For me, painting is the representation of my soul. My need to share what I have learned from life is great. Through my work at Doctors Without Borders, for people with a different culture, and in community nursing I have experienced a lot of violence: hunger, pain, fear as well as verbal violence.

I am very concerned with people who are oppressed and lack freedom. Vulnerabilities affect me. That is why my paintings are often about joy of life and having an eye for each other. Themes such as curiosity, empathy and playing therefore regularly recur in my works. After all, without real interest and cooperation, no connection is established.

I get my inspiration from the method ‘Nonviolent Communication’, from the wisdom of philosophers and from the beauty of the animal world.

My paintings are a mix of realistic and abstract. They often contain symbolisms, because I like to express my own experiences and life is often more than what you see at first glance.

Usually I use oil paint, but I regularly paint in combination with acrylic and epoxy. Sometimes I use other mixed media to support the image. After all, painting is also just ‘playing’.

All in all ….my real raw materials are my deepest experiences !

I sign my works with LaVoo. This is an abbreviation of my full name Lidwina Agnes Voorend. Also, it is a nod to my inspiring father, who named his company PROVO. That, in turn, was a nod to the protest movement in the 1960s.