vanSVane – Acrylic on canvas 50×70 – Portugal 2022
Our youngest son Atlas was born on 11-05-2020 in the house of my mother. Our own home at that time was a caravan on a campsite in Hilversum. We looked very much forward to go there after the birth.
On the night of 12-05-2020, the day after Atlas was born, we received a phone call from the police, they told us that this home was on fire.
The next morning I went to the campsite. There was really noting left of our caravan and all our belongings. Walking around over this black crust I found only one thing that had survived the fire, a children-book, a very colorful version of the bible.
In the weeks after this fire we made a collage with pictures taken from this book. This collage was the inspiration for this painting. It changed a bit in the process, but the message this book gave us was; ‘there is always enough left for a new beginning’.
Now looking back at this tragic event we can also see the miracle in it. It was a new start and we feel like it changed our life in a positive way.
