OleanderPassion for Music & Life

M A G A Z I N E

Music & Visual Arts Lifestyle & Fashion Culinary & Travel

Nr. 2 - April 2011

Passion for Music & Lifestyle

M A G A Z I N E

INTERVIEW

with Dutch Realist paintress

Joke Frima

is a creation by

Passion for Music & Lifestyle

M A G A Z I N E

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Oleander Magazine.

In this edition I would like to show my admiration for the Dutch

paintress Joke Frima.

One afternoon in 2004 I was about to meet the work of Joke Frima for

the first time when I walked alongside a small canal in Amsterdam.

My eyes were drawn to a couple of beautiful realistic paintings of

Water Lillys through the windows of Gallery Mokum when I walked by.

I was overwhelmed by the beauty of 2 gigantic paintings of Water

Lillys in a pond.

I immediately entered this small Gallery to find out who the painter

was. The paintress is Joke Frima and the painting that touched me the

most is called ‘Still Waters’. (see next page)

I hope you enjoy reading this Visual Art edition of Oleander Magazine.

Exclusive Artist - Founder and President of Oleander Concerts

Boni Li-A-SamChief Editor

Still Waters - Joke Frima © 2004 - 95 x 160 cm

Surinam Lotus - Joke Frima © 2005 - 125 x 225 cm

Born in 1952, The Hague. Lives and works in France. Although she attended two art schools in The Netherlands, Frima had to go to Florence to find the kind of training she was looking for. There she was under the tutelage of the elderly signorina Simi, who taught drawing and painting just as her own father had taught her: by studying plaster feet, terracotta jugs, and living models. Frima trained six hours a day, six days a week. The result of this training is a keen eye for detail and a steady hand for form. Yet her paintings and drawings are not simply reflections of her retinal images. Although nature and vegetation play a strong role in her work, she chooses her subjects carefully and

meticulously sets them in sometimes almost surreal compositions. The intense light and powerful concentration lends an other-worldly quality to her work.

Photo: Boni Li-A-Sam

InterviewJoke Frima

When did you become aware of

your interest in drawing and painting?

I began drawing as a young child

and never stopped. The people who

saw my drawings then complimented

me because of the way I created my

subjects. Most children at age 4 are

just scratching on a sheet of paper.

But I already had the skills to be able

to draw according to my visual

observation.

How did you develop your

talent?

I stimulated myself first and was

encouraged to continue by my

school teachers. The History of Art

education during my secondary

school period gave me a primary

stimulus as well. Later, after my

secundary school I visited the

Academy of Arts which was a very

disappointing experience to me. At

that time I felt that the education at

the Academy didn’t provide me what

I really needed to develop myself any

further because it lacked of the

classical and traditional teachings I

was looking for. So I kept on going to

create in my very own way.

Have you always been supported

to develop your artistic talents?

My parents never encouraged me

extensively or neither did they withhold

me from doing what I loved to do. When I

was 13 years of age they send me to

mould classes. But mainly I was my own

motivator.

What or who inspired you to become

a professional painter?

The motivation to become a professional

painter was feeded by the fact that I had

an urge to study and develop myself with

knowledge. And when I was 24 years of

age I went to Florence, Italy to visit the Art

Museums. During my stay in Florence I

discovered an Art School that was led by

Signorina Simi where I finally was able to

learn all the real basics of traditional and

classical drawing. Signorina Simi made us

draw in black and white with charcoal

first before we where going to paint in

colour. Her philosophy was that we first

had to master to capture all shades of

black and grey before we could fully

understand the full potential of working

with colours. Signorina Simi had a small

classroom of 15 students. We worked 6

hours a day, 6 days a week to improve

our skills and our technique. In her atelier I

really could enrich myself with the

academic way of drawing and painting.

In the 4 years that I studied in The

Netherlands, there was no real education

given regarding technique. I finally felt

really home and comfortable with the

teachings of Signorina Simi.

…vegetation and flowers are very close to my heart…

Which people or subjects inspire

you?My general inspiration comes

primarily from Nature itself.

I absolutely love botanic structures

because vegetation and flowers

are very close to my heart.

Especially water plants and the structure of leaves.

Do you have other interests besides

your profession?I love gardening and to travel. What

interests me the most in other countries

is the original cultural richness of the

country and its people. And off course

the genuine Art. I have visited Gambia,

Surinam, French Guyana, Guadeloupe,

Dominica and Egypt. And when I visit a

museum I am always more drawn to the

paintings than the other artifacts.

Claude Monet – Parc Monceau

Why did you move to France?When I came back to The Netherlands

after residing in Italy for many years, I

had the urge to have my own atelier

near my own garden with good natural

light coming through the windows. In

The Netherlands, my wishes regarding to

obtain such a place were not easy to

fulfill. A friend of mine had a very nice

summer house in Bourgogne, France

and I became familiair with the

beautiful landscape of the Morvan. In

1999 I decided to move to France with

my family permanently.

Joke Frima - Naked Ladies - Oil on Canvas

Joke Frima – The flamboyant Onion - Oil on Wood

What is your favourite animal and most

favourite landscape?

My favourite animals are living in the

forest such as deer, badgers, foxes,

birds, wild boar. The Tuscanian landscape

is very close to my heart. When I visited

Ravenna to visit the old churches, I was

confronted with the landscape that

surrounds it. It was quiet similair to the

Dutch Landscape and that made me

aware that I had missed the Dutch

landscape very much for a long time.

It was an emotional event for me to

acknowledge this fact.

What is your favorite kind of music?

I love music from the Rennaissance

and Arabic music as well. I prefer

acoustic music because it goes to the

heart. Amplified music is not something

I like. It is too noisy and too mechanical.

Joke Frima - Souvenir d’Egypt – Oil on Wood - 2009

Describe your own definition of

Spirituality.

Spirituality has all to do with my own

experience of timelessness and the flow

of energy. When I am painting, time

stops. I do not feel any presence of time

whatsoever. I feel that I am in contact

with a special energy source…another

experience of Time. For me, spirituality

has nothing to do with the institutional

religions.

What is your favourite kind of food?

I love the Tuscanian kitchen. The smell

and flavours of basil, olive oil and all the

other ingredients and herbs that grows in

the region itself.

What is your own definition of

success?

For me, success means that

I am able to make my profession of

something I love to do in all freedom.

I honestly can say that I live my dream

every day. There are so many people

who are trapped in their daily jobs in

order to earn the money that they

need to be able to finance the life

that they really want. I am blessed to create what I want to create in life. ■

What is your current or next

project?

In November 2010 I have had my

exhibition at Gallery Mokum in

Amsterdam. At this moment I will take

the time to create new work.

The way I paint is very labor intensive

and I need a few years to create for

the next exhibition. In the mean time I

also participate in different group

exhibitions. Every year in November

I participate with Gallery Mokum

at the PAN, Arts and Antique fair at

the RAI in Amsterdam.

From April to September this year, one

of my paintings is exhibited at Museum

'De Zwarte Tulp' (Black Tulip Museum)

in Lisse, The Netherlands.

And I would like to explore my newest

ambition to teach. I love to pass on my

knowledge within the classical

tradition to other people. I have been

teaching when I was young, but then I

had not much time left to create my

own work. For many years I have had

the time to be able to create my own

work. And now I feel the time is ripe to

pick up teaching again.

INTERNATIONAL SUMMER

ACADEMY JULY 2011

Joke Frima organizes an

International SUMMER ACADEMY

in her atelier in France where

people can explore and develop

their artistic skills .

see advertisement

on next page

International Summer Academy

4 – 17 July 2011

In her studio in Central France Joke Frima has room for 10 students who can look forward to receiving personal instruction and enlightenment in the classical painting tradition.The Academy course runs this summer in the month of July and classes will be held in Joke’s spacious studio’s or in the academy grounds every week from Monday to Friday.

ContentStudents will be expected to workfrom nature (still life and models)under Joke Frima’s guidance, which isadapted to each student’s personalpossibilities, development of skills and progress. We work half a day with life model and half a day with still life or plaster cast. This permits continuity and the time necessary to elaborate on the construction of proportions, tonal values and shapes.

EntryBefore your admission to the Summer Academy Joke would like you to answer some questions designed to give her an insight into your motivation and abilities in painting, and what your expectations of the lessons are. If you have any experience in painting she would like to receive a modest portfolio documenting your work.

FeeThe fee is € 600,- for two weeks.This covers tuition, drawing materials, as well as a meal at noontime.

More information and subscription

www.jokefrima.com

Morvan - Bourgogne

Joke Frima’s latest book “Manifestations” was presented at her 2007 exhibition at

Gallery Mokum in Amsterdam.

This 70-page publication presents sixty-one paintings.

The introduction is an essay by Diederik Kraaijpoel, well-known Dutch artist and authoritative art critic.

You may order the book through Joke Frima.

Manifestations

Art has the potential to move people. The passion that an artist invests in his or her work provokes a response in the observer. This passion lies at the heart of everything that we at Art Revisited do.

From 1985, we have been reproducing the work of a group of leading artists (for the greater part contemporary Realists) with great fervour and craftsmanship. The artwork is captured in our own studio, employing a technique that is both unique and state-of-the-art: 64 separate exposures are merged into a single digital photograph. The resulting file is used for each of our products, from art books to postcards and from calendars to Giclées.

The inks used during the Giclée production process are guaranteed colourfast for 75 years. In this way, we can offer our customers a reproduction that is barely distinguishable from the original, and with the potential to move people.

All the art of Joke Frimais viewable at Art Revisited.

www.artrevisited.nl

Address: Oudezijdsvoorburgwal 3341012 GM AmsterdamTHE NETHERLANDS

Phone & Fax: +31 (0) 20 6243958After hours: +31 (0)20 - 62 58 025Cell phone: +31 (0)6 - 51 54 99 96

www.galeriemokum.com

Fettunta (Toasted bread with olive oil)

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

Bread

Extra-virgin olive oil

Fresh Garlic

Salt

Black pepper

This dish is generally associated with the month of

november, when the olives have been gathered and

the oil is newly pressed. Obviously it is eaten all year

round, but in other seasons it lacks that characteristic

pungent flavour of the new oil.

Cut the bread about a centimetre thick, grill well on

both sides and rub one side generously with a clove

of garlic.

Place the slices on a large serving platter and drizzle

the oil over them. Season with salt and pepper and eat while still hot.

by Joke Frima

C O N T A C T

jokefrima@gmail.com