Sometimes, objects are more fun when they're hundreds of times their normal size. What's better than an ice cream sundae? UConn's One Ton sundae at Winterfest. What trumps a squid? Obviously, a giant squid. Dutch artist Henk Hofstra knows the merits of super-sizing. Today, he fills us in on his gigantic projects and hints at his latest endeavors. He writes:
"In 2007, The Blue Road was my first big environmental art project. In Drachten, I painted a one kilometer long road bright blue to prepare the citizens of my town for the canal they will dig there."
"I work in Drachten, a town in the north of The Netherlands. Two of the outdoor projects were in my hometown (The Blue Road and Invasion of the Ants). Art-Eggcident was in Leeuwarden (even farther up north; it's the capital of the Friesland province). Creditcrisis was in Rotterdam. My next project, Above Water, will be in Lelystad.Beside the big projects, I make paintings about the countryside or cities, the sea etc.. You can see them also on my site."
"Myself, however sometimes I need to hire people for making (litterally) the project. But I don't brainstorm with other people, I just create my own ideas. I don't have a favorite place to paint; it doesn’t matter. I make my paintings in my atelier. I can do my big art projects everywhere. I like to do a big environmental project abroad once."
"When I was spraying the red ants on the road in the middle of the night, a drunken guy came toward me. He could hardly stand when he saw the big red ant. I wonder when he went home if he told his wife or girlfriend, 'I saw a giant red ant, 3 meter long, 2 wide on the road.' What would his wife say? 'Sure Peter, you're drunk again. Were there pink elephants again too?’"
"I just finished Invasion of the Ants a couple of days ago. I'm now working on my newest project, Above Water. It's a huge man's head with a creation on top; together, they measure 7 meters in length. It will be in Lelystad, a city in the middle of The Netherlands. It will be opened in the middle of June. I can't tell you every detail yet, because we want it to be a surpise. I can tell you already that it will be a reflection on today's world."
WOW! And I thought that nothing could top the One-Ton Sundae. I stand corrected.
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