Almond Bloem inspired by Vincent Van Gogh

Almond Bloom is part of a collection I created inspired by the floral work of Vincent van Gogh. Centered on his 1890 painting Almond Blossoms, these pieces embrace key elements of his style while allowing space for my own voice to emerge.

I approached this series as a study—an opportunity to learn from his particular painting practice. By closely observing his handling of form, color, and composition, I discovered new ways of working that I hadn’t considered before.

Using my own brushwork and palette, I built on his compositional framework to create something that feels both rooted in his influence and distinctly my own.

This piece draws from the lineage of influence that runs through Van Gogh’s work—especially his fascination with Japanese woodblock prints. He immersed himself in the visual language of Japonisme, studying compositions where forms seem to drift within the picture plane rather than anchor it. These prints, known as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” offered a radically different way of seeing: asymmetrical, cropped, and full of movement.

In this work, I carry that sensibility forward. The branch moves across the surface with a sense of suspension, its blossoms and offshoots almost weightless against a softly brushed ground. I resisted a rigid structure, allowing each element to exist in quiet balance rather than a fixed hierarchy.

My brushwork stays loose and expressive, grounding the piece in painting, while the composition nods to those earlier prints that so captivated Van Gogh. The result feels both rooted in tradition and gently unbound by it—a study in movement, air, and the beauty of forms allowed to float.