Monique van Doorn

ABOUT MONIQUE

Grab Life by the Horns

Hi, I’m Monique van Doorn, a Dutch artist and modern nomad, born in Enschede, the Netherlands.

In 2009, my life changed when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Facing the possibility that life might be shorter than I had imagined made me look at it differently. After completing my treatment, my husband and I decided it was time for a change.

We sold almost everything and started travelling.

What began as a big change became a way of life.

I wanted to discover new places, meet new people, make memories and have adventures rather than collect more things.

That was more than fifteen years ago.

Today, I still travel with as little luggage as possible. But there are a few things that always come with me: my hiking boots, my camera, a sketchbook and pencils.

And wherever I put down my suitcase, I create.

A life that finds its way into my art

Travelling has changed not only the way I live, but also the way I work.

Every place brings something different. New colours, materials, people, animals, landscapes and light. South Africa, in particular, has become an important part of my journey and my work, and I keep finding my way back.

Not having a fixed studio has taught me to work with what is around me. Sometimes that means pencil and paper. Sometimes paint and gold leaf. And sometimes I find a discarded piece of cardboard and see something completely different in it.

I suppose travelling has taught me to look again.

To see possibilities where I might not have seen them before.

And perhaps that is why two thoughts have become so important to me:

Grab Life by the Horns.

A reminder of why I chose this life.

And:

Look Again.
There Is Always Light.

A thought that has slowly found its way into my art.

For glimpses of life and art along the way, you can also find me on Facebook.

 

 https://www.facebook.com/MoniquevanDoornLittleSecret