Joke
Oil on linen, 50 cm x 70 cm, 2026
Joke does something no one who’s ever sat for me has done before — she brings me flowers. She’s also brought along several outfits. I choose the coloured blouse, and no hat, because I like her hair too much to have her cover it.
“Would you mind if I read while you paint?” She’s brought a manuscript with her — a book in progress by a friend. After some initial enthusiasm about the prospect of Let’s Dance by David Bowie on the record player, she decides the music is too distracting. We carry on in silence.
“I keep wanting to read you bits out loud — but I’ll hold back, because I can see how focused you are. I’ve always loved reading aloud. And being read to, for that matter.” I notice she does all this reading without glasses. Every now and then I ask her to look up — her clear eyes meet mine, bright and cheerful.
Joke spent many years deeply involved in local politics — twenty-five years ago she was the driving force behind the Buurtkamer concept, and in 2014 she opened this very Buurtkamer on the Bellamystraat.
The blouse turns out to be rather intricate, so I don’t manage to finish the portrait in one sitting — but happily, Joke doesn’t mind coming back for an extra hour.
