Flamboyance in Rotterdam
I first met interior designer Patrick Kooiman in 2011 in Rotterdam when we both graduated — Patrick from the Artemis Academy and myself from the Photo Academy. Since then, our paths have regularly crossed through various collaborations, driven by a shared fascination for quirky, bold combinations of color, art, and design.
In the window of Patrick's interior shop, Patrick Kooiman Fine Interiors in Rotterdam, my floral still life, Ode to Orsola Gaccia, can be seen. It is also available for purchase in Patrick's store.
The floral still life is inspired by 'Flowers in a grotesque vase' painted by Orsola Maddalena Caccia (1596-1676). In her composition, we see an almost rectangular arrangement, where the elements are evenly distributed against a monochrome background, referencing a visual language intended for religious meditation. Orsola, like many female painters of the Renaissance, was a nun. She established a painting studio in the Moncalvo monastery, where she later became abbess. The earliest known floral still life in Italy is attributed to her.
A special detail: the emerald green cornucopia vase in my work was found by Patrick on an American auction site for second-hand items. The form straddles a classic cornucopia and a nautical shell structure. The vase, executed in 'American Mid-Century Modern' style, is a contemporary echo of the vase in Orsola's painting.
Ode to Orsola Caccia is part of my art series Preserved, in which I create still lifes inspired by various style periods from art and cultural history.
You are warmly invited to come and take a look at Patrick's interior shop in Rotterdam!
Period: October to December 2026
Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday 11:00–17:00 & Sunday 12:00–18:00
Address: Schilderstraat 34a, 3011 ET Rotterdam
Information: patrickkooiman.com









