About the Artist
I was born and raised in The Netherlands (pronounce my surname as "Ploog") but have lived in England for many years now. I am busy raising two little boys with the help of lots of finger paint and jumbo crayons. I too loved painting and drawing as a child, and drew figures increasingly over the years. I was accepted in art college at 17 and studied Theatre Design. Unfortunately I missed some intellectual stimuli and signed up for university in Amsterdam to study art history. I eagerly soaked up the rich history of art and architecture and stayed a bookworm for many years to come. I was delighted to get the opportunity to study for my Ph.D, which I finished in 2006.
In my paintings one can sometimes find traces of my years studying historic English architecture. A few years before ending my
university studies I found the joy of painting again. And I could not stop. My children were born and I could not help but express their loveliness in paint. Soon I was painting children’s portraits on commission. My work has now developed into warm and atmospheric paintings portraying children and adults in everyday scenes. I have had commissions and found collectors on both sides of the Atlantic.
My Materials
In my work I use professional products only. I only use highly pigmented and archival professional pastels on archival pastel paper or card. I use a variety of brands but a favourite is the Dutch manufacturer (no patriotism going on here!) Talens who produces the Rembrandt range of pastels, which are a joy to use. Other favourites are the English handmade Unison pastels with their beautiful earth colours and the German Schmincke pastels which are so buttery and soft it almost feels like paint.
For my oil paintings I am still exploring brands and types. I only use professional graded paints and so far have found my favourites amongst Schmincke's Mussini paints, Vasari and Talens' Rembrandt. As you can see the the favourite brands come back in pastel and oil. Although I have painted a lot on canvas, I now try to solely paint on oil primed linen with the finest weave texture that I can source. Painting on an oil primed linen is a joy I much appreciate as my paint slides on the surface as if on glass. It keeps the paint lean and the painting honest. I prefer to use soft small brushes, especially mongoose (or a synthetic copy of that) as they are hardwearing, soft and a great tool for small detail.
Most of my framing is done by Frinton Frames from Frinton on Sea in England. They are a family run company that hand-make and hand-finish the most beautiful of frames. A good frame should enhance the painting and although taste might differ, Frinton provides stunning hand-crafted work. Of course if a frame is not to your taste all my work can be purchased with or without a frame and re-framing is always an option.
