Monty Lee is an Australian illustrator with Dutch roots, that I only know through Instagram, where she posts under the name Mo Sokje.

Her illustrations often are collages, where the different figures and elements are cut out and glued to the background, a technique I also sometimes like to use.

The work is at the same time funny and beautiful, with strangely distorted figures and gorgeous colors.

It reminds me a bit of Wolf Erlbruch and also of Tilman Michalski.

The American illustrator Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) is one of my absolute heroes.

Best known maybe for 'Where the wild things are' and the 'Little Bear' series, his work from cartoons like 'In the night kitchen' to theater decors is always beautiful.

Sometimes realistic, sometimes cartoonesk, always brilliant.

This weeks Monday Hero is the Czech artist Jiri Bouda (1934_2015)

Bouda almost exclusively depicts trains and railroads in his graphic work. This may sound restricted, but his prints are incredibly rich, atmospheric and a bit nostalgic.

We own one of his lithographs, and I never get bored with it.

In Worpswede, the village near Bremen where the artist Paula Modersohn lived and worked, we once visited the studio of the sculptor Christoph Fisher (1956).

There we fell for this very moving sculpture, in ceramics and steel, of a man touching a whale.

Needless to say it is in our home now.

As I forgot to post last week, today two works by one of my absolute favorite painters, Joan Eardley (1921-1963).

As well as these portraits of Glaswegian kids, Eardley painted beautiful landscapes. I love her work and named her a Monday Hero in my previous series as well.

If you like portraits, the upcoming exhibition at De Ploegh gallery is something to look out for.

I will be showing some of my portraits among among f.i. Maartje Strik, Sari Piek and Mark van Praagh.

Details above.

This beautiful little landscape by artist and jazz musician Rob Jacobs from Hilversum also hangs on our livingroom wall. We spotted it some time ago in Rob Ramaker Gallery here in Utrecht, and fell in love with the mother-of-pearl quality of the light. If I remember correctly, it is the view from the studio Jacobs then had in Loosdrecht near Hilversum.

I saw that there is new work by Jacobs in the window of Ramaker Gallery now.

This week's 'Monday Hero' also is from our own collection: Boats at Hoek van Holland by Dutch painter and illustrator Jenny Dalenoord (1919-2013)

Dalenoord worked as illustrator with prominent Dutch writers like Annie M G Schmidt, but also created her own work like this drawing from 1974.

It reminds me of outings to Hoek with my parents.

For this week's Monday Hero I stay with what is on my own wall: 'Snowdrops' by painter

Adri Dijkhorst (Bunnik, 1955).

Dijkhorst was one of my fellow students at artschool in Utrecht. Back then he made mostly etchings and engravings, but nowadays he paints landscapes and still lifes, like this posy of snowdrops.

On sunday 8 december I will have a small christmas market at my studio.

There will not only be books and cards, but also handmade christmas ornaments, bags and loads more. There will be tea with a little something too.

Where:         prof. A. Mayerlaan 23, Utrecht

When:          sunday 8 december

What time:   13.00 till 17.00

Some drawings from the little diary I kept during our stay in Umbria.