Hello all!

my last completed work "The Green Towel" May 2005

Hi, my name is aletta Mes. I was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1954 to an opera singer mother and a research chemist father.At age 13 I took to the stage dancing in ballet and musical theatre until 1985 when a bizarre illness made it impossible to continue dancing. Meanwhile I had also trained in Dance Therapy (physical), Eurythmics and journalism. For a time I worked as a systems administrator (1988-1998), and series of second jobs including writing manuals, illustrations, advertising copy, theatrical agent, and after a refresher year of study as a counselling psychologist (1998-1999).

Pain and complex family life shifted some energy away from dancing and to painting in 1985. As the body started to give out, painting became a ways of expressing myself within a more restricted world of movement. Writing was always a ways of keeping narratives for remembering later, to be used in some other project, a painting, a choreography a play. All art forms are therapeutic for me, a reason to get out of bed, a brief time magically away from pain.

Being housebound (fully disabled/unemployable since 1998) for the most part makes meeting with, and sharing studio stories with near impossible, so on Heather's suggestion I am joining this blog in the hope it will alleviate some of the isolation, I really am not much of a hermit, my inspiration comes primarily from people.

Good to meet you all and I look forward to getting to know more about you and your work.

aletta