The brief: translate from Dutch a text for the lable of Woven Wonders’ products to be sold in the Van Gogh Museum gift shop.

I greatly admire Vincent van Gogh and the way he gave himself over to his obsessive urge to paint everyday life. I was introduced to Van Gogh’s world at an early age. I spent my childhood in the beautiful green surroundings of Nuenen in the South of Holland, where he lived and worked from 1883 to 1885. This is where he painted the Potato Eaters as well as many landscapes and still lifes. His key themes were the farmers and weavers of the area. Nuenen’s long tradition of textile manufacturing lives on in my own passion for weaving. Van Gogh’s Courtisane is the source of inspiration for these silk scarves and dressing gowns. Just like the painter, I much admire Asian art, in particular the suprising language of shape and colour used in Japanese prints and kimonos.