About Lizzee

Hello I am Lizzee,
a self taught folk artist from Harlingen, Netherlands.
I make mixed media sculptures, puppets and wall art with paper maché and found objects.
My work is inspired by stories from the sea, the theatre and circus as well as the natural world.
I like to collect things I find on the street, on the beach and in the many charity shops here in the area, and give them a new life in my sculptures.

How it all started…

One of my very first memories is of seeing a puppetry show on the Dam square in Amsterdam with my mother.
I was only four years old and me and my family had just moved back to Holland after having lived in Canada.
I remember the beautifully handmade puppets, drawing me into the magical world. This made a big impression on me and always stayed with me.
The desire to re-create this experience I believe fueled my own imagination ever since, and I started to make my own dolls and sculptures.
As a grown up I qualified to work with children and adults who are mentally challenged, guiding them in their creative processes through sculpting, painting and so on. I noticed the immense purity and creativity in them, with such ability to create beautiful artworks straight from the heart, no nonsense, no pretense, just pure art. This way of making, creating and working is very close to my heart.
I never attended art school, but making art has always been part of me and my life.
Teaching myself and others, learning from each other.
I have worked in many materials over the years,
but paper mâché is the technique I use most now because of its versatility and directness. I live in a small sea side town in the north of The Netherlands, with my little retired dog. The harbor is a busy coming and going of working ships, antique tall ships, sailors, gulls, seals and so on. This scenery is an everlasting inspiration and features in many of my works.  I love to walk the beaches and collect drift wood, bits of fishing rope, rusty things, shells and so on. I like working these materials into my sculptures, blurring the line between the imagined stories and the real place they come from.

If you like to see my work, please have a look at my portfolio’s here on this website.
To purchase, please visit my etsy shop.
Feel free to contact me for more info, about new work coming available or about collaborations, exhibits and so on.
Thank you for looking, Lizzee