Visting The Garden and Atelier of Artist Juke Hudig

Over the last couple of years, I’ve enjoyed visiting the garden and atelier of artist Juke Hudig. Every year in the month of June, she opens her place to the public for a few days, and this year I had the chance to visit her again. I’ve known her work through my mother, who once gave her own mother a garden portrait for her birthday—a lifelong gift and a heartfelt ode to the work of the gardener, in this case, my grandmother.

A few years ago, my brother, sister, and I thought about giving our mother one of Juke’s portraits as a tribute to the labour of love she put into her garden. Unfortunately, Juke no longer made them, but we were lucky to find one of her earlier works and gifted it instead. Still, her drawings continue to inspire me—not just because she captures nature and light in such a pure and delicate way, but also because of her use of colour. Her garden reflects that same sensitivity, and when you look at her pastels, It almost feels as if she just put down her pastel chalks.

“Gardening feels like drawing and sculpting with nature,” she said. As you walk along the narrow paths, the flowers, plants, and old apple trees invite you to slow down, take a deep breath, and simply observe. Birds quietly sing above, while insects buzz softly through the flowers. Some of the borders she planted reminded me of the pastels hanging in her atelier and on the postcards in the carousel there, where the large windows can be opened wide, letting the garden in—like a living painting where art, artist and nature meet.

During the summer months, you can visit Juke Hudig’s garden and atelier in Neerijnen, The Netherlands, by appointment.