Workshops

Painting with Ans Markus

Ans Markus’s Expo-Atelier, on Amsterdam’s Prinseneiland, is usually closed to the public. For all the people who phone and write to her throughout the year she organizes an open house weekend in the spring, during the Whitsun break, and again in the Autumn just before the December feast of St. Nicolas.

Each week, however, she receives groups of people (max. 100 people) on organized visits. These groups arrive by boat and tie up at Ans’ private jetty. Visitors usually park their cars at Amsterdam’s Central Station, which is also the customary rendezvous. The rail way station is easily accessible and the multi-store car park of the Dutch Automobile Association (ANWB) has over 500 parking spaces. The crossing time by boat to Prinseneiland is just five minutes.

Company management teams and Boards of Directors sometimes like to meet in style. This is possible in one of the five-star hotels, where they can take high tea. The boat-trip to the Expo-Atelier then takes 10 minutes longer.

Just how long you want to stay on the water, or stay at Ans, is something you decide yourself. Groups generally stay at Ans, for about one hour; parties with an active interest in painting stay about two hours.

Ans gives a guided tour of her work and recounts in passing how she decided to take up painting. An increasing number of groups actually want to paint during their visit. As soon as they arrive, they are given an apron to protect their clothes against paint splashes. Cotton aprons, complete with the date and a logo, can be ordered in advance.

On plastic-covered marble floor a dozen or so easels with canvas stretchers are set up. Here all members of the group can roll up their sleeves and paint to their heart’s content. Just before the group’s departure, the paintings that they have made are commented on by Ans. This is invariably followed by applause from everyone present, who only an hour before all had been struggling with the same creative input!