Local Heroes: Marloes de Vries

Marloes de Vries

She’s won awards and has written her own book. She illustrates for popular magazine Flow and draws children’s books.

She’s a hand-lettering queen and she lives in Rotterdam. If you haven’t yet heard of multi-talented graphic designer and artist Marloes de Vries, it’s about time you did.

Words by WOUTER VOCKE Pictures courtesy of MARLOES DE VRIES

It’s remarkable that someone from a rural, quaint part of the Netherlands leaves everything behind and moves to a big city like Rotterdam. So, why Rotterdam? Because it was the biggest difference from where I’m from. I grew up in a small town in Drenthe, in the northeastern part of the Netherlands. I wasn’t used to big cities, but I felt ready for a change. The biggest change I could think of, the opposite of a small town, was Rotterdam. So I moved here quite impulsively without really thinking it through. Best decision of my life, though.

Did it take long to adjust? I felt at home the minute I came here. I had been to Rotterdam twice before moving here, so I had no idea what to expect, but neighbors and locals made me feel welcome. I couldn’t find a house at first, because I didn’t have a lot of money. Literally over 100 people helped me through Facebook, and through a network of friends and family, to find a place to live. Many of them didn’t even know me! This city suits me better than a small town. I’ve got everything I need right here: friends, art, good food, buzz, inspiration. When I miss my family, I just drive up north.

What are your favorite spots in Rotterdam? Vroesenpark is right around the corner from my house. I love walking there, or having a picnic there in the summer. I live in the northern part of the city, and it has that village feeling to it, which I really like. Lof der Zoetheid is one of my favorite spots to eat cake. The owners, Anastasia and Elena, are lovely. I used to go to art school with Anastasia, so I knew her cooking and baking skills were amazing. I love Picknick for lunch, you must try the pulled pork there. Okay, enough about food! I also love grabbing my bike and just cycling across the city really fast. There is so much contrast between the different parts of the city: nature when you bike up north and the city skyline near the south.

“I needed to move because I have the need to feel inspired. Where I live is essential for me to create.”

“I think I’ve got the Rotterdam mentality going on: less talking, let’s get busy.”

What projects are you currently working on? A lot! I think I’ve got the Rotterdam mentality going on: less talk, let’s get busy. I’m working on some pieces for a small exhibition, and I’m working on two books at the same time. For both I’m the author and illustrator, which is a challenge! One of the books is a graphic novel about depression, which can be quite heavy at times. I make illustrations for Flow Magazine every couple of months, work on some smaller projects for magazines and I’m also teaching. I’m also in the very slow process of writing and illustrating a picture book. I’ve been working on it for years but I am never satisfied.

From where do you get your inspiration? People, experiences. I try to travel as much I can to see as much as possible, meet new people, hear their stories. I also read a lot, and music can trigger feelings that inspire me to write or draw new things. I also needed to move because I have the need to feel inspired. So, where I live is essential for me to create.

How does Rotterdam influence the rest of your work? Rotterdam inspires me on a daily basis. There’s so much going on here, also in the smallest details. People are open-minded, they don’t take crap and the city is quite unique. It suits me, so I feel like in my work I have come closer to what I really want to create, because of the city.

Where will you be in five years? I never plan too far ahead. I have plans, but I never know where I’m going to end up, I never expected to live in Rotterdam, for example. I would like to have a couple of picture books to my name, I hope to do more art and have an exhibition in New York. I hope I’ll have traveled a lot and maybe I’ll live abroad. But I don’t know, to be honest. I will see where this ship sails me, but for now I like being in this harbor.

Thanks for the lovely interview, Marloes. Truly one of the funniest and most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. We hope you’ll stay a while in this harbor before you set sail for the rest of the world! ¢ marloesdevries.com

Giving nicknames to everything

Words by WOUTER VOCKE Illustrations by FREDERIQUE MATTI

Rotterdammers like to give nicknames to buildings, bridges, statues and street names. It’s so common, that most people don’t even know the official name. Maybe it’s because Rotterdammers are quite direct and don’t feel connected to fancy names.

The beautiful new Central Station has numerous nicknames. Shark’s Mouth, Cone, Bag of Chips and Big Mouth to name a few. But most people already named it Station Kapsalon, named after the notorious Rotterdam snack with kebab, chips and melted cheese in a tin foil box. Centraal Station

When the amazing Markthal opened its doors, there was even a competition for people to come up with a nickname. The winner was Koopboog, something like shopping arch. Unfortunately, our personal favorites Vreetkeet (eat/munch shack) and Groentegrot (vegetable cave) didn’t make it. De Markthal Koningshavenbrug

One of the best examples is without a doubt De Kuip (the tub). This epic football stadium opened in 1937 as Stadion Feijenoord but people started calling it the tub because of its shape.

Some other common nicknames include De Zwaan (the swan) for the Erasmusbrug, Het Potlood (pencil) for the Blaaktoren Fluitketel (kettle) for Blaak Station, De Hef for the monumental Koningshavenbrug and Het Scheermes (razor blade) for the World Trade Centre. De Erasmusbrug

The controversial Santa Claus sculpture by Paul McCarthy is known by everybody as Kabouter Butt Plug. Just because it just looks like a garden gnome with a butt plug, let’s be honest.

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