The Terminal Lucidity of 2021.

To be completely honest... I couldn't give a crap about new years eve. So I am doing this the way I want to do it. The covid pandemic is a great excuse to do the things in a way I like. Keeping the doors closed and not leaving the house

That is why I continue the art of woodcuts of the Flakkee series.

The woodblock

I still like Flakkee. It has some beautiful places and I hope these will be around for many more years and even get better in 2022. Yes, local government, take care of your history! This needs to be shared with the world and that is why I am making prints of these buildings and places. Sadly one of the places you should take care of is not doing great. Fort Prins Frederik is falling apart but I know this could be a place for many tourists to enjoy.

part of Fort Prins Frederik

This fort needs the attention so I am not going to leave this at one woodcut and maybe even more artwork to promote this piece of history. Maybe my woodblock prints will be kept by some people and become a piece of local history on their own.

The other print I am working on is Het oude raadhuis van Ooltgensplaat. A beautiful old building not many people visit. It also has a rich history and the village is not a bad place to visit when you are on holiday. So pick up your stuff after covid and visit Flakkee and also the places that are not as easy to reach. With a car you can get everywhere and it is totally worth it. Nature and characteristic villages. What would you wish for more when you are looking for some peace?

"Oude Raadhuis" Ooltgensplaat

So let me continue adding more details to my woodblock and think of new paintings and design. There is a new beer label coming up and I am working on my illustrated CV. You can be sure I am not going to sit still anytime soon. Well, I am staying in my little room in one place for long periods of time but you'll get the point.

Stay safe! Stay healthy, don't be stupid during this pandemic and have a great 2022.

A weird thing about my inspiration.

Getting inspiration for new artwork is a weird thing. At least for me. Some things weigh heavy like Jheronimus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the elder and medieval manuscript paintings. Other sources of inspiration are not easy to be associated with the artwork I make.

Jheronimus Bosch. Detail of"The temptations of Saint Anthony"

Why medieval artwork?

Medieval art is all about telling stories. They are like medieval comic books. Most of the time the text is left out because it uses symbolism in a way we don't know anymore. This gives the feeling of a weird world we need to explore and try to understand.

I like the idea of this weird world and exploration. We try to understand the piece but without being educated on this topic we can't fully understand the complete piece. That is where the viewer of a piece comes into action. The viewer needs to use his or her own imagination and experiences of their own life to complete the story. A beautiful mind is going to answer all of the questions. In the case of medieval art it is not what should be done. But in my artwork that's okay. I encourage you to find your own way and make your own story while looking at my paintings and artwork.

"Zeug" by Vince Trommel. Ink and acrylics on wood. 2021

Movies?

This brings me to the next source of inspiration. Movies. I am not a huge movie lover but when I find movies that I like, I do like them a lot. Old horrors and other weird surreal or abstract movies are perfect to get inspiration from. Not because of the themes but because of what is happening in itself.

The older horrors have a huge amount of creative solutions to visualize the story. Even when it is a movie from the 80's and you are confronted with colorful slime oozing out of everything or pink blood that splashes towards the screen with a latex head bouncing around and a man in a monster suit and loads of makeup we completely accept it. We respect the story and the effort that is put into these visualizations of horror. That is what I put in my work as well. Figures are not 100% realistic at all. I want to make things acceptable to see in the world the figures exist.

David Lynch is another of those huge sources of inspiration. He uses abstract concepts and is a huge warrior for the concept of movies that can't exist without a viewer. This is true in a literal point of view but it also has a deeper thought. They are not just easy enterainment, these movies are challenging you to think and experience your version of the movie.

David Lynch. "What did Jack do?"

Painting light on the walls.

My artwork is almost always extremely busy and weird. I like to wander mythical worlds, surreal dreamscapes and dark symbolistic themes, rooted deep in my anxiety and the world around me.

But that is not the art I like to see all the time. The artwork I am attracted to the most and am not able to produce is the more peaceful artwork. Sometimes even more abstract.

I think this is a bit because I admire the ability to leave things out in a piece. I can't do that at all. But I do love to see it. The atmosphere, the story and tension between one or two figures as we can see in several paintings made by Edward Hopper. The spaces painted by Helmantel where you want to be to feel how that place is.

Edward Hopper "Summer in the city"

In my work I value a certain feeling. In paintings like the one above you can feel the place and make the story between the characters. You can identify with the situation. Well... your own version of the situation. I want to drag someone into my own situation and thoughts and make people experience their own version of the situation. A creature I drew for a beer label is created to make you experience the wonder of a mythical figure you find in a bestiary. A poster design is made to make you experience something weird when you walk the streets. Poking your curioucity and dragging you down the rabbit hole with Alice. Everyone likes to find something new and unique. A little treasure in the streets or on the internet. You will become a part of a story just like you become a part of the story in the paintings of Hopper or Helmantel.

Zes Gemeten. Beer label for Solaes Brewery.

You are important!

You are important! Not because you are the reason I can make a living but because my art has a reason to exist in this world. As well as my art could be important to you. Make your own stories with the help of art. It could help to make you understand a feeling. It could warn you of bad choices. It could make you remember things. I think this is a nice glimpse into what keeps me busy at this moment.

In the future there will be a part two because the sources of inspiration rotate through time. Thank you for reading and leave a comment if you have any questions or other thoughts. Stay weird,

CAVUM

Lockdown and poster art.

The world is bizarre. David Lynch is dealing with that a lot better than most of us. The best things happen when you try something new. Ideas are everywhere, you just need to pick the best ones. See the world as it is and enjoy the bizarre context of the events before you.

So there we go. A bright future with some positive vibes. We could use that. Especially the kids these days. The schools are closed and the outdoor playing field "Buutenplaets" created an event for these young ones to enjoy the last day of this year. An act with a professor who shows little experiments where there will be bangs and some sparks, archery and a barbeque. My goal as an artist is to make something you don't see in the streets. Something weird, something new. Photos with weird purble, pink and blue colors, heavy fonts to make things look cool and heavy like a video game. Some random shapes at random places... It all looks the same.

That is why I tried something different. No ink stains, no heavy shadows or dramatic compositions. Also, make it clean. Making the image in photoshop was the best option for me.

Poster for a Local event at the Buutenplaets

And this is the result. Something that could be placed on the cover of a comic or animation. I know that the character design is terrible for animation but a comic would be no problem in this style. This is something new I tried. I don't draw funny and happy, bright colored images often but these darker days were calling for it! Maybe the poster would make some people smile.

I don't know if the event is canceled or not at this point because of the lockdown but let's hope it does. Most people can't enjoy the absurdity of life so let's be nice to each other and make things a bit less hard for yourself and others. Stay safe, stay healthy and thank you for reading! ~CAVUM