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Victoria Cooper+Doug Spowart Blog

Posts Tagged ‘acrylic sculpture

WIM de VOS – Artist, teacher, musician, mentor, brother & friend

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A portrait of Wim de Vos with his work at Studio West End

 

For Wim, by Vicky Cooper

 

In your last days we visited you….

Like the artist thinking about your next artwork…

You described your final work…

How, where, when…

You would be buried….

An acrylic case made by friends

In the bush

Up a hilly rocky track

To a hidden mountain

A stand of trees that had black bark

A particular view across a Valley

A golden sunset

A rock with the Red Fox coat of arms

Also created by a friend

 

50 years I have known you

Sometimes distant

Sometimes close

 

I danced with your groupies

In Cloudland where

You played a red Fender

Those favourite songs

Neil Young, Focus, George Harrison

Beach Boys and so may more…

 

I danced with Opa

At the Dutch Club

I loved Oma’s apple pie

The paper flowers and the needle work

The smell of pipe tobacco

The Dutch jokes

Stories of WW2

 

I remember your first exhibition

Michael Milburn

Your time in Maastricht

My sister with the two boys and soon a girl

My sister is now another beautiful story

The boys are also creating new stories

And the girl is strong and confident

The world has not limited them

 

At seminal moments

I needed inspiration and support

You were there

With Doug…

Fellow teacher, artist and family

I for 50 years

Doug for 30….

You could be at times testing…

But you were also investing

Your energy, creativity, ingenuity and knowledge

 

There are so many years of art

Toowoomba, Flying Arts, McGregor…

Then West End and Adele

A collaboration that built a strong community

 

Each of us all has personal stories

Each will be different

But all of it rich

 

Just like your studio and apartment

The walls and corners of your life

Are jam packed with collections

Of moments

Sad or cantankerous

Solitary or social

Dedicated and creative

 

But your parting words to me now echo in my everyday

That I never stop making my art…

And I now reflect that if it were not for his support

I – and perhaps many others – would not have started…..

 

It is in this legacy that you will always remain

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Wim de Vos

VALE Wim de Vos 27/5/1947-8/12/2018.

 

Christene Drewe has written a post in the State Library of Queensland’ John Oxley Library Blog about Wim and the works that they have in their collection.

http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2019/01/24/remembering-brisbane-artist-wim-de-vos/

SLQ-JOL Blog post by Christene Drewe

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Some images of Wim from events over the last few years…

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Wim presenting a long book at the Artists Book Brisbane Event – Griffith University Brisbane

Wim & Adele at ABBE Artists Book Conference July 2015

Wim showing the State Librarian Janette Wright his tunnel books at the Siganto Seminar 2015

 

Wim & Adele at the State Library of Qld’s Artists’ Book Fair 2015

The launch of the 'Bookplates Unbound' project with Helen Cole and Gael Phillips and others

The launch of the Bookplate collection with Anne Jolly, Helen Cole and Gael Phillips and others

A return to the ‘Band’ days at Studio West End

Farewell to ABSOE party, 23rd April 2016

A blog post about the ABSOE Studio and the NEW Studio can be found HERE

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At the NEW West End Studio – November 2016

The NEW West End Studio

Adele in the New West End Studio

Lunch is prepared at the New West End Studio

Lunch at the New West End Studio

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Wim will be back in the studio soon…

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The studio

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©Texts by Vicky Cooper . . . © All photographs by Doug Spowart

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In remembrance….

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