beeldend kunstenaar frank waaldijk visual artist
about the artist
home ~ philosophy ~ cv ~ back
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from 1972 to 1974 i lived in msambweni, a small village in kenya. from the children there I learned how to make anything from natural materials and flotsam. sailboats, fishing guns, musical instruments, toys... i met a great love: nature. |
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in almost all my sculptures you can find a clear african influence (see e.g. here). not only I was deeply touched by the african playfulness and creativity. The expression of the human soul in body posture and facial expression, the imagination and richness of forms, the dancing, singing, rhythm and music, ... |
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in 1981-1982 i had the opportunity to study in the usa for one year. from the artist richard cunningham i received painting lessons for two hours daily, at minnetonka high school. in this school i also took classes in photography, calligraphy & lettering, and film. |
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back in the netherlands i made roomfilling wiresculptures, playful but time-consuming constructions, clay and wood sculptures and even a spaghetti-animal (on which the cat jumped, alas). |
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from 1985-1987 i studied at the art academy of utrecht (propedeuse 1986). after 2 years i left the academy, my style and personality didn't fit in the school-like pattern. later i took a number of sculpting, painting and material-working courses (see my cv). |
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another big love are music and dance. in my drawings dance as a theme sometimes comes to the fore. from 1987 to 1992 i made ±1500 drawings of dancing people in disco's. performer of the dance: the human being, my greatest inspiration. |
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finally an important love to me is science. This love led to a phd in mathematics (radboud university nijmegen 1996), and recently a comprehensive article on the foundations of constructive mathematics (in foundations of science 2005, see my math page). from time to time my mathematical background is visible in my work as an artist. |
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for instance: ocho infinito, 2004: a large lightobject made for tangoschool el corte in nijmegen. the design is built from a repeated complex-root transformation of the circle to itself (great thanks to wim couwenberg). to the right you see one of many design sketches (also see commissions). |
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after receiving my phd i worked as a freelance editor and translator (1996-1997), senior advisor/projectleader for the dutch ministry of transportation (1997-2001) and senior consultant for the engineering company royal haskoning (2001-2005). |
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since 2003 recognized as a professional artist by stichting slak for the municipalities nijmegen/ arnhem |
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in all activities my wife suzan and my daughters nora and femke are my happiness and support. |
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