Acrylic & Sketches, 2023—2024

Not a Piece of Cake (Boner)

Exploring emotion

This standalone piece grew out of an expressionist study focused on capturing raw emotion in animals. The project originated during a class by Lydia Nederlof at the Lucasgilde, housed within the Kennemer Theater. Inspired by a KEK exhibition of Mies van Hout’s acclaimed children’s books on cats and fish in the theater’s foyer, the work began as a quick series of drawings exploring character and expression.

Somewhere along the way, the dog developed through these initial sketches got named Boner. After completing the first draft, the painting spent some time tucked away in a closet. However, the canvas kept pulling me back; it simply didn’t feel finished yet. This process allowed the piece to evolve further, exploring the melancholic concept of ‘it’s a dog’s life’.This exploration has sparked a deeper ambition to study animal emotions further. As a great fan of Disney animation and Walt Disney’s own inspiration, the legendary Heinrich Kley, I am fascinated by how powerful emotion can be captured in animals. While this current project focuses strictly on facial portraits, I hope to explore full-body expressions and movement in the future.

These initial charcoal and pencil drawings served as the foundation for the project. Each sketch explores a different expression ranging from playful to melancholic, capturing various emotions across different characters.

The process was intuitive; while some sketches came together quickly in a few raw lines, others required searching, erasing, and reworking to capture the exact shape of the emotion. One specific study stood out, inspiring the final painting.