Redmer Hoekstra designs and illustrates fantastical decorations for Heinen Delfts Blauw. He finds inspiration in everything he sees. “My mind wanders and makes new connections between things that I see around me.” His creations always come from a philosophical view on the world. “Who am I? What is my reality and for how much do I decide how that reality looks like?” His wall plates for Heinen Delfts Blauw are created by using fineliners on paper, which are then turned into Delft blue illustrations.

“I enjoy working with a pen and paper immensely, because it is very direct. Every line that you put down, is down forever. It is not possible to keep working on it endlessly, like you can do with paint or digital drawing. This directness helps me to tame my own perfectionism and staying to the point. It is almost a craftmanship of its own. By shading I create light and space, which brings the drawing to life. I think it is important to keep the illustrations as realistic as possible, to enhance the alienation of the decoration.”

As a child Redmer always had his own theories about the world. Alienation, daydreaming and fantasizing is something he always loved. A way of thinking that played a crucial role during his time at the art academy CABK / ArtEZ in Zwolle. In 2009 Redmer graduated there and he has been working as a professional visual artist.

“I exhibit my work on a regular basis and have created work for Faber Castell Hong Kong, the VPRO guide, het Parool and many private customers. You recognize my work by an alienating world filled with humour. I associate shape, meaning and function and create new combinations. Often surprising, odd and funny, but still with some sort of logic.”

For Heinen Delfts Blauw Redmer Hoekstra illustrated a collection of wall plates. His style immediately stands out. “Many of my illustrations are about animals and nature, combined with the human world. I love to add small stories to my drawings. The subject of physical discomfort often appears, it is a source of humour for me. In the illustrations for Heinen Delfts Blauw I saw the challange to combine my world with the world of Heinen Delfts Blauw and to bring the two together.”

Some products from the Heinen Delfts Blauw collections play a key role in the illustrations that Redmer made. “I used Delft blue elements as a starting point for my illustrations and I created my world around them. Odd shapes such as the tulip vase and beautiful Delft blue patterns inspired me. I wanted to make every illustration different and yet let all characters on the plates live in the same world. This way they can shine on their own, but they also go perfectly well together.”