About

Picture by Studio Prentje. Photographer Carmel Shalom Louise 

Picture by Studio Prentje. Photographer Carmel Shalom Louise

 

 

 

 

Hi!

 

I am Simone, an abstract artist living and working in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

My story

Art, creativity, paint, pigments and color run through my veins.
When I was little, I was always making something. It was my safe bubble where I could “hide” from all the outside stimuli. I didn’t like expressing myself with words, especially not spoken words, but I showed little bits and pieces of my inner world through my drawings.

I was the kind of kid who was always drawing, painting or reading, whether it was in school or at home. Finding refuge in worlds created by authors, or creating my own worlds with pencils, paper and paint. It was these worlds where I felt safe.

As a young adult I left art to “Go do something that would help me pay the bills”.  In a nutshell: I was not happy.

A few years ago I came back to art, and it was the best decision ever.

 

My art

Making art has always helped me make sense of the world, my inner world, and of how I relate to the world and other people. Through making art. I process things as I paint.

Using words has always been hard for me, especially when it comes to describing what is going on inside of me; feelings and sensations. Especially those sensations I can’t put my finger on. As a kid this frustrated me so much: feeling a sensation and not being able to explain in words what I was feeling.

I learned to use colors, shapes, lines and other marks to make the intangible tangible. To translate my sensations, feelings, but also emotions. This is how I tell the stories that have always “lived inside me”.

My art is an extension of myself.

“I hope you’ll make mistakes. If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something.”

Neil Gaiman, Make Good Art

Picture by Studio Prentje. Photographer Carmel Shalom Louise 

Some totally random facts

  • If I don’t paint for a while I feel horrible.
  • I also lose momentum if I don’t paint for a few days.
  • By now I know how to find that momentum again.
  • When I was younger I traveled the world. Traveling is still one of my favorite things in the world. I think I “lost” parts of my heart in Vietnam, New Zealand, Norway and Nepal.
  • I am a vegan.
  • I hate capitalism with a huge passion.
  • Turns out I am a feminist and an anarchist (which I discovered recently).
  • I am always questioning everything. Did it when I was a toddler, still do it.
  • One of the questions that is keeping me busy for a while now: “where do we end?” (if you want to share your thoughts on this one with me, feel free to email me: simonemichiels@gmail.com)
  • My mind is weird sometimes.
  • I want to live somewhere where I can grow my own food, live a simple life, and just paint every day without having to worry about my finances.
  • Most of the times I don’t know what I am doing.
Picture by Studio Prentje. Photographer Carmel Shalom Louise