is fierce and a true warrior.

All animals are her friends, she sees the light in the dark, the beauty in the beast, and she will find treasures in the unlikeliest of places. She is a witch apprentice and enjoys making potions, charging crystals and casting spells. At times, she’ll feel a little hollow inside but that is because she is all heart. A beautiful, fur lined, bunny shaped warm heart.

She feels. Everything. Deeply. This is not her weakness but is in fact her greatest power. She guides you through your pain, your fears and your doubts and she helps you to release them into the absorbing black. And then, as if by magic, you are free. As is she.

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Gilbert(Gilly)

Gilbert (Gilly)

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Gilbert is a gentle sea monster. She has been waiting for her lover to return for many centuries now. She has a spotlight on her day and night and only wants to be seen from her good side. Around a centuries ago, she accidentally crashed into a large ship and parts of it she now wears as fashionable accessories. Some might find her vain, but she has her beacon lit for her husband to be able to find her and she wears her finest gown and jewelry for when he does.

GILLY is a beacon of hope. She is faithful, considerate and courteous and wants to make an effort for her loved ones to feel welcome and at home.

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Hattie

Hattie

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Hattie is an elephant from NYC, that in 1904 was described as “the most intelligent of all elephants”. In 1911 she was portrayed as “nearly human”.

She owes her name to the fact that in 1887 she was the first elephant to ever wear a hat. It wasn’t until 1902 that it was discovered she not only manufactured her hats herself, she lived on the Upper East Side because of the park view and high ceilings, she was a fond interpreter of Buddy Bolden’s ragtime oeuvre, recites Baudelaire, has a strong preference for speaking correctly and was known to correct her visitors’ grammar.

HATTIE is a distinguished matriarch with a firm hand who always knows what’s best. But also, she is a loving granny who insists you stay for dinner, will cover you in hugs and wet kisses and force-feed you cider and cookies when you’re in town.

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Honey

Honey

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Also known as the Louisiana Honey Island Swamp Monster.

Who she is or where she comes from remains a mystery. One of the many legends tells of a train wreck in the area in the early 20th century. According to the legend a traveling circus was on the train and from it a group of chimpanzees escaped and interbred with the local alligator population.

She is described as bipedal 7 feet (2 m) tall with gray hair and red eyes and accompanied by a disgusting smell. But don’t tell her all this, she’s a gentle soul and easily upset. Also, she’s a big fan of saltwater taffy. the Pink ones, not the Grey or the sugar free ones, they apparently have a rather unpleasant aftertaste.

HONEY is just the sweetest. She could never hurt a soul and all she wants is to be your friend and for you to love her back. She teaches us to love unconditionally and to trust that inside beauty will find its way out through the cracks.

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Iya

Iya

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Iya is a storm monster. In various traditions she is considered a demon. The tornado, the snowstorm, the hurricane and the thunderstorm are all considered manifestations of this deity. She travels with her storms in a tipi painted with magical symbols. She enjoys running through the crops in springtime. She likes dancing with the leaves during the fall. She lives with her mother, Unk, who calls her her Little Teacup.

IYA is high-spirited and fiery. Even though she can be a little wild and reckless, she has a good heart and it’s just a storm in a teacup. She invites you to not be afraid of the storm but to dance in the rain. She will be dancing right beside you.

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Jack

Jack

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Throughout many cultures cats are considered to be mystical creatures whose eyes are windows peering in from other worlds. In the case of Jack, this is actually true. Jack, the Norwegian Forest Cat is a fairy or a goblin in disguise. Sometimes he’s a fairy, sometimes a goblin, sometimes a troll, and sometimes he’s a creature we wouldn’t even remotely have a word for.

If you stare deeply into his eyes you can see visions of the worlds of the creatures that are watching us through those peering eyes.

JACK is a cat. Only his cat shaped vessel is from this world. What goes on on the inside is definitely not. He sees things you don’t see. He looks at you from another dimension. He analyzes and balances you with a supernatural yardstick. And however peculiar or abstract his findings, tomorrow his judgement might be utterly, unexpectedly insightful, confronting or equally confusing.

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Joe

Joe

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

JOE is the leader of The Hug Squad. He’s sensible, he’s decent, he’s fair but he will not put up with any more shenanigans.

He has known victory and he has known loss which makes him understanding and empathic to those in need. His favorite food is pasta, his favorite dessert is ice-cream.

JOE is a natural leader with enough mileage to his credit to know the way out of the woods.

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Johanna

Johanna

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

JOHANNA, Hans to her friends, is a mycologist and the first lagomorph professor. She comes from a wealthy, intellectual and artistic family of doctors and is the oldest of seventy-three children.

As a child she refused to take embroidery classes and told her mother she would make sure she would earn enough carrots to have all her cleaning duties done for her when she was grown up.

She became a loved and legendary teacher. She wrote over 70 publications and with every graduation ceremony, she had a tradition of making geese, wearing fashionable bows parade around the burrows. Besides her surreal sense of humor, she was known by her close friends as loving to party, drink and dance and without an interest in marriage or reproduction.

JOHANNA is a teacher and a role model. She is keen on passing along her knowledge as well as her utter disrespect of protocol or social expectations.

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Juno

Juno

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Juno is a divine creature. She is made from light and transfers it onto the world. Where she goes flowers start to grow, birds start to sing and babies start to giggle. She lives by the cycle of the moon and uses its powers to manifest her dreams.

She is a domestic goddess and takes pride in making her home a warm and safe place. She loves decorating, making art and arranging flowers. She will usually have a pot simmering on the stove and fumes in all the colors of the rainbow drifting out of her chimney.

She’s always in a good mood, she’s caring and kind and has the ability to make you feel good about yourself. She is a healer and makes your sadness simply dissolve in her light. Also, she likes birds. She talks to them and her best friend is a peacock.

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Linnaeus (Lynn)

Linnaeus (Lynn)

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Lynn is from Sweden and lover of all things living. As a child, his parents used to give him a flower when he was upset, which seemed to calm him.

When he was grown up, he had grown so sick and tired of being chased after by sailors calling him a unicorn fish, he developed an organized system of naming plants and animals and minerals that is still used today.

LYNN is a benevolent creature, who loves and respects all life on earth. He will appreciate you for who you are, where you are from, for your kingdom, your phylum, your class, order and family but is extremely allergic to disorder and sloppiness and will call you on it.

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Louis

Louis

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Louis is the first rabbit to successfully appear from a hat in the year 1814.

The unsuspecting man whose top hat Louis had managed to crawl out of, stood trial before 3 Kings for an unknown crime. He stood before the defiant task to impress all three Kings, on penalty of banishment from the Kingdom.

The accused was of little talent, skill or genius. He was just about to take his loss, bid his Kings farewell, grab his belongings and go into exile, when he saw 2 fluffy ears peeking out from the brim of his top-hat.

Louis remained a celebrity for many years. Up until this day, Louis still loves to emerge unannounced from top hats. Nowadays, it’s usually magicians he surprises, as top hats have been out of fashion for decades.

LOUIS has faith in you. He will stand by your side and make sure you succeed. Even though it may feel like you have to do everything by yourself, he will stick with you and make sure you get the job done. He will not give up on you. He is lovable, cuddly, is fond of narrow dark places and carrots. He makes YOU look good.

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Maria

Maria

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

The uplifting tale of an ancient donkey who had never seen the ocean and made a couple of unexpected friends that taught her one is never too old to learn new things.

MARIA is brave, she’s stable and kind. She likes to surround herself with youth and changes her scenery every now and then to keep her mind and her legs flexible.

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Max

Max

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

MAX has the ability to change his surroundings with his mind. He does it to escape, to hide, or to dream and visit magical places. He used to be angry and blunt. He would often travel to eerie worlds inhabited by hideous beasts who he would fight and oppress.

Now Max is almost all grown up. Overall, he has calmed down and he has learned to love and respect his subordinates and now they are the best of friends. Together they have a lot of fun.

MAX is the wild thing living within you. All in all, he’s a benevolent creature. He needs his space and eventually he will calm down. Nonetheless, it is quite crucial to occasionally throw in a full moon for him to howl at, as he needs to rampage and blow out his flagrant fumes.

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Minerva

Minerva

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Minerva resides in the depth of the forests, in the midst of creatures, creepers and critters that crawl. She is the only one who oversees it all. She’s wise, observant, calm and cool. She knows exactly what’s going on, what it all means, what’s right and what’s not, what mistakes are made and what lessons can be learned. She will, however, only spread her wings with the falling of the dusk.

MINERVA is the teacher and the guide. She has all the knowledge and the answers but will not simply hand you the solution on a gold platter as she knows that will not help you in the long run. You are the captain and hold the reins and one day you will be able to oversee it all and strike a balance.

In the meantime, she will stand by you and look over your shoulder and perhaps give you a nudge now and then.

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Snow&Alaska

Snow & Alaska

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Snow & Alaska are companions, rivals, each other’s opposites and reflection. Where there’s one, there’s bound to be the other not far behind. Sometimes in plain sight, sometimes hidden away and sometimes disguised as the other. The one you feed is the one that will get on top.

ALASKA is compassionate, loving, generous, truthful and peaceful. SNOW is her perfect opposite. They are both in need of attention, as they live within you. Alaska should be given nourishment and support. This way, she will gain strength and become your steady companion, your guide and protector.

SNOW is in need of care and consideration, too. When you calmly pay attention to Snow, acknowledge her existence and take her for what she is, she will lay down next to you as a watchful shepherd.

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Thomas

Thomas

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Thomas is a very curious rabbit. He used to stand on the beach, gaze out towards the open sea, his eyes fixed on the horizon. One day he decided to take the plunge and swim South.

Now Thomas has found a new island, where no rabbit has ever set foot. As soon as he climbed ashore, it felt like home. After a while he started to feel a bit lonely and found himself talking to a low-hovering cloud. The minute the cloud started to talk back he had an epiphany. He has written his 12 siblings to come over.

THOMAS is a family-man. He acknowledges the added value of sharing. He’s not afraid to try on new things but he’ll always put his family first.

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Wendi

Wendi

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm2020

WENDI is a wendigo. The first one, and if it’s up to her, the only one.

Wendi is over 15 feet tall, red eyes and mouth and matted with fur. She was once human but was transformed into a kind monster centuries ago because she resorted to some bad chicken while lost out in the remote forests. She still has the ability to take on human form in order not to scare her guests and invite them to her dinner table.

Wendi roams the desolate places away from civilization. She waits for exhausted travelers to pass by who will generally hear Wendi’s voice calling their names faintly in the wind. A warm breeze reminiscent of home then leads them into a warm and cozy cave, where Wendi will serve a crispy roasted chicken and some veggies while there’s a fruit cobbler in the oven.

WENDI looks out for you when you’re lost in the woods. She will take you in, take care of you and comfort you and make sure you’ll recuperate and revitalize so you can get you back on your feet and out into the storm again.

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Willebrord

Willebrord

mixed media on panel
18 x 13 cm 2020

Willebrord is obsessed with measuring the circumference of the earth. He is the first to try since Eratosthenes in the third century BC. Of course, back then the earth was still flat, so Eratosthenes fell off the edge of the earth. Unfortunately that is, as according to his friends, he was a good guy.

Willebrord has come up with a theory where he has made a model of the moon with a certain circumference, multiply that by the angle from which he sees all the church spires from where he stands. Ask a passerby to stand opposite him, wait for the moon to rise from behind him, then take a number of steps away from him, until the moon has the exact same size as the one on his head, measure the distance between him and you, and then there’s something to do with the refraction of light.

It may not seem like much, but he’s definitely on to something.

WILLEBRORD is surprisingly clever. He has a lot on his mind but is always prepared to involve you in his process and he values your company and appreciates you your input and ideas.

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About

Jaski Gallery is situated in the heart of Amsterdam’s Art & Antiques district, where we’ve been since 1988. We specialise in work from the CoBrA movement and contemporary art. The gallery regularly stages exhibitions and takes part in major art fairs such as TEFAF in Maastricht and PAN Amsterdam.

Contact

Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 29
1017 DB Amsterdam
Tuesday – Sunday 12:00 – 18:00
+31 20 6203939
info@jaski.nl

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