I'm Back

The past year and a half has probably been a time of grief, loss and depression for everyone. So it should come as no surprise that I've had my share too. In six months time I not only lost the love of my life, but I also lost my job. It felt like I had to learn how to breathe again.

Inspiration and art don't seem to thrive in a period of hardship and sadness, unlike numbness and depression. All in all, it took me over a year to get up and get back into the studio.

I've come a long way, but I'm slowly coming back. Below you can see one of my first new ceramic paintings. I hope you can enjoy it as much as I do.

Midas

He has a Golden Touch

Brighten up your days

While the sun is showing itself less and less, the wind is getting colder and the days are getting shorter, we are busy preparing for a new exciting, eye-catching autumn exhibition.

'Four artists, four techniques’, is an exhibition in which there is something to be found for everyone. Linocuts, bronze statues, oil paintings and ceramics; everything your heart desires.

Participating artists are: Jaap Hartman, Niqui Kommerkamp, Memo Tunali & Froukje Stam.

The exhibition will be officially opened on November 17 (doors open at 02:00 pm) and the official opening speech will be held around 3.30 pm. During the afternoon we will be serving light refreshments. We look forward to seeing you!

This exhibition will run through December 2019.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. (Free entrance)

Invitation

You are cordially invited to join us for the official opening of the exhibition  at ‘Galerie Streetscape’ in Castricum.

The exhibition features paintings, collages, drawings lithos, etchings & sculptures. This is a great opportunity to meet the participating artists in person and engage in conversation while enjoying the art and listening to live music.

The exhibition comprises works by the following artists: Frans Hendriks, Anita Mizrahi, Edo Poland, Niqui Kommerkamp, Peter de Jong  & Marga Klumper.

The official opening will be held on Saturday, July 13 from 5 pm - 7 pm. The Exhibition will be on display from July 13 to August 16, 2019.

Address: Gallery Streetscape, Dorpsstraat 7, 1901 EH Castricum, Netherlands.
Opening hours: Friday - Sunday from 2 to 5 pm or by appointment.

What am I

Dutch
Keramist (m) -en beoefenaar v.d. pottenbakkerskunst, pottenbakker; (v) -miste -n en -s; ook ceramist
Pot·ten·bak·ker (de; m,v; meervoud: pottenbakkers) maker van potten.

English
Potter /ˈpɒtə/ noun: potter; plural noun: potters; a person who makes dishes, plates, and other objects from clay, usually by hand on a special wheel.

'Potter' seems to be a collective name for anyone who makes something out of clay. But there is an essential difference between a potter and a ceramist. A potter is someone who makes pots and other ceramic goods, while ceramist is a person who makes ceramic objects.

Although both groups can be successful in what they do and both work with clay, the comparison ends here.

According to the English, but also the Dutch dictionaries, a potter ('pottenbakker' in Dutch) is someone who makes pots, but most Dutch dictionaries mention the same under 'keramist' ('ceramist' in English).

It's kind of weird. If you tell a stranger that you are a sculptor, they will probably ask you what material you use. But almost no one would immediately assume that you work with clay. And so you use the word ceramist, but then they get confused with potter.
That is why I use the term 'ceramic sculptor' nowadays. I know it sounds a bit pretentious, but people understand this better and won't ask me to make them a series of plates again.

The funny thing is that I don't only make sculptures. For example, I am currently working on a series of boxes, in between I make small ceramic paintings and I have made a whole series of ceramic book covers.
To be honest, there is no better name for this than simply 'ceramist', but it is precisely that name that defines me - at least according to the Dutch dictionaries - as someone who makes pots.

Invitation

New website

I know. An artist website is never finished, but I'm actually quite happy with it.
You're more than welcome to visit my site, so what are you waiting for? Click, click, click!

Ceramics Exhibition

Google Maps

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Opening hours: Wednesday - Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm

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New Year's Exhibition

Happy new year!

The annual group exhibition at Gallery Stam will be officially opened on Sunday, February 5 at 3:30 pm (doors open 2:00 pm).

Participating artists this year include: Patrick van der Linde, Marije van Wieringen, Cécile ter Borgh, Luurd van der Dussen, Jenny van Gimst, Jan Jaap Stigter, Niqui Kommerkamp, Iša Ondráček, Monica Sandell, Matthijs Stam, Adriana Schuurman and John Stikvoort.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. (Free entrance)

Airheads

Exhibited at Gallery Stam from May 15 to July 16 2016. A series of half head vases with various oxides by Niqui Kommerkamp.

Perfect imperfection, it’s not

According to the Latin from which the word is derived, perfection is the finished state of something. Imperfect would therefore only mean that it’s just not finished yet.
My work entails objects that might look like things that once were perfect (or nearly perfect), but have now entered a decrepit state. And that’s exactly what I aim for.
I see the strenght of color, or the lack of it, the worn surfaces, rough edges, oxidized details & fading texts or images, and from it I read the underlying story.
To say that my work samples the art of imperfection, would therefore be doing it injustice. It’s never solely about the objects, always also about the stories.

Happy New Year!

New Year Exhibition at Gallery Stam

Gallery Stam, located in the center of Amsterdam at the Prinsengracht, is specialized in contemporary realistic art. Within this specialization they exhibit as broad an example as possible of art from the Netherlands and from a few other countries as well.

Participating artists in this particular exhibition include: Marije van Wieringen, Cécile ter Borgh, Luurd van der Dussen, Jenny van Gimst, Jaap Hartman, Niqui Kommerkamp, Iša Ondráček, Monica Sandell, Matthijs Stam and Alison Chambers.

This exhibition will be officially opened on Sunday February 7 at 4:00 pm (doors open 2:00 pm).

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. (Free entrance)

Expositie Klei

WG Kunst Sale 2014

Dit jaar houdt WG Kunst - voor de zesde keer - in het weekend van zaterdag 13 en zondag 14 december een bijzondere verkooptentoonstelling.  Meer dan honderd kunstwerken van ruim honderd kunstenaars worden aangeboden voor honderd euro per stuk.

Alle deelnemende kunstenaars hebben voor deze gelegenheid iets bijzonders uit hun atelier gehaald of speciaal voor deze tentoonstelling gemaakt. Tekeningen, schilderijen, grafiek, beeldhouwwerk, sieraden, keramiek, glaskunst en nog veel meer. Op www.wgkunst.nl staat een overzicht van de deelnemende kunstenaars.

In het weekend van 13 &14 december 2014 van 12.00 – 18.00 uur zijn de kunstwerken te zien en te koop bij WG Kunst, Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 28 Amsterdam (Wilhelmina Gasthuisterrein).  Kopers kunnen hun werk na betaling meteen meenemen. Op de vrijgekomen plek wordt direct een ander kunstwerk geplaatst. Zo is sprake van een telkens wisselende tentoonstelling.

Meer informatie: wgkunst@wgkunst.nl | www.wgkunst.nl | 020 6161515