Bulb flowers, like tulips, are wonderful metaphors of life. They go through years of ups, downs, hot and cold weather. Every year the flower has to grow from scratch, it puts a lot of effort and energy into producing leaves and flowers, to triumph into a beautiful spectacle of nature. And than the flower petals fall down and the bulbs need to rest. It takes its time to regenerate and it is during this time that the flower grows into a bigger, better, stronger version of itself.

Us humans, we are not so different. We have our ups and downs Just as with the flowers, we should remember those beautiful high moments that we have during our lives. When talking about a tulip we don’t think about what the bulb looks like after all, if we talk about the tulip, we think about the beautiful flower, not the whole livelihood of struggles under the soil. Than why do we focus on this so negatively when we are talking about our own lives. Yes, those struggles were there, but let’s see them for what they did for us. Those struggles were the moments in which we grew bigger, stronger, more resilient, so that the next time we shine, we shine just that little bit brighter

This particular ‘trembleur’ was commissioned as a gift from a son to his father, who’s (grand)mother died some years earlier. The father kept the (grand)mother’s kitchen table, because the memory of his mother meant a lot to him. After storing the table on the attic for a long time, the father was ready to part with the object. The son however thought it was a nice idea to use the high quality wood the table was made of for a special gift. And that’s what we did.

I am so honoured that the son trusted me enough to make something beautiful out of this special piece of wood. And I am delighted to say that the son loved the ‘trembleur’, seeing his face light up when he came to pick it up was so beautiful to see. Later I heard that the father was very surprised by the gift and when he learned where the wood came from.

I feel so priviledged that I could be a part of this beautiful moment. And I am eternally greatful for the trust the son put in me when he gave me full artistic freedom in deciding the shapes and woods used for this project. I wish the memory of your (grand)mother will live on through this trembleur.