Dear Art Lover,

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolour, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all." – AUTHOR, STANLEY HOROWITZ

What beautiful days we have had in autumn, so much sun and those beautiful warm colours. In fact, I think autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons we have.

The year is almost over. In my last newsletter, I wrote that my atelier felt empty now I lack space. I try to work in my studio consistently from Monday to Friday, but I've been adding the weekends for a few weeks. There are some weeks when it seems more difficult to spend every day – a whole day – in my studio; then, I need a breath of fresh air and a chat. The studio life is quite lonely, and since I don't share my studio with anyone, I don't have anyone to talk to.

Loneliness helps to focus; I almost finished all fifteen stories of the project 'The Pain Of Slavery': one hundred and fifty children's faces as "a tribute to lost childhood". Two big paintings are also ready, so with some luck, by the end of this year, I only have to paint the remaining thirteen big ones. For more info on each story, check my website.

• At the slave market  

• At the back of the slave master's yard

With the help of Jet Manrho, I'm preparing an international program around my project, 'The Pain Of Slavery'. 2023 will be commemorative; it will be 150 years ago when slavery was abolished in Suriname. That is why the tour will start in the Netherlands next year, and the plan is to move it around the world to places where slavery has black pages in history, e.g., Suriname, Curaçao, and the US.

The project 'The Pain Of Slavery' is directly linked to the series 'I Am' modern slavery, which is the Power of One, One child, One story. No matter who they are or where they live, every child dreams of doing big things.

I finished the second triptych of the series 'I Am' based on the rights of the child:

I'm Thirsty For More - Children's right to clean water

A boy from the Samburu tribe, to him, nothing is more tasteful than water.

You Can't Break Me Down - Children's right to equality
Two boys from Tanzania don't care what others think about them.

I Will Survive - Children's right to healthcare

A boy from Nairobi is wearing a homemade mask because there is something called Coronavirus, which is unsafe (…)

Art, for me, is bringing emotion. I love it when a painting truly gets to you and gives you a little tickling. The image leads to imagination and suggestion and comes alive for the person who looks at it. To let people get closer to their emotions and rethink situations.

Kind regards,

Andra Daans