I went to my art school, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, Holland, established some 4 centuries ago. Only the art school of Bologna is older.
I didn't even shave yet then. I think it is a great privelege when one can start to study art while still a kid. Our teachers were demi-Gods in our eyes. Old men, maybe late 30's. Some even older!.

What does an artist do? Nobody is waiting for them but as I often say with tongue in cheek: They don't build museums for dentists or brain surgeons.

To be an professional artist one must exhibit. So am I an exhibitionist? Yes, for sure.

On this web site Clemens created a gallery called Meetings.

One piece in this gallery is called 'Meeting Dien'. I was a little down, literally too, as I was helping a friend in her garden. Suddenly I looked back and saw this lady standing in a doorway. She was the sister of a good friend of mine. Her name was Arendina or Dientje for short.

It was love at first sight but I took some time to pluck up courage etc etc.
In the same gallery is a piece called 'Dientje meeting God' painted shortly after her death.

Some people think you grow through experiencing a tragedy. I cannot say I felt that. I went into a downward spiral but with help got out of that black hole. Thank you Freeman House in Armidale, thank you Tracy.

Now I am on top of the world again.

Joining up with my childhood friend and working together so wonderfully certainly is a gift from Some-one-Some-where. I don't try to understand too much about these things and often refer to the mystical side of life as the 'inexplicable and the infinite'. I am finite.

Enough philosophising.

Back to the brushes I may hold.

PS. The work named top right is called 'Togetherness' and shows Dientje and Paul.