Jon Daamen's Flowers

I am a Dutch born artist and trained florist, but lived most of my life in the Caribbean, West- and South-Africa. I founded The Flowerschool in Paramaribo and for many years was the director of the Surinamese Flowercompany, a group of women who used floral art as medium for their creations.

I explored the rainforest in Suriname as often as I could and my love for collecting and preserving inspired me to specialise in three- and two-dimensional works made with dried flowers and other natural materials.

Since my move to South Africa, where I live on a remote farm in the middle of nature, I create mainly two-dimensional collages that are made with the seeds, dried flowers and leaves that I collect and have collected from wherever I have lived. My work is mainly inspired by a combination of my own feelings, impressions and projections.

My first exhibition was in 1980 in Paramaribo and since then I've been showing my work and took part in group exhibitions wherever I lived.

Tuinplaas Series

The Tuinplaas Series was inpsired by the 50^th anniversary of the Tulbach Earthquake. This earthquake that measured 6.3 on the Richter scale affected the geological structure of the region and interfered with the supply and quality of the groundwater. All over the region reports of water issues surfaced and it is known that in the Napier area, the water source that once gave life to the Tuinplaas valley, diminished severely. This had both an economic and social impact on the people living and farming there at the time. Due to the lack of water, farming became almost impossible and soon people moved out of the valley, adandoning their farms and houses. Time and weather took their toll and most of the buildings have now turned into ruins. The remaining Tuinplaas dwellings were photographed by my son, Niels Bastiaensen and I then transformed these images using dried flowers and other plant materials collected in Tuinplaas. With this series, I aimed to commemorate the history of Tuinplaas and emphasise the impermanence of everything.

Barn One.

Aunt Polly’s Window.

Mème’s Fairytale Garden.

Climbing the (Tiled) Walls.

Aunt Alice’s Door

Roofless / Dakloos.

Tuinplaas Spring Meadow.

Dream Gardens

The series features collages that are dreamlike landscapes. They are very often inspired by people I know and their (lack of) garden skills.

Ink Drawing Practice 3.

Maud’s Garden.

Transitoriness

Transitoriness or the impermenance of everything is a subject that I find terrifying, mystifying and inspiring. Working with dried flowers and dead natural materials, especially skulls and bones, confronts people with the temporariness of life and our limited time on Earth. For this series, the title Transitoriness was chosen, because it confirms that there is another stage of beauty even after death.

The Corpse Bride.

Predator.

In or Out.

The Pirate.

Predator.

Blue Gum Buck.

Brain Dead.

Doodles

The series features collages made by simply pasting the petals and following shapes and space.

Doodle 1.

Doodle 2.

Doodle 3.

Doodle 4.

Doodles

This series is themed around the various shapes found in nature.

Circles.

Curls.

Lines.

Waves.

Gallery

I've been making collages for the last 50 years. Some of them are exhibited in this gallery. Styles have changed over the years, materials have changed throughout my travels. Since I always collect abundantly and then drag the collected stuff with me wherever I go, some of the old materials find their way back into my more recent works. They contribute to my work in the same way as my memories and experiences in life.