I don’t remember. Well, – I don’t remember “well.”

I remember some birthdays thanks to my love of astrology, and I remember some dates according to how it relates to seasons, but there’s been a twenty year blur since I left school and many things happened that, thanks to me trying to delete phases by forgetting them, makes me sometimes wonder about the chronology of my life. Luckily I’m a Scorpio, so that explains both the cutting out of parts of my life AND the Sherlock Holmes complex with which I’m piecing back the bits that I come across.

I remember in 2015 I showed art for the first time. I started posting fashion illustrations on instagram and loved the instant feedback one could get, but as one can’t really do that as a career and me being fresh out of one I started exploring what could be drawn with what I had. Here started my personal life philosophy, and even though I love concision and eloquence more than words can describe, clunky and excessive in wording: “do what you can do with what you’ve got right now.”

Again.

Do what you can do with what you’ve got right now. Remember that. I started drawing portrait with the inks and markers I had. Honestly I couldn’t afford other art supplies at that stage. Later, when I would progress onto other themes or medium I carried that Idea with me – see if you ca make art with what is in reach. This became easier over the years as there is art supplies within reach in just about every square meter of my home. Those who know me will confirm that when I travel I always have at the very least a watercolour set on me…

Anyway, back to Robin Williams. The first style of drawing I developed was with pencils and inks and I still develop and use this often when asked to do personal portraits. I use this style when asked to do portraits in memoriam of people passed on loved ones: this isn’t really something I advertise for; but the beautiful rainbow of colours just make sense.

Robin WIlliams died in 2014, August the 11th. It moved me personally cos to me he was the genie. He was the best Peter Pan in Hook and Mrs Doubtfire was the first movie I recorded on VHS when we got M-net. I watched that until the tape played funny. Patch Adams is without comparison and his investment as an adult in the children in Dead Poet’s Society moved me so much so that it is often replaying in my mind. Every time I throw dice I secretly hope an animal stampede will run through the house or a whirlwind will swallow everything around it and suck it into the board game. I have no problem with the live action version of the genie, but in every moment I compared it to Robin’s genie.

I drew this portrait; I can remember how sad I was. It was one of the first “book” of portraits I ever made. This would’ve been in 2014 shortly after his passing. It is the first portrait I made in memoriam. I was not skilled enough to capture him; he had such sparkly eyes.

Happy Friday to all!!

This morning when I woke up I realized that Cape Town really hasn’t had winter at all. It is cool, but not really cold. I can literally count the times I needed to wear full length pants on one hand even if I had only two fingers on that hand…

So – I just want to update you on my current selection of available prints. I added the three angels this morning. These are offered on an 305 gsm archival paper and made with real pigmented inks so the colours will stay true to the original artwork.

The images I used in this gallery is from photos I took with my phone – please note the final prints are beautiful high resolution scans so the line work is perfect and the colours are unbelievable and so subtle. Please contact me via instagram or facebook if you need more info and do orders – you’ll find the details in my “social media” page located in the top menu.

It’s 11:38 – im on my fifth coffee and must do my French language lesson before 12, so gotta run; have a great weekend,

Barend