Weekblad dit weekend

Lost and Found X

Home Sweet Home

Weekblad dit weekend / Moskou

Hoovers

Love the hoovers, love the colours of the background!

Potlood

Tree

Weekblad dit weekend

The weekly magazine from NRC Handelsblad is on a holiday, and is replaced by a tabloid printed on newspaper-paper.

Drawing

When the temperature drops down the amount of drawings goes up. I love doing nothing when it's warm. It' s bit cooler now. I've cleaned the house and started drawing again.
It was about time.

Johnny Flynn

I've mentioned him a little while ago,
This song gets stuck in my mind all the time.
And a great video, I like the drawings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALYdVmf6-Dg

This song really suits the summerfeeling I have. Gnawa music is music from morocco. I like it because of the energy and the hypnotizing element.

This song is called Gnawa Power, from this belgium band. More summery, also reminds me o lot of ethiopian music (I think the singer is from Ethiopia) Any ways, love music without bounderies.

An amazing magazine from 1939, found on the streets of Montreal by my sister. There are 240 pages and I think that I can find something inspiring on every page. Fantastic. Will post nice parts and pages this summer.

Illustration Friday

Earlier this evening I sat down to make an illustration for Illustration Friday.
The subject this week is diary and have always written journals and diaries. My drawing wasn't working out though, but I found a few old journals back and started reading.
Something Ive written in 27th of April when I was in NY, years ago. I think in the year 2002 or 2003.
What I wrote was:
" I overheard a converstation this moring. A girl said: ' I wasn't happy with it' So I assumed it was about her relationship or something. No she was talking about her phone! A phone can never make you happy anyway. "

At the time of writing i did not have a steady job or house, was doing a lot of traveling and did not like this world of plenty i was living in.
Its almost ten years later: I have a mortage, a car and steady income. I still don't like the world of plenty im living in. But I'm also a little scared sometimes I have become part of that world of plenty without realizing it.

It was good for me to read this again. Phones, cars, computers can never make you happy. They can make your life easier, but I don't believe having things can make you happy. Happiness is hidden somewhere else, it's not to be found in stores. A reminder for myself, from myself.

Illustration

A summer-illustration in 'ANS',(Algemeen Nijmeegs Studentenblad). I wanted to express the freedom-feeling that summer gives me. Traveling, swimming, adventure. And just taking things slow.

Weekblad dit weekend

Documentary

I watched this touching documentary about Bill Withers (ain't no sunshine when she's gone). It's about art, music and acceptance. I know it's amazing weather, the city full of energy, but it's worth taking some time to watch this. Here is the link.

Be kind

One of my best friends told me once about this sentence: it's written on the wall of the school of her 5 year-old. It should be written on more walls.

Summer feeling

http://www.johnny-flynn.com/index.php

I love the artwork of this site, and I love the music from this young english folksinger too! There are some movies to be seen under music&film. Great!

Children

Since a few years a few of my best friends have become parents. Their perfect little babies have grown into funny little toddlers and smart out-going pre-schoolers. I love them all, and all for different reasons. They have enriched my life, and im so happy that they have become part of it. One is a blue-eyed dreamy boy, the other a kind girls who loves books. There is the strong little girl who makes every one smile and there is the brave sensitive adventurous boy.
Last friday I helped out at my Equistrian Club with a group children the same age as the children of my friends. Our club is specialized in horse-riding for people with a physical or mental disability.
Over the years i have come to admire all those strong, stubborn riders for whom nothing is easy. Just sitting is a challenge for them.
But this group of young children was very different. For all of them it was the first time on a horse. One girl, dressed in pink, just like her mum, loved every minute of it. She was very relaxed, moved her body slowly and looked around. Step by step we let her go. That is our most important role; Not to hold on tightly, but slowly letting go, so their little bodies can carry themselves. Then children can see what they are capable of: ‘ Hey I can’t walk but I can ride a horse!’.
We asked her to lie down on the horse, without blinking she did what we asked. Complete trust in the horse and her own body.

But most of the others were crying a bit. The first few seconds it is so difficult for both the parent and the kids to let go of each other.
Usually as soon the entered the riding-arena the tears were gone and you could see surprise on their faces. ‘Wow i can do this’.
And every parent was standing in the corner, cameras ready. Waving, and the biggest smiles on their faces. Immense love and pride for that little one on the horse.

And I know those smiles very well. I see them on my friends faces all the time. When their child made his first step or rode the bike for the first time, And the immense love and pride is exactly the same.
For me to see the proud proud happy happy faces of those parents. It made me humble and thankful for my happy life. Im blessed in many ways. A healthy body is such a immense gift. I know the parents think their child is perfect, and their child is, but I still had just had to cry a little, and wished for every gorgeous, kind, happy, shy, little kid that day that their bodies would miraculously work again.

Thank you

Sometimes im just so happy with the way things are: the weather makes me calm, a beautiful wedding-day, swimming in a fresh-water just around the corner from my house. They are just little things, but to me very important. And today, in a little way, im on my way to the horses, to help young disabled childeren. My way of giving something back.

Nrc.Next van vandaag

And also this one today. Ive seen so many squares last few days that I think my brains have converted in to squares. But it was well worth it!

Nrc.Next van vandaag

The article is about Michel Jacobs, I know him from the equestrian club I ride.
He and his horse Lista started a trip in Amsterdam a few months ago to travel all the way to St. Petersburg by horse. She is a strong little andalusian horse, he is a all day-smoking stubborn man. But they made it pretty far together, and I hope they are going to make it all the way to russia. Do you want to read more about his adventures: http://tepaardnaarsintpetersburg.nl