My Cup of Tea
Sometimes a beautiful story begins with a cup of tea.
Artwork information
- oil on canvas
- 80 × 120 cm
- 2016
Possibilities
Story
From loose sketch to elegant lady
Sometimes a painting begins with a light, loose sketch and ends with a lady who clearly knows what she wants. That is exactly what happened with the Tea Lady.
She settled onto the canvas like a free spirit. But as I painted her in oils, she spontaneously changed colour, posture and character. During the process, she decided she would rather be a graceful lady. I let her have her way, and now she sits there elegantly, with pursed lips and a cup of tea in her hair.
She invites you to slow down for a moment and share this moment with her.
Tiny teacups
Against the deep-green background, pink roses float. The inspiration came from my mother's childhood autograph book, particularly its deep-green fabric cover with tiny roses. Something of that memory still lingers around her, soft and familiar.
I searched for a long time for the right colour for her eyes. Two brown eyes made her look too well-behaved, while two green ones were too intense. When I heard the news of David Bowie's death, I knew what she needed. Inspired by his iconic gaze, I gave her two different eye colours.
When you come closer, you can see that the lights in her pupils are not ordinary reflections, but tiny teacups.
A cup of friendship
The cup of tea turned My Cup of Tea into an ode to friendship and affection. One of my best friends lives in London, where a cup of tea is more than a daily ritual. Whenever I visited her, a warm cup of tea was always waiting and conversation flowed naturally.
I filled the cup with rosehip tea. For years, it was my favourite tea. At my grandmother's, every visit invariably included a warm cup of rosehip tea. To this day, it is still her favourite tea.
My Cup of Tea reminds me of those simple, precious moments when a good conversation and warm tea are enough.
Look deep into her eyes
She invites you to slow down for a moment and be part of her moment.
Would you like to discover the cups in her eyes, or would you like her to have a place in your home? Then I would be happy to invite you for a cup of tea.
