Fit for a King! I should have posted this yesterday as the 27th April was King's Day in Holland and a huge celebration day for the Dutch. The King and Queen visit a different city each year, but not by bike I'm sure.
This is my contribution to a Diversity and Unity Mural. The meaning behind it is how we are all different and have our own backgrounds, but we're all connected to each other like the roots show. We are stronger unified, and our progression in making the world a better place is like this plant, it can only grow with care and under the right conditions. Together we can make a better future, while still keeping our roots because of their importance to our identities.
I spent christmas holidays 2015 inking a very small children's book as a present to my friend's kids. About 20 pages or so. Here the main character of the story is tuning the instrument owned by The Strange Animal, with help from The Whistling Compass. A terrible noise from The Magical Forest was disturbing the night sleep of a local king and the problem was solved thanks to our protagonists skills.
Ten days back (April 7th) was my 30th birthday! Been up to my eyeballs in photography projects since then and only just got some breathing space to draw... always good to be back after a break, however big or small.
What happens to the animal kingdom once used and abused for human entertainment? This drawing represents the spirit of those creatures, once killed for sport, taking their rightful revenge on mankind. There's no room for bullfighting in modern society.
From my series Bikes of Amsterdam. Normally it's cyclists I have spotted around town but this is a little day dreaming. Who knows what's lurking in all the canals.
"Avoidance: As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. One of the most effective ways to manage stress is to avoid it in the first place. This means identifying potential stressors and taking steps to eliminate or minimize them."
In this drawing, I was striving to capture the spirit of contemplation and reflection, a sort of spiritual sojourn, an ancient practice of pilgrimage, focusing on subjects of transcendent nature, and exploring destinations of spiritual significance. (words taken from scholarlysojourns.com). It is a self-portrait (me as a 14-year-old boy). We had just moved from Mequon to Rhinelander. It was then that I began to romanticize the natural beauty of Mequon. But at the same time, I was falling in love with the beauty of Rhinelander. In this picture, I am walking through the countryside of Mequon. The stringed musical instruments symbolize my love for the progressive classical and folk-tinged acoustic and orchestral music that was coming out of England in the late 60s and early 70s, specifically the quieter pieces of music performed by the Moody Blues, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Yes, and Jethro Tull. A song called Reasons for Waiting by Jethro Tull is a good accompanying piece for this drawing.
