Hand-painted charm beads

“Where do you get off making miniature paintings?” I have sometimes been asked. Frankly, I don’t have a clear answer to that. I love to dabble, to make little things, and that is how I came to paint little paintings. I had been making jewelry for some time, and then it was a small step to paint the miniatures on a piece of jewelry. I think art is more than a painting hanging on the wall or a sculpture you put somewhere. Art can also be worn. That way, the owner of the work of art gets much more out of it. Of course it is wonderful if you can look at a beautiful painting and enjoy it by seeing its beauty, but let’s face it, nobody sits around all day looking at a beautiful painting. Wearing art does give you something to enjoy all day. And so do other people who see your work of art on your arm or around your neck!

A miniature should meet a few requirements, it should not be larger than 1 square meter and the details should be clearly visible even with a magnifying glass.

The miniature paintings I paint are of course no larger than 1 square meter, it would not be very comfortable to wear that size on a necklace or bracelet….

The miniatures I make are usually 20 to 25 mm in diameter and round or oval. Occasionally I make a slightly larger work, but then 50 mm is the maximum.

Because the work is so small, every brushstroke is important and it comes down to the square mm whether the work is well proportioned. Especially with portraits, this is very important.

Painting on a bed bead has a second difficulty, namely that the surface to be painted is round. This gives you a different perspective than the same image on a flat surface. Especially with portraits, this is quite a challenge. Therefore, the portraits I paint on a begging bead are generally no larger than 1 square cm.

To protect the painting while worn, I apply a transparent layer several mm in thickness. This layer acts like a magnifying glass and the miniature appears somewhat larger, showing off the details.

You might like to know that you can also pass on your own wishes or ideas to me. I can then make a beautiful miniature painting for you (which you can also wear if you wish) with your own subject on it.