The Ultimate Souvenir

An article by club member Seonad.

Sail away with your very own piece of Dutch heritage!

In the Netherlands, your typical souvenir might be a pair of clogs, some tulip bulbs, a print of a famous van Gogh painting or traditional blue and white Delft pottery. They’re not plastic fantastic tourist tat, but they’re pretty standard souvenirs. Wouldn’t you like something different? Something totally unique? Something that can’t be bought anywhere else?

If you wanted a reminder of your time China, wouldn’t a piece of the Great Wall be the ultimate souvenir? Or from France, a piece of the Eiffel Tower? Now of course, I’m not suggesting that you start pilfering chunks of a country’s greatest monuments – not only would that get you arrested, it’s also morally and ethically wrong and would certainly ruin such amazing tourist sites for future visitors.

But, what if you could genuinely buy a piece of a country’s heritage? Here in the Netherlands, you can!

Check out www.typicaldutchart.nl or better still, visit artist, Peet Quintus’ studio in Roosendaal.

While the name may suggest what you’re looking at is typically Dutch – it’s anything but!

Some examples of Peet’s work 

Peet Quintus, the talented artist behind Typical Dutch Art, does paint traditional Dutch cultural symbols: windmills, bicycles, tulips, Dutch houses, cows, etc.

But that’s where “typical” ends and “unique” begins. These are original artworks, each one painted on authentic sailcloth from a Dutch windmill – certified with the national monument number from which it originated!

Like any artist, Peet is passionate about her work but she is also happy to go the extra mile to produce something extra special for you:

• Do you live near a specific windmill?
  If Peet doesn’t already use sailcloth from that mill, she’ll contact the miller to see if she can get some, just for you!
• Is there something you’d like painted that’s unique to you?
  Great, just ask, she’s happy to do commissions.
• Have a particular colour palette in mind?
  No problem, just ask!

So if you’re looking for something so typically Dutch yet totally unique at the same time, talk to Peet, she’s an inspiring artist and one of her paintings might be just what you’re looking for! Her smaller pieces make great farewell gifts (I should know, I’ve bought one or two)!

Peet would also like to offer IWC Breda members, a 5% discount off any painting. Please contact the club for more information.