Jopie Huisman 5/5

"You need to finish your apple," I told my granddaughter Eelkje. 

"Grandpa needs to finish it himself," was her answer. "It's sour." 

So I decided to draw the apple. 

Jopie Huisman 4/5

These knickers have been mended dozens of times. To me, they're the most moving item of clothing I ever found in the rags. 

She always tried to mend them with yarn that as far as possible matched the colour of the knickers themselves. 

But then, when she became a widow - meaning that nobody was going to see her knickers but her - she stopped worrying about the colour. As you can see from the yarn she used for darning after that. 

Jopie Huisman 3/5

Jelmer is my cousin and my closest friend. Whenever I see him or think of him, it evokes everything that is good and gentle in me. 

One time, in the television programme 'De Stoel', the host Rik Felderhof asked Jelmer: "What's the deal, Jelmer: don't you two ever disagree?" 

To which Jelmer answered:"Quite often." 

"So how do you solve it then?" 

"It's very simple," said Jelmer. "I start walking in one direction, and Jopie in the other." 

To which Rik said: "And how long does that take?" 

Jelmer: "It always blows over after a few steps." 

Jopie Huisman 2/5

The best comment I ever got about this painting was made by the poet Rutger Kopland. 

He wrote: "The heart of the painting is the pale, motionless face that looks away from the mirror. 

It isn't the face of a painter, but of a rag-and-bone man. 

A rag-and-bone man who's rolling a cigarette before posing for his portrait. 

Taking a breath for a moment - forever!"

Jopie Huisman 1/5

"I wore these shoes for almost 40 years, " is what old Yde told me. 

He actually could have afforded new shoes - because he was already getting a pension - but it was hard for him to take leave of them. 

Later on, I traded him a bottle of brandy for them. 

The brandy is long gone and Yde has passed away, but I got to draw his shoes.