Aafke Holman - Untitled

Dutch artist who was active for many decades from the Frisian village of Burum. She received her training in drawing and painting from, among others, Karl Jakob van Beekum (1914-1998) in Stadskanaal, and combined her artistic career with her role as gallery owner, teacher, and organizer of art activities. Aafke settled in Burum in the 1990s, where she established herself as an artist. There, she founded Galerie De Blauwe Roos, providing a platform for both her own work and that of other artists. Later, she temporarily transformed the gallery into Studio Aafke Holman, focusing more on her own work and on guiding students in drawing and painting techniques. She later reopened Galerie de Blauwe Roos at Herestraat 2 in Burum. The Psalms, a translation in color. One of her projects was the artistic translation of all 150 psalms into colorful watercolors, each accompanied by a short poem. She worked on this for over twelve years. On every left-hand page, the psalm or a portion thereof from the New Bible Translation is included, which, together with the sketches, watercolors, personal remarks, and a Haiku by the artist, make the book a cohesive whole. A Haiku serves as a guide to better understand the painting. The result appeared in 2008 in the art book *De Psalmen*, a color translation, with which Holman achieved success not only in the Netherlands but also internationally with exhibitions, including in Germany. During her lifetime, she donated the collection of Psalms to the Titus Brandsma Memorial in Nijmegen. Exhibitions of these psalms are regularly organized there. *Kostbare tijd* The booklet “Kostbare tijd” is illustrated by Aafke Holman with her Psalms. This is a publication of the Bible Society, formerly the Dutch Gideons. This society distributes Bible editions at places where people stay overnight. These Bible editions can be found in hotels, hospitals, prisons, and nursing and care homes, among others. Aafke Holman's main subjects were cows and the landscape; In her work, she captured emotion, color, and deeper experience with an intense brushstroke. She did not allow herself to be limited by traditional forms. Her style balances between figuration and abstraction, with expressive use of color and a strong personal expression. In addition to her own artistic practice, she was very active as a drawing teacher in the art world of the Northern Netherlands. Among other things, in 1991, Aafke became a co-founder and chair of the Stichting Kunst-Aan-Huis route. She was also a co-founder and chair of the Stichting Kunst Kollumerland, formerly Stichting Kunstmanifestation Burum. Until a ripe old age, Aafke Holman remained active with exhibitions and courses. Her legacy consists of many oil paintings and watercolors, and she lives on in her work, publications, and the many artists she mentored. And in Galerie de Blauwe Roos.