Preserved Information Packages of the Past

Dino-bird 1, oil on canvas
Fossil of Archaeopteryx at the Teylers Museum

The Teylers Museum

Walking through Teylers Museum in Haarlem, I loved to look at all the beautiful collections of fossils and crystals. The museum is the oldest in the Netherlands. Not only the fossils but the whole museum is a preserved information package of the past. The whole environment makes it a wonderful experience.

Cap Griz Nez

The fossils reminded me of vacationing in France, along the Northwest coast. We were staying at a campsite at “Cap Griz Nez” which literally means the cape of the gray nose. The gray pebble beaches and the nose shape of the cape have given it it’s name. The nose sticks out towards the UK and the tip of the nose is the closest point to the UK.

Layers of Algae and other creatures

Hout 15
Wood – Oil on Canvas- 70 cm x 50 cm

The white chalk cliffs mirror the cliffs of Dover on the opposite side of the English Channel. The cliffs are formed from layers and layers of algae and other creatures throughout millions of years. The cliffs also have beautiful nature with rare flora and fauna and really worth while a visit.

One day we walked from the gray beach to the white beach, the Cap Blanc Nez. Entering the white beach we saw a group of six or seven people who were gathered around something on the wet sand near the waterline. We could see they were very exited, and when we got closer we saw that they had found a big fossil. My interest in fossils began at that moment, and I was inspired to paint some of them.

Dino-bird 2 – Oil on Canvas
Rhamphorhynchus

More Works About Fossils

These paintings are also kind of like fossils; they are of my early work from around 2008.

You can see more work on this topic on the fossil page. Some of the works are for sale in my Etsy shop.