Schetsboek met 11 bladen 1890 - 1922

Here is the cover of Johanna van de Kamer's sketchbook, made sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century with humble materials – paper and canvas. It makes me wonder, what was Johanna thinking when she picked up this sketchbook? The cover is stained and worn, evidence of a life lived, a creative exploration. I imagine her thumbprints all over it, the ghost of graphite and ink, maybe a coffee stain or two. Did she carry it everywhere, ready to capture a fleeting moment? There's a quiet intimacy in sketchbooks, a direct line to the artist's hand and mind. We see the starts and stops, the searching lines. It's like eavesdropping on their creative process, witnessing their ideas take shape, a visual record of their inner world. It reminds me of my own process, how a single mark can open up a whole universe of possibilities. We are all in dialogue with one another.