For nine days I exhibited my art at KunstSchouw, an art fair held annually for the past twenty-five years in the Dutch province of Zeeland.

Near the exhibition hall I noticed remarkably beautiful plant: the Giant Hogweed. From before I knew that this plant can give terrible burns to the skin, but now I learned that it’s only dangerous when its juice flows after its broken or cut.

I therefore decided to create a body-painting dedicated to this plant. Shelly, who lives close-by, was willing to pose for this purpose and within some hours the mission was completed. Have a look at the results here: Giant Hogweed portraits and body paintings.

Newspaper PZC covered my work at the exhibit as well as my body-painting demonstrations. An excerpt: “The artist from Doetinchem combines painting with photography by painting his models in accordance with their natural environment. The results are beautiful, and sometimes with a wink and a smile. For example, he painted women wearing wooden shoes and a traditional farmer’s cap in the colors of the Dutch flag, in a meadow in front of a windmill. “I’m not one to preach to people, but I do try to make them laugh. If we’re all nice to each other, the world will automatically become a better place.”