Pencils & Perfumes 鉛筆と祈りと香水―香りの世界と出会う場所

“Gonna take a scented mental journey

Gonna set my heart at ease
… Gonna take a scented mental journey. To renew old memories “

retake on Sentimental Journey by Doris Day

Scent is visceral and its primal…it’s about coming to life!

How do we visualize what we smell?

Does scent – the invisible make you perceive the visible in a different manner? 
Drawing this 110×75 cm work really was a Scented Mental Journey. I started this drawing a few years ago after smelling leather-themed perfumes and ingredients that are used in leather accords. Initially these were the scents that influenced the shapes of clothing, a collar, a corset.

This year I bought new perfume materials such as the mossy Evernyl, the smokey and somewhat salty Vetiver from Java, Indonesia and ingredients that had water-like facets , such as Utrazur. After smelling these and feeling their colors, I decided to continue my leather based drawing for the Art 2023 Exhibit De Salon At Arti et Amicitae, Amsterdam’s oldest art society.

.A Scented Mental Journey- scent, gouache, pencil & ink on paper. 110×75 cm , Chester Gibs,2023.

I invite you to come closer to my drawing and to smell it, you will notice how the smell changes from the upper part of the work to the lower part of the work. 

For this drawing I smelled raw perfume materials and let them inspire me to pick shapes and colours. I’m convinced that smelling determines the outcome of my drawings.

The work is accompanied by the Scented Mental Journey – olfavtive guide. The first 3 sundays of the exhibition you will be given a card that you can scent with raw perfume materials or a complete scent composition. This scented card will be your olfactory guide throughout your visit of the Salon Exhibition.

Your Olfactive Guide for De Salon ExhibitionScent touches our deepest emotions, feelings and memories. Smell your scented card, and enjoy De Salon art exhibition while sniffing and connecting the invisible with the visible.The art works at this group exhibition makes us think , marvel and travel to places we’ve never been.

Do you perceive the exhibited works different as you smell? Does your perception of the scent changes when you view a different piece of art?With The Scented Mental Journey scented card , I invite visitors to The Salon to find out

The Exhibition De salon at Arti et Amicitae can be visited from 2 till 23 December. On sundays 3, 10 & 17 December visitors can smell my 3 scent compositions between 15.30-16.30 hours and enjoy their fragrant companionship while exploring a wide range of art created by over 100 artists.

3 scent compostitions plus cards created as an olfactive companion for visitors of the Exhibition