Boomkerk in de Kalverstraat te Amsterdam 1890 - 1920

This photograph shows the Boomkerk in de Kalverstraat in Amsterdam. It was created anonymously by Monumentenzorg. Looking at the architecture, I’m thinking about the act of building, or in my case, making a painting. There’s a rhythm and pattern to it all. I see how the windows repeat across the facade of the building, how the doors and window frames give structure to the whole thing. I can only imagine what it must have been like to construct this building, layer by layer, brick by brick. The decisions, the adjustments, the problem-solving. When I'm working on a painting, I'm thinking about the same kinds of things. How do I create a sense of space? What color is going to sit next to that shape? Just like the Boomkerk, artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. We all embrace ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.