Creative Thresholds

by V.L. Cox

“END HATE DOORS”

The series was created in response to Arkansas’s HB1228 which made it out of committee in
March of 2015. This discriminatory bill would have brought back Jim Crow days where hatred
and repression were the law of the land. The “End Hate” installation was installed twice on the
steps of the Arkansas State Capitol as a First Amendment protest of the reckless and unjust
behavior by the 90th General Assembly. Through social media and the Associated Press, the
series helped bring world-wide attention to the struggle. With enormous pressure now being
forced on government officials, HB1228 was defeated.

The celebration was brief. With similar bills being considered and passed across the country, the
“End Hate” installation was then taken to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., where the
“I Have a Dream” speech was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
on August 28, 1963. His speech was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights
Movement. With Civil Rights laws now slowly being chipped away or even denied for some, this
was a sacred place where dreams and freedom were born and was the perfect place to once
again, stand for justice and equality for all. To say that the series was well received on that day,
is an understatement. Over 250,000 people were present, and not one negative comment was
heard about the series. Not one. The power and simplicity of the historic content strongly
resonated through the crowd. It brought people that were visiting from all over the world
together in conversation, sharing their own stories of discrimination and injustice, in peace and
camaraderie. And to me, that is where change begins. Separate Is Never Equal.

END HATE DOORS are solid wooden doors from the 1950’s and paint.

“SOLES”

42.5″ x 13.75″ x 3.75 – Mixed Media

Created from a 1896 church roof dormer from south Arkansas, wood from an old church pew,
1930 rope, and worn leather shoes. In the 1920’s, the Klan used to request full church services
and show up in all their regalia. The only way people could recognize the Klansmen was by
their hands or their shoes. A little side note: My great-grandfather was almost killed by the Klan.
He was pulled out of his house and bed by his ankles, tied to a tree, and horse whipped within
an inch of his life after being falsely accused by a man who was sour over a horse sale. My
grandfather and great-grandmother had to cut him down and nurse his bloody wounds. My
great-grandfather later recognized the shoes of a cousin that was involved in the whipping on
Main St. Arkadelphia, Arkansas and swore revenge. They never spoke again.

SOLES is comprised of an 1896 wooden church dormer vent, natural fiber 1930 rope, leather
and rubber shoes.

“JIM”

66” x 20”x 20” – Mixed Media Installation

After working with incarcerated youth and seeing first hand the unjust imbalance of mass
incarceration of minorities in our country today, I find this piece haunting and sad, but painfully
true. The white column is taken from an old craftsman style front porch, where a lot of time is
spent during the hot summer months due to the sweltering heat. Sitting on the front porch
watching the world go by, is a relaxing, cherished moment here in the south. Unfortunately due
to social economic status, lack of opportunity or the color of their skin, many individuals never
get the opportunity to go very far past this setting before being funneled into the lucrative and
politically controlled ‘cradle to prison’ pipeline. They literally spend a lifetime, from birth to
death, ‘looking out’ into the real world.

JIM is comprised of a vintage Crow decoy, rusted barbed wire, paint, epoxy, and wood.

11. “SOILED”

Mixed Media Installation

A 1920 (95 year old) blood stained Klan robe installation. I acquired this piece from an antique
dealer who had a family bring it in after another family member died. I had no idea it was
stained with blood before the acquisition. I believe, after historical research, that this was used inthe Summer of 1919 (“Red Summer”) somewhere in the south. It’s just too stained and the time period is almost identical. I kept the robe intact, created the hood to complete it, and purchased the vintage metal signage to show the true level of hatred this robe and installation represents. The rope is an old bell tower church rope.

SOILED is comprised of circa 1919 authentic Klan robe, natural fiber rope, metal and wood.

12. “WHITEWASH”

65” x 52”x 9” – Mixed Media

While driving through Harrison, Arkansas, I passed a dusty ‘compound’ on the edge of town
with a large gate and numerous confederate flags marking the surrounding property lines as well
as the gate entrance. It’s hard to miss.

With the gate and the confederate flags being such a strong visual to me, I picked up this old
wooden gate in an antique shop around the area, and wanted to create a piece that reflects the
entrance into the dark world of White Supremacy. Antiquated, but still standing, in secrecy and
anger intertwined with hatred, ignorance and fear. The two wood boards on each end, as well
as the hinges and barbed wire were not original to the gate but were added. I then cut the flat
tops of the gate pickets into a ‘hood’ image and carved a faded white Confederate Flag into the
wood to represent the same flags from the compound. When I positioned the lighting at a 45
degree angle, it then created ‘ghosts’ behind the gate, lending an element of recognition to the
old term ‘Invisible Empire’ from back in the day.

WHITEWASH is comprised of wood, metal and paint.

13. “WHITE BREAD”

70” x 28.5”x 4” – Mixed Media

This piece was created after I read about “Klan Camp” for kids held this summer at
the National Ku Klux Klan headquarters in Harrison, Arkansas. The teddy bear is
facing backwards to represent the loss of innocence, and addresses children and early
indoctrination. This screen door is also part of my “Images of the American South”
screen door series. This long running, 24 year narrative body of work is registered
with the Library of Congress and tells the story of the South.

WHITE BREAD is comprised of wood, metal and paint.

“OLD GLORY”

41″ x 48″ x 5″ – Mixed Media

“Old Glory” is a sculptural piece made out of vintage steel and cloth. This old blue steel has been
knocked around until it appears ruined and damaged, but is still as strong as ever. I couldn’t
even bang out some of the dents with a sledgehammer. It was then I decided to use it for this
piece. I for one am sick and tired of all the crazy, narcissistic ’Reality TV’ drama that has torn
our country apart. I wanted to do a piece to show that even though we take a pounding,
regardless of our stance or differences, I still believe that we are Americans, our country is
strong, and freedom, equality and justice FOR ALL will prevail.

OLD GLORY is comprised of metal, cloth, and paint.

“NO VACANCY”

Mixed Media Installation – 109″ x 60″ x 25″

I created “No Vacancy” from old 9 foot tall church steeple from the Delta after reading the story
the Arkansas Times did on a young man in northern Arkansas who received a letter in the mail
from his church telling him he was immediately being removed from their membership records
because he was gay, and then another story about a man who had to actually move his deceased
partner’s grave due to the threats in Baxter County. The worker for the monument company
who was moving the tombstone was even approached and threatened by a man with a Bowie
knife in a Wal Mart parking lot of “why he had that ‘faggot’s’ headstone in the back of the
truck.” Stories like this are all to common today and I don’t think this is what Christ had in mind
when he told people to ‘love thy neighbor.’

NO VACANCY is comprised of wood, metal, plastic, electrical lighting and paint.

“STAINED”

36″ x 56″ x 2.5″ – Mixed Media

Represents the damage the extreme faction of the ‘Tea Party’ has done to our country when the
pages of the Bible are ripped out of context and used to harm others. It’s made up of over six
hundred and six (606) pages of the Bible made into tea bags with real tea inside. I started at the
bottom with Leviticus, with an entire bible being used in this piece as well as part of another
one.

STAINED is comprised of paper, paint, black tea, string and wood.

“HOME OF THE BRAVE”

74″ x 34″ x 21″ – Mixed Medium Installation

Being a rational, concerned individual is one thing. Reckless panic is another. Created out of an
old Craftsman front porch column “Home of the Brave” represents the ridiculous level of ‘Fear’
that is being intentionally streamed into our homes to separate us as Americans today. Fear fuels
mistrust, repression and hatred among neighbors. Yes, there are things we need to take care of,
but keeping a level head, checking facts, and not taking direction from emotionally charged
individuals or media sources that are bent on monetary or personal gain is the solution. Truth is
the key to our safety, security and happiness. America doesn’t need to “be great again,” it never
stopped being great, and don’t let anyone motivated by self-interest or fear tell you otherwise.

HOME OF THE BRAVE is comprised of wood, metal, and epoxy.

“PILLAR”

54” x 15”x 14” – Mixed Media Installation

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the
heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:26.

This piece represents the convenient loss of humanity toward others in this digital age. While
talking in great lengths to a friend one day about an idea I had for a project on this subject, she
mentioned one of her favorite biblical quotes that went along with the stone heart I had just
carved. I actually liked it. Bottom line, regardless of your beliefs it’s up to all of us to make the
efforts to open our hearts to others before any change can take place.

I chiseled the stone heart with an air hammer, and the old rusted barbed wire came from property blessed by a church. The base is an antique craftsman style porch column representing the foundations and lessons of the South. The light represents hope.

There’s always hope…

PILLAR is comprised of wood, rusted barbed wire, stone, electric lighting, epoxy, and wood.

“READY, AIM, FIRE AND BRIMSTONE”

25.5″ x 33.5″ x10″ – Mixed Media

Represents how careless, reckless and forceful the bible can be thrown around these days here in
the South. At times, it’s as casual as shooting a sign as you drive by it, or hitting the sign with a
beer bottle. Original vintage bible cover over wood with gold leaf, mounted on the end of a
1939 Coca Cola box cooler.

READY, AIM, FIRE AND BRIMSTONE is comprised of metal, wood, paper and Tibetan
gold leaf.

“BLESSED ASSURANCE”

57″ x 47″ x5.5″ – Mixed Media

This piece was created after reading about the numerous black churches that were being burned
down through the south after the Charleston Massacre. The stained glass window is from 1896
and the brass fire extinguisher is from the 1920’s. Both come from old churches in South
Arkansas. The wooden background is made from an old church pew from off Roosevelt Road in
Little Rock, Arkansas and burned along with old wallpaper attached to it.

BLESSED ASSURANCE is comprised of glass, metal and wood.

“IT’S TIME WE START OVER AND TALK ABOUT HATE”

23.25″ X 17.75″ X 5.5″ – Mixed Media

When hate escalates to violence, it IS an emergency. It’s time to go back to the basics, start from
the beginning, and learn to talk to one another. This is why I used an image of a simple child’s
toy for the subject matter. The glass front is a resized 1950 wooden window, mounted on a
vintage mercantile display case from the 40’s.

IT’S TIME WE START OVER AND TALK ABOUT HATE is comprised of glass, metal,
plastic, natural fiber, paint, and wood.

“STOP HATE”

42″ x 70″ – Mixed Media

Old church chalkboard from the 1930’s with a vintage school bus ‘stop’ light. It represents how
early we need to teach our children about stopping hate.

STOP HATE is comprised of paper, wood, glass, metal and paint.

Artist: V.L. Cox

V.L. Cox was born in Shreveport Louisiana and raised in Arkansas. She acquired a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Henderson State University in 1991. Cox’s recent work has been highly active in projects that involve Human Rights and Equality. In 2015, she launched her National “End Hate” Installation Series, an anti-discrimination series that was placed twice on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol, and then at the base of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Cox understands how to draw the viewer into her work through her experience with working with large audiences. While working as an artist in Dallas, Texas, Cox worked in the scenic industry constructing and painting large backdrops for theatrical organizations such as the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Ballet, and the Los Colinas Film Studios. Some of the productions include: The Nutcracker and Phantom of the Opera. Cox also painted the background for the National Civil Rights Humanities Awards in Memphis, Tennessee where Leah Rabin, wife of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, spoke and presented the award for freedom.

People and surroundings heavily influence Cox’s work. Over the years she has developed
a growing interest in historical preservation while portraying a southern way of life. Cox
currently resides in North Little Rock, Arkansas and has been painting for 26 years. She
works as a full time-artist and her work can be found in international private and
corporate collections. Her progress in the art world has been rapid.

Website: http://www.greatfineart.com/

by Carla Aaron-Lopez

Carla writes about the experience of being an emerging artist. Her previous posts are: Notes from kingCARLA, Notes from kingCARLA 2, Notes from kingCARLA 3.

Kevin Bongang, Mural in Edgewood neighborhood, Atlanta

“Kevin just snapped,” said Corey. And he did.

One year, his drawings looked a certain way and the next year they were on another level. They took on their own whimsical nature unlike the controlled squiggles that Kevin was known for drawing. His color palette no longer looked like someone studying color but of a man that had created his own world and the colors informed the mood of the characters that inhabited this make-believe space. I was blown away by someone that I felt had potential but wasn’t sure where he was going with all that. Half of the time I don’t even know where I’m going.

I had this conversation about Kevin with Corey, an artist friend of mine, a few years ago before I left Atlanta. Corey is another person that also snapped when it came to his art. It is his series of female portraits that are just striking. At the time, I didn’t really understand the ramifications of Corey’s statement about Kevin or what it meant to truly snap artistically. Years later on a spontaneous trip back to Atlanta, I saw one of Kevin’s newest public art murals and began to understand the power of snapping as an artist.

Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Les_Demoiselles_d%27Avignon.jpg

As much as I’ve studied art, there is a legit moment when the artist snaps. The work changes and evolves to an actual visual statement versus a singular creative object. Hobbyists make creative objects. Artists make visual statements that force viewers to think and see the world differently . As cliched as it is to use Picasso as an example, he snapped the day he walked into a museum, saw some African masks and changed the direction of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. That same painting changed the entire direction and nature of modern art in the late 20th century. Picasso makes art history and we all know the rest of the story from there.

What went through his head the moment he saw those masks? We can speculate but we weren’t there nor can we go back in time to have a Being John Malkovich moment and crawl into his mind to see what he really thought.

We just know that it was at that moment, he snapped.

Honestly, I’m waiting for my moment to snap. I’m in awe and envy of my friends that have had their moment. I want to evolve but I have let fear get in the way. Fear of not making something mind-numbingly great. Fear of not hitting the black intellectual nail on the head. Fear of getting fired for making super controversial feminist (yes, I’ve finally admitted that I am a feminist) work because I’m a middle school art teacher and the list goes on. It’s these types of fears that keep me from progressing the way I would like to as an artist and I don’t know when or how I’m going to get rid of them. I’m on the side of my proverbial mountaintop but scared to continue.

Eventually, I’m going to snap too. Or just be stuck in waiting until I quit making art.

I look up to many artists that have all had that moment somewhere in their career. Sadly, majority of them are men due to the art world’s lack of compassion for all women artists. Even more sadly is that if those same women artists have never had children and it wasn’t because of a biological reason (see Frida Kahlo), I lack total respect for them. My life doesn’t align with theirs. They will never understand the beauty and harsh reality of motherhood. They will never understand the intense paranoia of doing something that could possibly take food off your table and clothes off your child’s back. Face the facts, I live in the South and Southerners don’t do controversy very well. That’s a reality for me while others can get away with it. I stand in the wings of life’s grand stage secretly applauding their controversial actions.

I’ve lacked in producing any work this past year because I’ve finally achieved the goal of getting my career as an educator and financial life together. Not only have I been concerned with making my art but seriously, how was I going to pay for this? How were supplies going to get into my home? These priorities force me to think and see art differently. Encounter new ways of executing old ideas. Boldly steal concepts from my favorite artists and force them into my fold. I figured out a long time ago that if I wanted to make the bold, controversial art, I needed for it to be large, attention-getting and everything that I feel I cannot be in public.

I want the work to be disgusting and unladylike. I want to do it under a pen name of a white man and totally fuck with the perception of gender and power because why not? White men rule the art world. I want the work to have everything that you hate in it. Pictures of outer space and shit. Big, fat ass strippers because why not? Throw in little nods to slavery and the black experience here and there because black and white people love that shit.

Maybe I have snapped and I don’t know it yet.

Maybe I’m fantasizing again.

Or maybe I’m bored and unchallenged because I am a middle school art teacher who spends nothing but time sharpening my foundational sword.

There’s only so much I can do right now in this moment.

–    Ms. Lopez

Artist: Carla Aaron-Lopez

Instagram: @iamkingcarla

Twitter: @teachkingcarla

by María Álvarez

Artist: María Álvarez

Madrid-based oil and acrylic painter. Born in Vigo, María began to study drawing and painting at the age of 7 in the studio of the renowned painter Mingos Teixeira. There, she inherited the passion for color and contemplation. While developing her painting skills, she also took music and piano lessons through several years. When she turned 18, María moved to Madrid to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree both in Audiovisual and Applied Creativity Studies. This experience expanded her concept of image and opened her the door to other forms of art such as film, photography and graphic design.

Her art is based on mental passages and richness of color, through nature, wildlife and sometimes abstract scenes, where you can find the inspiration of the Impressionist and landscaper painters.

Website: www.mariaalvarezestevez.com

Instagram: @maria_alvarez_e

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariaalvarezeart/

by Jerry Shawback

Artist : Jerry Shawback

Jerry Shawback uses drawing as his primary form of expression. He studied communication design in Los Angeles at the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of design, a division of the New School for Social Research. Jerry worked as a freelance designer, commercial artist, and animator for the entertainment industry.

After a ten year hiatus from the art world, Jerry returned to painting in 2007,  as a primary focus producing a series of self portraits encompassing various artistic motifs, while maintaining an underlining vision, cohesion and emotional honesty.  The artist’s self portrait series explores identity through multiple approaches to the same subject matter. Stylistically varied, they reveal the strange and vulnerability essence of the human condition. Jerry is now working on a series of paintings and portraits exploring self through images of others.

His affinity for people, observation of life and strong draughtmanship is apparent in his depiction of the human form and informs Jerry’s painting. Other influences include: Rico Lebrun, Egon Schiele, Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud and his mentor Cornelius Cole III.

Jerry has been sharing his works on paper daily on social media, documenting the lives and experiences around him. Exploring the subtle beauty of line through a continuing study of the human form is a common thread that permeates all his work.

Jshawback.tumblr.com

Twitter@jerryshawback

by Tiago Azevedo

Two Sisters

Aschenputtel

The Frog King

Snow White

The Praying Virgin

Red Riding Hood

Rapunzel

The Evil Queen

Little Fairy

Work in Progress

Artist: Tiago Azevedo

I was born in the Azores islands and influenced by that environment. I have
been drawing magical worlds and fantastic creatures since a very young age.

Latter I attended Art School for a period of three years however I decided to
graduate as an Architect.

Even though I was working as an architect by choice, those fantastic
creatures were screaming to get out.

So I finally decided to follow my passion and dedicate my full attention to the
artistic expression of my world.

Consequently my themes always revolve around Fantasy and Religion.

As a technique I use oil painting for its colour richness and jewel like effect.

At the moment I am working on an illustrated book based on my interpretation
of the Brothers Grimm Fairytales. This emerged out of my move to Germany
and my passion for German folk stories.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tg.fine.art

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TG__Art

Instagram: https://instagram.com/tg.art/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+tgoazevedo/posts

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tg_azevedo/

Tumblr: http://tgoazevedo.tumblr.com/

Blogger: http://www.tgoazevedo.blogspot.de/

by Yazmin Basa

Anthem

Eons It Seems

Blue Autumn

Outside the Fairy Kingdom

Ode

Portrait of a Lady Amidst A Red Damask Background

Ennui Hamper

Indigo

Invisible Strings

Medieval Angel

My Breath Quits

Be Still Your Heart

In Good Company

Artist: Yazmin Basa

Art and yoga have been center stage in Yazmin’s life. She hails from the world of commercial art, having produced and art directed various in-house broadcast promotions for top TV brands. She has moved around to work for top cable companies in Hong Kong , New York, and Singapore. The discipline and work ethic in the commercial world keeps her grounded and she appreciates being able to understand the needs of a business to have reliable people to keep promotions alive. Now an executive for Video On Demand space for a Silicon Valley company, she is also setting her sights on worthwhile after hours activities – creating more paintings, dabbling with oils and watercolors and also making decoupage art with upcycled bottles. She also sells her artwork at Fine Art America, Society 6, Red Bubble and will open store in more Print On Demand sites. She has also written for various spa, yoga and travel publications. An active wiccan, she has a profound love for nature, and is often found creating artwork and writing poetry during frequent excursions in the countryside or by the sea. She is now mid-way through her first illustrated poetry book titled “Witchery and Thievery”. All the artworks shared here are her works in progress for this book.

Website: http://witcherythievery.blogspot.com/

FAA link:  http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/yazmin-basa.html

Society 6 link:  https://society6.com/yazminbasa

Red Bubble link:  http://www.redbubble.com/people/yazminbasa

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Yazmin.Basa.Art/

by David Giovannetti

My name is David Giovannetti and I live in a small town in Italy, called Corinaldo. I am not the son of an artist, nor did I attend art school, but still boast a curriculum that goes beyond any academic teaching: the tales of the adventures of my father, an Italian who emigrated to the United States to try his luck.

Thanks to his absurd stories, sometimes fantastic, my childhood flourished with wonder and curiosity about the world. Through fantasizing about his stories, I found the way to express myself through imagination which was sparked through art, specifically photography.

The path to turn this passion into a full-time job is long and arduous but I’m giving it my all to achieve this.

Website: https://davidgiovannettiphotography.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidGiovannettiPhotography

Email: david.giovannetti@outlook.com

by Andrew Hitchen

Surprise

Guilty!

Escape

Laundry

Umbrella

Paper Christmas Tree

Yoga Mat

Paper Moon

Origami Fish

Paper Boat

Bandages

Paper Stars

Owl Impression

Paper Bird

Duvet Cover

Andrew Hitchen is a freelance illustrator based in London, UK. His distinctive style of drawing has earned him numerous commissions for magazines, newspapers, theatre groups, events and indie record labels over the years. His current artwork is now a fascinating blend of traditional and modern techniques, drawing inspiration from Pop Art, Graphic Novels. Surrealism, Cartoons, Music and Children’s Literature. Andrew is also the creator of the popular ‘Things To Do With Yesterday’s Paper’ series – a collection of whimsical drawings involving a mischievous black cat and its various creations with a sheet of old newspaper. The illustrations in this series have been described as “unique, memorable, and lively” and have been attracting the attention of both children and adults alike.’

Redbubble: www.redbubble.com/people/hitchen/shop
Website: www.andrewhitchen.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/paperclaws
Society6: https://society6.com/andrewhitchen
FAA: fineartamerica.com/profiles/andrew-hitchen.html.

by Matías Sierra

Artist: Matías Sierra

I was born in Argentina and from my childhood I had a love for art and its creation. My relationship with art began in school and continued in a private studio where I worked with different materials and media like ink, paint, drawing, and modeling with clay. At thirteen or fourteen years old clay became my choice and it still is. I am a self-taught artist. I don’t have a background in art studies. Since 2005 I have lived in Montréal, Canada. I’ve presented my work in several group shows. In 2012 I had my first solo exhibition and another in 2014.

My inspiration is everywhere. Sometimes it comes from myself–from my own experiences or general ideas I pick up. I take these ideas, model them in my mind, and sculpt them with clay. I work directly from mind to clay, making no draft in paper or digital mode. The body is the source to express my ideas.

Websites:

http://matiassierra.net

http://matus76.deviantart.com

Matías was also featured in Creative Thresholds in 2013. Check out “Sculpture by Matías Sierra.” 

By Michel Verhoef

My photography  tries to communicate emotion. Some of my images may be classified as art photography, while some may be seen as a documentary or a crossover between both. I usually want to capture an emotion within our daily lives that is laying a bit deeper, or very deep, or a just-below-the-surface.

You may see my love for the old-style photographers in my work: the Bressons, the Friedlanders, the Parrs or even a Norman Rockwell could be hidden in there. Just to name a few. The Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf is also a great inspiration.

Essentially I want to keep the scene as original as possible without changing it by copying or adding in information from other pictures. The basic mood of a picture has to be already in the picture through the real-life content of the scene. I just need to enhance my images by dodging and burning to emphasize the feeling and to guide the viewer’s eye. Every picture needs to tell a story, preferably through an interaction between people or between people and their environment. In most cases my subjects are people who demand a quick response from the camera’s shutter and sometimes a lot of patience is required to get people used to that lingering-guy-with-a-camera.

Child in time

Hot but stylish

Immigration

Dorana Alberti

But I want to stay

Garçon s’il vous plait

Everlasting pose

Strings

Beach confession

Happy days are here again

One child policy

Oxygen

It takes two

Tango mirrored

Tango

Michel Verhoef was born in Germany and immigrated to the Netherlands at age nine. His father was a Dutch jazz musician and his mother a German housewife. Verhoef started at about that young age to make his first pictures with a Brownie that he got from his mother. From her he inherited his feeling for the visual art photography. It has always, though, stayed a hobby besides his actual job as a housing engineer.

Website: http://michel-verhoef.artistwebsites.com/

Michel’s Recommended/Interesting Links:

Magnum Photos–The Changing of a Myth

Berlin — Erwin Olaf (video)