Collectie - Designed by Rick Triest – Kabouters & Bosdieren

Designed by Rick Triest – Gnomes & Forest Animals

Art for amidst the greenery

Not everything I design starts on canvas. For the "Designed by Rick Triest" collection, I collaborated with Ter Steege to develop an extensive series of gnomes and forest animals for the garden and patio.

The starting point was actually quite simple: to reimagine the familiar garden gnome. Not as a brightly colored plastic figurine, but as a small sculpture that looks just as at home among perennials and ornamental grasses as it does on a patio or balcony.

This resulted in a broad collection featuring gnomes and various forest animals, produced in multiple sizes and finishes. The figures were given finishes such as a classic gold-tone, a green-bronze patina, and my personal favorite: black with a gold patina.

From sculpture to garden ornament

For the design, I drew inspiration from the aesthetic of traditional bronze statues. The models are sculpturally constructed and developed based on the principles of the lost-wax method—the centuries-old technique used to create bronze sculptures.

It is precisely the modeling, along with the subtle irregularities and relief details, that gives the figures their character. The patina does not merely sit on the surface; raised areas and details are accentuated, causing faces, fur, flowers, and other forms to stand out more vividly.

This creates a stunning effect in the black-and-gold version. The dark base provides depth, while gold accents on the raised areas give the piece the look and feel of a miniature bronze work of art.

A whole family

What began with the gnome grew into a much wider world of garden figures and forest animals. By developing a variety of models, poses, sizes, and color finishes, the figures could be displayed individually or arranged together as a cohesive collection. At the same time, I wanted to avoid making them too slick or too serious. They were allowed to have character: a bit spirited, friendly, and sometimes looking as if they might wander further through the garden at any moment.

You can see this, for instance, in the gnome with his huge bouquet of flowers. He is a classic garden figure, yet the dark patina, gold-colored details, and sculptural finish give him a completely different look.

Designed for the garden center retail market

This series was developed in collaboration with Ter Steege specifically for garden centers and the green retail sector. It aligns with the broader "Designed by Rick Triest" partnership, in which my designs are translated into products capable of reaching stores on a larger scale. Ter Steege supplies its collections internationally to garden centers, florists, and other retailers in the green industry.

For me, that is precisely the best part of this collaboration: an idea doesn't have to remain confined to the boundaries of a painting. It can become a vase, a dinnerware set, a garden sculpture—or, in this case, an entire family of figures that eventually finds its place amidst the lavender and ornamental grasses.