Aloe Trees
Mixed media
63,5 cm x 94 cm
Artist’s Statement
The musician Stef Bos wrote a song called “Is dit nu later?”, where an adult asks if this moment is really “Later.”
That question really speaks to me, because for most of my life I’ve put off my dream of becoming an artist. I kept telling myself I would do it later. But when is “later”? Sometimes it feels like it might never come. Even now, as I begin making art, a small voice in my head still questions whether this is the right time.
In my artwork, I painted the big Aloe Trees from my parents’ garden. I depicted them as a child might see them — from below, imbued with emotion and memory. These trees remind me of “Later” — they’ve grown tall and strong, and they seem huge and even a bit scary. To me, they represent the difficulty and uncertainty of taking a significant step to follow one’s dreams.
I created the artwork using layers of text transfers to produce subtle contrasts of light and dark. I also used oil paint and added a background made from used tea bags to give it a unique texture.
Is dit nu later
We speelden ooit verstoppertje
In de pauze op het plein
We hadden grote dromen
Want we waren toen nog klein
De ene werd een voetballer
De ander werd een held
We geloofden in de toekomst
Want de meester had verteld
Is dit nu later, Is dit nu later als je groot bent
Een diploma vol met leugens
Waarop staat dat je volwassen bent
Is dit nu later, Is dit nu later als je groot bent
Ik snap geen donder van het leven
Ik weet nog steeds niet wie ik ben
Jullie kunnen alles worden
Als je maar je huiswerk kent
Maar je moet geduldig wachten
Tot je later groter bent
-Stef Bos, 1990 (Extract)
Gallery
Click on image to enlarge
