I wanted to share an exciting art update—a plan I’m hatching for the coming months.

A while back we moved out of Amsterdam and have been settling into a whole new area. It’s called ‘het Land van Maas en Waal’, and is a strip of green nestled between the Netherlands’ Maas and Waal rivers. The broader region is referred to as Riverland. It’s quirky, and unassuming, and full of natural beauty, and it has a kind of self-possession that makes it feel like a world away. And it’s become a main subject for my artwork.

Almost every day, I’m walking, cycling, riding the train or just going for a drive, to connect with the surroundings and watch what’s happening throughout the seasons. 

I observe animals, plants, people, and places in their daily rhythms and I collect their ‘messages’, which are the charming idiosyncrasies and stories that I find sprinkled throughout the area. 

Making observational art is a lot of fun. It’s an act of love that creates understanding and grounds us in a place. And it feels like a wonderful game that’s all around, with endless levels, and endless ways to win. I find it so rewarding that I’ve just started teaching classes to hopefully help others enjoy it as well.

Because my art is all about discovering and sharing this slice of world, I am now looking for other people who would like to be its recipients! Four times in the next year I’ll be sending out 3 card-sized prints of my Riverland artwork to my pals , and hopefully it keeps you feeling in touch with the turning of the seasons and life as it happens, including my own, out here in this land. It can even be a gift subscription for someone who you think might enjoy it!

Your support is going to help me cover the cost of reproducing art pieces, mailing them to you (of course) and building up the Riverland collection which will include art prints, gifts, and classes, and feature the spirit of this special region. 

I’m looking forward to sharing this special region with you, and I hope you will join me on the Riverland journey! Wishing you the best for the rest of this year! 

Thanks, Rachel