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AN VAN HENTENRJIK | The Forest
ARTIST | An Vanhentenrjik
BASED IN | Belgium
TITLE | The Forest
SIZE | 300 x 350 x 200 mm
The stories of the forest told by my mentee Alex Stel inspired me to create this paper bowl for her. The white zerkall papier was coloured with dark green acrylic paint on the outside, and sumi ink inside. On it, I wrote the lyric of the song ‘He ain’t heavy he’s my brother’ (composed by Bob Russel and Bobby Scott and sung by The Hollies). The script depict the roots of trees. Some time ago I designed the form of the bowl. I drew the guidelines on the paper, scored the folds and folded them into shape. To hold the shape, I sewed the ends together. To help the bowl stand on its own, I designed a support using black paper. While photographing this piece, I placed three little flowers in it (one for Alex, one for her husband and one for their sweet dog). And by chance, the paper bowl formed a little heart around the three flowers.
MEDIUM | Zerkal paper, sumi ink, acrylic ink
PRICE | Not for sale.
The stories of the forest told by my mentee Alex Stel inspired me to create this paper bowl for her. The white zerkall papier was coloured with dark green acrylic paint on the outside, and sumi ink inside. On it, I wrote the lyric of the song ‘He ain’t heavy he’s my brother’ (composed by Bob Russel and Bobby Scott and sung by The Hollies). The script depict the roots of trees. Some time ago I designed the form of the bowl. I drew the guidelines on the paper, scored the folds and folded them into shape. To hold the shape, I sewed the ends together. To help the bowl stand on its own, I designed a support using black paper. While photographing this piece, I placed three little flowers in it (one for Alex, one for her husband and one for their sweet dog). And by chance, the paper bowl formed a little heart around the three flowers.
About the artist
An Vanhentenrjik started calligraphy in 1988/1989, and became a professional calligrapher in 1996. She has been teaching calligraphy for 30 years, an occupation which she loves. Through this, she has impacted the development of calligraphy in the Flanders. In 2001, she created her first paper bowl, and has not stopped making these iconic, collectible pieces. In 2007, she designed the organic Kalliandra script, written with the pointed pen. In 2018, she won the prestigious calligraphy competition ‘De Grote prijs Kalligrafie 2018 in Westerlo/Belgium’. In 2023, An created the Juliette script and named it after her daughter. In recent years, An is focusing on her personal calligraphy work and hopes to create more alphabets. In recent years she has exhibited several times in Belgium. Her works were also published in calligraphy magazines such as Scriptores, Letter Arts Review, and The Edge (UK). Many of her works are owned by museums and private collectors.