Who am I?

My name is Claudia

Drawing and later painting is a common thread in my life. Growing up on an arable farm in the Noordoostpolder, I made works of subjects that had impressed me. This could vary from impressions from the film The Lion King to the Overloon museum.  

Drawing, observing and visual thinking came in handy during my medical studies at the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam. As a gastroenterologist, I started working at the Deventer Hospital, where design and drawing became an important support for explanations in the consultation room and during the many teaching moments. 

From 2018 onwards I started getting more seriously acquainted with the different materials and techniques. In 2020 I learned digital techniques. I have come to love the process of seeing a work come to life from an idea through rough sketches. I noticed that it had many similarities with the medical profession, which also involves communication, clarification, problem solving, (technical) knowledge and seeing multiple perspectives.

In the autumn of 2022, I stopped as a practicing gastroenterologist and set up ClaudiaStreken. I have already been able to develop beautiful assignments such as a mural for the Agricultural Miniatures Museum at the Averlo-Frieswijk-Schalkhaar Museum, illustrations for a medical overview article for the UMCU Gastroenterology department, brochures and I have exhibited in several places. I am currently also a medicine teacher at Saxion High School.

My goal with ClaudiaStreken is to create works on commission or from my own inspiration with a story, character, wink, or momentum. And to make illustrations with an educational purpose.