I’m super pleased to be able to share with you another collaboration between myself (as stylist), recipe writer + food stylist Yvette van Boven, and photographer Jeroen van der Spek for the second issue of Maria magazine, on all good Dutch newsstands right now. The story called Goud in de mond (gold in the mouth/waking up full of energy), is a series of images + recipes using bread, grains and pulses. Yvette’s yummo recipes featured are irish sodabread, homemade granola, little nut and raisin loaves (seen above), focaccia and an oat, farro, pumpkin and mushroom salad (a personal favourite – it was delish!).

I had fun making a small tiled wall from gorgeous red tiles that I picked out specially for the shoot. The tiles are handmade in portugal and have such a vibrant and deep colour. We used the wall for the granola and sodabread shots (seen above and below).

We also had the treat of going to one of Amsterdam’s best kept bakery secrets called Hartog’s Bakkerij . We were there to photograph the loaf stacks (seen below), and it was awesome being right in the heart of this bustling bakery while all the bakers shuffled around us – mixing dough, sliding trays of sweet smelling speculaas across the shelves, and pulling out golden loaves from the huge ovens.

After shooting this story, it’s officially confirmed:
I.
Love.
Bread.

(Perhaps I am a little bit Dutch after all).

This is a shoot I did with Dutch photographer Ingmar Swalue. It is featuring a new Dutch jewellery range called MIR, and I wanted to create something ethereal and delicate, in a gothic way. Hmm, I know this sounds rather contradictory, but welcome to the art directing world, where every description contradicts the previous one (it’s quite an art really, that’s why they are called ‘art’ directors hehehe)…

So this was shot in Ingmar’s studio in Rotterdam, and he has these fabulous little windows that I could not resist using, I just adore the soft light and the old, peeling paint and framework. You may also notice I’m going through a feather phase? And also a fishing line & twine phase – I’m very much loving ‘exposed styling’ – you know, instead of hiding all the fishing line and gaffa tape I use, I like to make it part of my vignette. It’s been something I’ve been exploring for some time now.

Isn’t the MIR jewellery range divine? I do love it so.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! And thank you for all your beautiful comments through out the week. A few of you are still enjoying my mini piano concert I’ve noticed – thank you for letting me know, I’m so thrilled. And I will have a special treat for you next week! Until then, bon weekend!

xx

I have been super slack in posting my styling work I know, and even slacker in updating my website and portfolio. But it seems that’s the last thing you make time for in this job, and I find it’s usually something I do at the end of the year when I have gathered all my tear sheets and articles. But today I do have a fun little story of images for you. It is a story that I produced some months back now with photographer David Finato (remember I wrote about him here and here?), with my picks of the coolest glassware around. It’s called Glass Act: take two (take one you will find here). I do hope you like…

It’s with absolutely pleasure that I am able to show you a sneak peek of Holland’s hottest new magazine called Maria, out on shelves now. Inside it, you will find a story on how to use this season’s fruits, produced by Dutch food stylist sensation & restaurateur, Yvette Van Boven, photographed by Jeroen Van Der Spek, and styled by me, Pia Jane Bijkerk. Notice how nicely my last name fits in here – I feel like goldilocks, having found the porridge that suits her just right. Yes, as a part-Dutchie, I’m as proud as punch…

And do you remember me mentioning the other day how I am drawn to recipe writer’s who are pastry chefs, like our (blog)house guest chef Aran? Well Ms Yvette is one of them too – a pastry chef by trade, her culinary creations continue to inspire and amaze me every time we work together. I will be telling you lots more about Yvette soon, but for now, these…

Yep, that fig tart was to-die-for – I devoured that slice right after we shot it. And it was super fun filling the cupboard with all those jars. Don’t you love that cupboard? I will tell you where I got it from in a post to come – its my little shopping secret that I can’t wait to take you through on a personal, exclusive tour. But for now, these…

Yvette baked all these different little shortbread-like twists, twirls and shapes to choose for the pear and vanilla marscapone recipe, and we selected this one you see, it just sat so beautifully with the pear that it seemed meant to be.

I had such a blast working on this story, and I look forward to showing you more of my work with Jeroen and Yvette in the future. Thanks Maria!

French Boy, you might want to close your eyes. Everyone else, come with me.