April 6, 2013
Brickwork… and the use of iron in architecture These days I’m reading about the use of iron in early architecture, especially since a group of researchers has found a way to reveal the DNA of ancient pieces of… Read more
February 23, 2013
Still poems In a wintery mood accentuated by the whitish light outside that may announce some snow to come, I am struck by a book review about the Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto and his studies in black and white. The four… Read more
October 8, 2012
Inspiration: the small scale We’re often being taught to expand, to research new things, to think big. But what about remaining true, at least for a while, to the small scale? The painter Giorgio Morandi found repeated inspiration (and fame)… Read more
August 24, 2012
There are a few books I particularly like on the subject of writing. Ernest Hemingway On Writing is one of them, mainly with excerpts from his letters, and Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Both books show… Read more
July 21, 2012
Rust, blues and greens This summer I see rusty colours wherever I go. It is the theme of my daily (pre)occupation. Large steel tubes for a North Sea wind turbine Recently, a short stay on the beach… … Read more
May 4, 2012
Since I began this journal three months ago, I’ve intended to write about my current book project, Living Iron. The idea was to present it in a logical order, following the development of my research and adventures until today. That… Read more
February 27, 2012
The contrast between my books appears sometimes to be confusing. There is a leading thread, however, as each one is the result of a largely visual coup de foudre. I didn’t plan to go to India, I was invited… Read more
February 7, 2012
Today, while the Dutch are keeping their fingers crossed for the first chance of a Elfstedentocht after fifteen years and people have taken out their ice skates all over the Netherlands, I remember freezing but sunny days on the Zeeland… Read more