Hilma Bovenkerk

Stimulated by my parents and the fact that I grew up a single child, I found my first hobby in drawing. Later on, (reggae) music took over, and hanging out with my friends of course. But, lacking much interest in education nor any profession, I op

ted, out of sheer curiosity, to enter art academy. And what a surprise it was, to hear that I passed the entry exams!

Nevertheless, it was not the warm art-brotherhood I was expecting it to be. In my fourth year I finally met a teacher who's approach to art gave me back my long lost inspiration. I got my first studio in Rotterdam in a former supermarket. There I became more interested in photography and took on jobs as a advertising painter. Mainly restaurant windows. As the digital age took over, our handywork didn't have much of a future so I turned toward administration jobs to sustain me and m

y family. I'd become the mother of two great kids and in those days I was happy to even be able to do some computer designs. It's only years later that I felt I wanted to pick up art professionally. I had also lived in Surinam for a while where I wrote a paper on the cultural influences on artistic development and expression. Back in Holland I graduated as a teacher of visual arts using the results of this study. In 2011 I decided to quit my administrative job to work as an artist in my own studio in Helmond. Soon after, people started asking me for art classes and I founded Artschool Helmond. 

Every day I thank God for my artistical and personal freedom. I give workshops in streetart, graffiti, group paintings megapainting and childrens' graffiti parties. Companies hire me to do murals and besides the painting classes I teach, I use my time and space to focus on my own artistic development.