The eternal journey of Siemen Dijkstra
In February 2013 I discussed with Siemen my plan to publish a contemporary book of hours and pilgrims. I have been working with him for a long time and find that his vision of man and nature and the way in which he depicts them in his woodcuts fit in with that. He was immediately enthusiastic and eager to participate. Despite a great deal of activity, he has managed to make four beautiful miniatures for the contemporary book of hours and pilgrims Seasons of Life. He called them Everlasting journey 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Of course, I don’t always get what I want – chance plays a role – but these prints completely meet my expectations. The craftsmanship shines through. Only Siemen can achieve such detailing and careful construction in colour using the woodcut technique. And yes, I like to see great craftsmanship. But there’s more. In Siemen’s landscapes, you can see that he lived through and processed them. These landscape miniatures represent emotions. They are, as it were, reflections of deeply felt experiences of nature. Every month, every day, every hour, even every second is different. Siemen’s prints show this. Isn’t that amazing?
Siemen Dijkstra (Den Helder, 1968) studied at the Minerva Academy in Groningen. He makes woodcuts, drawings and watercolours. The landscape is his source of inspiration. The driving force behind his work is to make the soul of the landscape visible: the genius loki.
He makes his woodcuts using the reduction technique. After he has applied an extensive working drawing, he cuts away more and more of the same wooden plate per print run. When printing, it usually starts with the lightest color and ends with the darkest. Siemen often uses iris printing: a colour gradient from, for example, dark to light. With this technique, he sometimes manages to suggest an enormous spaciousness. When inking, it is economical. This results in a beautiful, sometimes semi-transparent ‘skin’. The different print runs, sometimes 15 or more, provide a beautifully nuanced colour gamut and a great wealth of detail.
Overview of Seasons of Life miniatures
