I was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1959, as the last of four children. My parents were creative as educated hobbyists and could both draw and paint well. My mother was keen to give us all the opportunity to experiment with lots of materials and often helped financially, whatever plan or technique we came up with. Educated in biology, my parents taught us about the wonder of life and to respect every big or tiny part of it. They wanted us to get an interesting, meaningful, and not to forget adventurous life.

 

      So there I went! As a girl of 19 years old, on my bike over the Rocky Mountains in Montana. It was a life-changing journey. When I came back home I started at the University of Amsterdam, to study Physical Geography. But with the freedom felt, I did not fit in the college classroom anymore, I almost immediately dropped out and escaped the scene of Amsterdam. For several years I could not decide what to do with my life. I visited the art school 'Vrije Akademie' in The Hague where I learned to draw, I also set steps into pottery and glazing, of which I loved the colors and the textures. Also, I did some seal printing on textiles. I was admitted to the Design Academy in Eindhoven, which was a privilege, but after a year there, I had to admit I had no entrepreneurial ambitions. After a year spent in private nursing, I went back to university, this time in Wageningen, an agricultural focussed university. I loved sociology philosophy and psychology, which I had missed in my education at home. I choose to study Human Ecology and finished with the title Ingenieur in Home Economics.

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      I married in 1989 my husband Hans Fraaije. We met at the music school where I took singing lessons. Hans could play the piano well and became my personal pianist. He went to Paris for a year and I joined him halfway. Three years after we came back to the Netherlands. We had three wonderful children

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     In 1996  I went back to art, to Academy Minerva in Groningen this time which was within reach from Zuidhorn where we lived by then. I enjoyed the lessons, but we moved. In our new environment, we invested in a beautiful insulated studio in the garage. I started to teach, a children's class with a free program. I wanted to give the children that freedom I had had at home. After 1,5 years it was hard to admit that I had burned out. I closed the doors and I meditated and exercised in yoga. Slowly I recovered. I recovered so well that I felt strong enough to accept the job my husband offered, and decided to postpone my art ambition.

 

     I joined CULGI Bv. in 2009 as an administrator. Culgi was a small software company, proudly selling homemade software for chemical research. With my husband, I traveled worldwide and visited clients. I stayed with the company for more than ten years until it was sold successfully in 2021.  Looking back I feel so grateful for all these experiences, and opportunities to grow. It made me humble in my ambitions. Being quite happy to pick up the creative thread again, I want to share my work and insights as an artist with all who are interested.