Pauline Broekema visits Octavie Wolters' studio and nearby nature in Roermond

In her column for Museumtijdschrift, Pauline Broekema visits artist and writer Octavie Wolters (born 1977) at her home and studio in the former village of Maasniel, now a district of Roermond, Netherlands. Wolters walks daily in the adjacent nature reserve with her partner and dog Wiesje, finding inspiration for her prints and texts. She prefers staying close to home, once stating she cannot understand why people travel the world when so much beauty is within reach. Her social media followers know her imaginary jacket label reads: 'Does not like holidays.' Wolters studied Dutch language and literature before becoming an artist via what she calls a 'winding road.' She works primarily in linocut, often combined with texts, and enjoys the rhythmic process of carving linoleum, describing it as 'cleaning up.' A featured print, 'De zwaluw in de magnolia' (2024), depicts a tulip tree from her garden with a barn swallow returning from Africa. Wolters applies only faint pink to the white blossoms, letting the viewer's eye complete the color. The column appears in issue 4 of Museumtijdschrift 2026 and includes an audio version read by Broekema.