For the past 25 years I have chosen the human figure as my point of departure and it remains the subject that still fascinates me most. The essential elements of my work are the composition of form and color, and the painterly use of a full color palette. I have an innate sense of Dutch light and a need to express it in my work. The nudes can be abstracted to traces of lines, free of gravity, weaving themselves in and out of negative and positive space; or can be clearly defined in stark singular forms. Although the sensuality of the human body is suggested, it is the pleasure of composing lines, strokes and color, which may take on the form of a limb, a thigh, an arm or a belly — making for a dynamic composition that compels me to paint the human figure. I consider my work a visualization of sensuality through painterly technique and composition — the surface of the painting, both conceptually and physically — is like touching one's skin. It is multi-dimensional and multi-sensory, with the image being secondary to the painterly quality of the work.