Timmy's Tornado

Barbara Denef (1977, Leuven, Belgium) studied psychology and worked as a child psychologist in the Netherlands, living in Antwerp, Belgium. After the birth of her second son, she decided to look for a job closer to home. Not long afterwards, however, her husband received an international job assignment. Consequently, the family moved to India for five years and to New Zealand for another year. Inspired by the colorful environment in India and the numerous picture books that she read to her children, Barbara started getting itchy fingers to breathe new life into her hidden passion for drawing and painting. Her participation in a contest for aspiring illustrators led to Barbara illustrating a chapter of the KidsGids Antwerpen. However, it was the international competition for illustrators Key Colours, which Barbara entered in 2018 with her own project, that caused her illustrations to be selected for the exhibition Kleurboel and her receiving her first assignment: illustrating a picture book written by David Vlietstra. Characteristic features of Barbara’s illustrations are the attention to detail, the use of warm colors and the strong sense of connection with the environment of the child, thanks to her background as a child psychologist.