On my way to the Netherlands, I stopped by Zierikzee, a quaint town 30 km from Rotterdam. Zierikzee is known for its legendary harbour, houseboat enclaves, enchanting boutique shops and historic townhouses and homes. The city itself is quite charming and convenient for an afternoon stop on the way to Amsterdam. I spent most of my time weaving my way through the neighborhood and admiring the cozy-looking Danish houses. I couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like to spend the night and wake up to this beautiful harbour. With just a few hours in town I walked along the waterway, snuck into a few bakery stores, bought three pairs of shoes, then got led astray in the fields of green and stole a snapshot of this classic wooden windmill. I stood in front of that towering windmill for quite some time admiring the view… that is until it rained and I had to get back on the bus. Nevertheless, this classic, historic windmill was only one that I could imagine seeing in movies or a painting, so standing right in front of it was surreal.

Months later, I’m still thinking about this picturesque scene and replaying the adventure in my mind. One of the ways to bring this moment back to life is by taking out my paint pad and acrylics, and capturing the memory on paper. I’ve only recently started to explore landscape painting and find depicting nature (fields, bodies of water, mountains) much more interesting than still life.

Well, here’s my spin on the classic wooden windmill of Zierikzee. I hope it inspires you to travel to Holland sometime and experience this wonderful view for yourself.