New arty collection by Heinen Delfts Blauw

Heinen Delfts Blauw launches a trendy new collection of vases that are entirely made and painted by hand. Master painter Simon van Oosten decided to leave all tradition behind and try something new. "I wanted to create something that would speak to the younger Dutch customers", Simon explains. "Of course the traditional Delft blue decorations are popular for a reaosn and loved by many people, but there is also a group out there that is looking for something more trendy. This wish of mine got a chance to become reality when all of a sudden our largest group of customers stayed away; the tourists that couldn't visit our country due to the corona pandemic. One thing I knew from the start: for this collection I have to let go of everything I have been taught and step out of my comfort zone."

To paint this collection, the experience master painter had to let go of the techniques he mastered since forty years. "I swapped my fine brushed for large brushes. My intention was to decorate the vase with large brush strokes and in different colour tones. I didn't want to just paint the vases full with brush strokes, something you often see with designers, but I wanted to think each brush stroke through. It was important that I used just enough water to achieve the right balance between a brush stroke that stays interesting to look at and a brush stroke that looked too blunt."

"It took some getting used to, especially while trying this new technique on the first vase, but soon enough I started to feel the right flow of blending brish strokes with the shape of the porcelain. I tried to stay aware of the shape of the object and which strokes would fit best to the design." For the master painter this opened up a new door to another level of creativity. "I discovered a new enjoyment in something of which I would have said ten years ago: that is not for me! The more I practise, the better the designs become. The nice thing is that every vase I make for this collection, has a different look. Not a single brush stroke is the same. Every day I put in the same intention, but it always comes out in a different brush stroke."