In juni 2021 I became a first time grandmother. A very special occasion. So I made an artwork for my granddaughter on a wooden panel of 61x122cm that is hanging in her bedroom.
My inspiration was the expression ‘It takes a village …’. The first layers of the painting are a collective project. They contain the hand prints of the most important persons in the life of my granddaughter: the parents, grandparents, godparents and best friends of the parents. in the next layers I glued contributions (drawings, names, wishes …) of the rest of the family, more friends and neighbours. All of this became buried in many more layers. it became a playful, colorful artwork with many circles as a symbol for life, eternity, safety and social bubbles that became so familiar to us in the year before her birth. It is and always will be a very personal artwork for Mila. it’s her family tree and stands for the support and the welcome from family and vriends en it is for me the most beautiful gift I can give my grandchild.
