Custom Ode
Amsterdam-based Legacy Sculptor
Sculptural Art That Captures Your Most Meaningful Moments.
“You’re not commissioning an object.
You’re capturing a story. A transformation. A love. A life.”
The Story Behind Custom Ode
For years, I worked as a creative director in Amsterdam's nightlife world with my company De Nachtvlinders — The Nocturnal Butterflies.
Then, on a spontaneous date to Paris, everything changed.
Wandering through Deyrolle — a poetic antique shop in the 7th arrondissement — I saw a beautiful butterfly on the top floor. In that moment, I had a vision: “A butterfly, coming out of a Pilot fineliner”.
When I got home, I had to bring that vision to life. It became my first ode — not a commission, but something personal. Pure. A seed.
That seed became Custom Ode.
Now, over 33 Odes later, I create artworks that honor what matters most: your story, your vision, your emotional world — translated into art.
My first Ode. An Ode to the concepts I wrote for my company ‘De Nachtvlinders'.
The place where I found the butterfly, that became the beginning of Custom Ode. A hidden little gem called Deyrolle on the top floor of a magical shop in the 7th district of Paris.
An Ode to my personal metamorphosis.
Exhibitions.
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When I just started Custom Ode, I got invited to take part in Art Festival Heusden. The theme was "HEAD" and I made a self portrait and a collection of smaller metal wire portraits.
They gave me my own little windmill, for the whole weekend, and I filled two floors with my work.
My self portrait:
https://www.customodes.com/customode/my-life-under-the-loupe
The Art Festival:
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Bunker Exhibition No 46.
The Shadow Has Two Faces.
July 8th till July 24 ‘22.
I took visitors on a trip through my life. Past and present and showed them how I became me. From being born a Jehovahs Witness to breaking free, discovering the world and my place in it.
I filled three rooms in a World War II bunker, hidden in a lovely rose garden in the Westbroekpark of The Hague.
https://www.customodes.com/customode/bunker-exhibition-no-46
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Artist Casper Strietman showcased his series on the missing nightlife culture in Amsterdam clubs during Covid at Singel 84 in Amsterdam. I was invited to display my portraits, resulting in a blend of dynamism and calmness.
Duration: 1 month
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Pop-up gallery in de Pijp, Amsterdam, with artists '' Marc Amsterdam' and 'Nathalie Soetens'.
Duration: 1 week
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Your Story
Sometimes there are moments that just hit you. Moments that you don't want to forget. They give you chills, they make you sparkle and bring a smile to your face.
These moments can be life-changing milestones, quiet achievements, or simple small things you never want to forget - moments in life that deserve to last forever.
Maybe it's celebrating a new beginning, honoring a friendship, recognizing someone's hard work, or simply capturing something beautiful. Why not make those moments more than just a memory?
With Custom Ode I do just that - I make moments last forever. No-one likes it when good things come to an end, right? I create Custom Odes for any occasion worth remembering. Each piece is personal, meaningful, and entirely one-of-a-kind.
I create bespoke commissions, limited edition pieces, and curated collections. Each artwork is crafted with intention, designed to honor what matters most to you.
How it Works
A Custom Ode is a bespoke work of art — created from your story, your emotions, your message.
I make sculptural pieces that celebrate love, mark a milestone, or honour a legacy. Each one is crafted through deep listening and emotional insight.
Step 1 — Let’s talk
We start with a short conversation. You don’t need to know what it should look like — just what it should mean.Step 2 — I create
Using your story as a starting point, I design and craft a one-of-a-kind artwork. Every material, detail and dimension is chosen with intention.Step 3 — You receive
Your Ode is delivered with care, ready to be unveiled — privately or with ceremony. The moment is yours.
Some of my commissions for clients.
‘Echoes of Glory’
Commission: birthday gift
Subject: create a custom art piece for a wife and mother who was about to turn sixty, and who has a great passion for her horses and riding dressage.
Most important take aways: they love ancient greek art - bronze - nothing too vague, or abstract
Result: I translated the bond between her and her horses into a bronze geometric airy sculpture, that holds 8 elements from the environment where she goes horse riding.
8 stands for eternity, as I wished her endless fun and adventures for the years to come. The see through fragments create a feeling for her like she looking at a memory, whilst also looking at the space she is in. I used fragments, with the four elements: air-water-fire-earth. They piece comes to live, when in contact with light.
Material: bronze, transluscent art prints
Measurements: 75 x 63 26 cm
Click on the button below to see how I made this one.
‘A Family Affair’
Commission: 5 year wedding anniversary
Subject: A travel-loving and burgundy couple, married for five years. The friends asked me to bring an Ode to their life together.
Most important take aways: the love for work-travel-party-family
Result: I made them a family crest.
The marble foot, is symbol for the earth (view from the moon and back :-)), as they like to see as much of the world as possible.
Out of the foundation comes a pen that tells the rest of their story. I chose a knife and a fork, as they own 9 restaurants and he’s a chef. It crosses each other, because they are opposites, but stronger together.
The cutlery, has five points, that stand for the five members of their family and the years of marriage. The fork has four and the knife has one and they stand for the elements that make their relationship to a succes.
Material: steal, marble, glass paint
Measurements: 21 x 30 cm
‘The tree of the nightlife’
Commission: birthday gift
Subject: entering a new phase in his life and closing the door on his nightlife chapter in which he had a prominent role with his bar and club, it was about time to look back and give it the place it deserves.
Most important take aways: creating space for feeling proud-looking backand looking forward.
Result: It became a tree of life, with slides projecting memories of the way they were. He can play with the memories and switch them up, thus changing the projection of the lamp and creating new memories while doing so.
Material: I used wood from an Amsterdam stone beech in combination with glass, brass and metal as he is born and bred in Amsterdam, but loves nature in combination with industrial vibes.
Measurements: 94 x 12 cm
‘The Code’
Commission: group wedding gift from friends
Subject: A travel-loving and burgundy couple, married for five years. The friends asked me to bring an Ode to their life together.
Most important take aways: This artwork is for a couple all about opposites. He’s calm, rational, and a master of numbers. She’s a creative whirlwind, always full of energy. Together, they’re a powerhouse, effortlessly blending love and humor.
Result: The piece is designed like a puzzle, symbolizing their ever-changing yet always connected relationship. The rods (ones) and balls (zeroes) – a nod to the tech world – form the foundation, representing their energies: she’s the playful, dynamic splash of color, and he’s the stable, protective force. They always balance each other out, and even when things fall apart, they stay together, ready to rebuild. The possibilities are endless.
The numbers 4 and 8 – used in the calculation of the rods and balls – symbolize their family and infinity. The pieces are connected by magnets and can be rearranged, just like their life, but the connection always holds. This is their story, captured in color, steel, and passion.
Better together. This is their code. 👩💻
Material: steal, iron, magnets and Belgian hardstone.
Measurements: 15 x 27 cm’s x endless possibilities
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