Colette Berends: Her life and her art

 

Webpage composed and edited by Lynn Conway

Photos and Art Copyright © 2003-2005, by Colette Berends

All rights reserved

 

It is with deep sadness that I report the passing of Colette Berends on April 23, 2012.  A true pioneer in life and as an artist, her vibrant spirit  lives on in our fond memories and her creative works. Dear Colette, may you rest in peace. http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TSsuccesses/Colette/Condolences_for_Colette_Berends.en.pdf   (EN) http://www.condoleanceregister.nl/img/rouwkaarten/3923.pdf  (NL) http://www.condoleanceregister.nl/Condoleance-Colette-Berends.html

 

Colette Berends (Netherlands)

[ October 13, 1934 - April 23, 2012 ]

[ click on photo for larger view ]

 

 

This page is dedicated to Colette Berends, and contain articles and stories about her remarkable life and wonderful art. The page is now being augmented, as we collect weblinks, articles and photographs that tell her story and show some of her artistry.

 

As a beautiful young entertainer in the Netherlands, Colette began her transition from MtF during her early twenties. For fifteen long years she worked in showbiz, working '"everywhere" in Europe and North-africa, "swallowing hormones and saving for operations". Colette completed her TS transition in 1971, undergoing SRS by Dr. Georges Burou in Casablanca, Morocco. She went on to further fame as an entertainer, and has travelled over much of the world. Later in life Colette became the owner-operator of a beauty salon in Zwolle in the Netherlands. Always a very creative person she also began her explorations in textile artistry, and that work that has since won her many awards.

Colette in 1968                                                                Colette in 1980 in Zurich

[ photos from "Van jongen tot vrouw met allure", Zwolsche Courant, 21 maart 1986 ]

 

Now 68 years of age, Colette enjoys working part-time at her salon. This enables her to spend plenty of time on her textile artistry, and on teaching others the special techniques of that art form. She also enjoys taking frequent vacation trips with her boyfriend Ton, a steady partner for the past 21 years.

Ton and Colette

On Vacation

We are now translating articles and webpages about Colette into English and are posting the translations here. Colette has also sent us more photos of her artistry, and we are compiling pages of those photos into a web gallery of her work.  To get a glimpse of Colette's life and her art, you can explore the following webpages (you can use FreeTranslation to visualize essentials of stories not yet translated into English):

 

 

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Here is a glimpse of Colette Berends' textile-collage artistry.

(For more examples, see her web-gallery)

 

 

 

De Clowns. Textielcollage, by Colette Berends

108cm x 152cm

(1e Prijs European Championship of Quilts 1998)

 

 

 

 

Avondje uit. Textielcollage

 

 

 

 

Fellini's Roma. Textielcollage

 

 

 

 

You may write Colette at the following address:   Colette Berends Gombertstraat 32 8031 MA Zwolle NETHERLANDS

 

 

 

 

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[Return to the TS Successes Page]

 

[Link to Colette's entry on the TS Successes Page]

 

[V 4-25-12]

 

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