When a chef starts painting.

The life of Ernst de Witte, in full: Ernst Benjamin de Witte van Wijngaarden, born in Goes in 1985, is intertwined with the experience of the senses.

His own nose, tongue, ears and eyes lead him through life. The pure flavours of the typical Dutch oysters, mussels and Oosterschelde lobster. The richness of colours provided by the Impressionists in the Dutch museums. His sample based music production. The exotic experiences on journeys, experienced through art, cooking habits and the local produce. They reflect the very soul of the area where it grows and the human beings that process it.

For years he created dishes as a chef, designed in such a way that it captures the personality of one specific person or group. The scents, colours and flavours together have touched the soul of many. It heralded the transformation of Ernst to capture another person's essence into visual artwork. This allows him to continue to create this essence from start till end, without the restriction of someone else's boundaries.

In Ernst’s his work he first sees the other, and then fathoms this back according to his own vision. This leads to layered, colourful portraits of people, edible products and objects. In his studio in Zwolle he works with dedication and focus on paintings and drawings. He gets his inspiration from the meticulous perfection, enabled by the synthetic filters of our digital age.