Artists in the garden

‘The universe is not in a steady state; there’s an ongoing creative principle in nature, which is driving things onwards.’
— Rupert Sheldrake

Scientific research shows that a natural environment makes us more creative; the moving air, the scent of plants, sounds and colours and organic forms help to calm our minds and find inspiration.

At De Proeftuin (between Amsterdam and Haarlem), we are once again organising a series of masterclasses this spring with various artists who each work with different materials and approach nature from their own perspective.

With founder Anke Riesenkamp, you will roam through De Proeftuin and get to work under the guidance of artists, using nature as a source of inspiration.

Saturday and Sunday afternoons in May and June from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

23 May: artist Sophie Steengracht
14 June: writer and artist Jannie Regnerus
21 June: artist Paula Biemans
27 June: artist Suzette Bousema

Sophie Steengracht: Draw plants with plants

With artist Sophie Steengracht, you’ll forage for plant pigments and work with these natural colours and ink on paper.

Sophie Steengracht is interested in mythology, magical realism, transformation and the interconnectedness of humans and nature. Her work depicts mythical creatures, flora, fauna, the earth and the sky. She makes her inks and paints with pigments she extracts from her own garden.

Jannie Regnerus: Nature writing

With artist and writer Jannie Regnerus you will find the language to describe nature in detail. A scene from her book Het wolkenpaviljoen (The Cloud Pavilion) forms the starting point for the masterclass.

Jannie Regnerus has written travel books about Mongolia and Japan (awarded the VPRO Bob den Uyl Prize) and the novels De Ent and Het Lam (The Lamb). The latter was longlisted for the Libris Literature Prize and nominated for the Opzij Literature Prize. Wim Brands called Het Lam (2018) the most beautiful novel of the year.

Jannie Regnerus: ‘In my work there is a constant cross-pollination between language and image.’

Paula Biemans: Venus from the polder clay

With artist Paula Biemans you will work on your own divine Venus in polder clay.

Paula Biemans explores the materials of the landscape to the northeast of Groningen. She searches for enchantment in a disenchanted environment. Her work is described as poetic and unsettling. In the Venus Series, Biemans creates figures from sea clay. With a spade in the ground she digs through the layers of time. The deeper she digs, the closer she gets to the origin. She fires the figures in her own wood-fired kiln.

Suzette Bousema - Listening Lichens

Carefully observing lichens, listening to them and drawing them in detail with artist Suzette Bousema.

In collaboration with scientists, Bousema explores contemporary environmental themes. She works with a variety of materials. Her work Complex Individuality, microscopically documented lichens, encompasses photography, video and soundscape. She recently made her first documentary Dead Zones (2025) about human-caused dead zones in coastal waters where microalgal blooms occur, fed by agricultural fertilisers and other waste streams.

Please note: These masterclasses are subject to sufficient interest.