Each Ode is one-of-a-kind
Pricing reflects the time, research and emotional depth poured into every piece.
✧ First Touch Odes: €95–250
✧ Signature Odes: from €950
✧ Legacy Pieces: from €7,500
✧ Want to learn more?
[View the Commission Guide →]
Let’s explore your story.
I only take on a limited number of commissions per month — so each Ode gets the space it deserves.
✧ Book a free 20-minute discovery call
✧ Or share your idea via email — I’ll get back to you personally
Step 1. the concept & drawings.
It all started with an idea.
In our "Visual Taste Test" interview, you mentioned your love for ancient Greek art, statues, bronze, the painting of Julie's beloved horse and how the equestrian lifestyle plays a significant role in her life.
Inspired by this information, I conducted a deeper exploration of the equestrian lifestyle and developed the following concept:
I envision a 3D portrait of her horse, Forbes, crafted from 0.15-inch bronze lines. The spaces between the lines will be filled with fragments of the elements she observes while engaging in the equestrian sport.
The goal is: ‘to create the feeling of riding a horse, the elements you notice, the fun you have, fresh air on your skin, and emphasizing the beautiful connection between humans and nature’.
Materials on my wishlist for this object contain:
Fine art prints of personal photo’s on acrylic glass • thin bronze lines • real horse hair for the buns.
To explain my concept, I used AI for the first time to visualize my ideas. The following drawings represent its interpretation of my vision. While they may not completely align with what I had in mind, I’m pretty happy with it for a first attempt.
Your Story
Sometimes there are moments that 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 or just simple small things you never want to forget - moments in life that should last forever.
Why not make those moments more than just a memory but create them an ode?
With Custom Ode we do just that, we make moments last forever. No-one likes it when the party ends right?
Well, that feeling, is exactly what the contemporary art pieces by Custom Ode encapsulate.
Giving you the feeling that your personal special life-changing moments never have to end.
A Custom Ode is the perfect personal and custom gift to celebrate a birth or the start of something new but also to celebrate a lasting friendship, to give an ode to someone’s passion or, well, anything worth capturing.
Each Ode is one-of-a-kind
Pricing reflects the time, research and emotional depth poured into every piece.
✧ First Touch Odes: €95–250
✧ Signature Odes: from €950
✧ Legacy Pieces: from €7,500
✧ Want to learn more?
[View the Commission Guide →]
Let’s explore your story.
I only take on a limited number of commissions per month — so each Ode gets the space it deserves.
✧ Book a free 20-minute discovery call
✧ Or share your idea via email — I’ll get back to you personally
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.
“How it works”
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.
How I Work
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
Artist Casper Strietman showcased his series on the missing nightlife culture in Amsterdam clubs during Covid at Singel 84 in Amsterdam
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
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 calm
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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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.
’Bespoke tributes, sculpted from your story.’
If you're looking for a gift as unique as the person receiving it — this is where it begins.
I translate life's special moments into unique objects—for myself and for others. I call my pieces ‘Custom Odes’.
A Custom Ode is like a tattoo, a deeply personal tribute to a cherished memory. It’s a tangible reminder, akin to a personal trophy, capturing the essence of an experience in a meaningful way.
My creations are inspired by anything that catches my eye. My mind is like a search engine, constantly storing memories, scents, and sounds that have left an impression on me, and I collaborate with talented local artisans to bring limitless designs to life. Through a collaborative process—consisting of a custom interview and a visual taste test—I craft pieces that truly reflect the subject’s essence.
By working with skilled artisans who can realize any concept I envision, the possibilities are endless. So, sky’s the limit.
I only take on a few commissions per month — to keep the work intentional, personal and full of care.
Hi there, I’m Joanna!
All items are made by hand and I assemble them in my studio in Amsterdam. The tailored odes are a combination of found treasures and handcrafted tokens by either myself or local and experienced artisans. All this to perfectly translate your stories or memories into timeless contemporary art pieces.
Fragment ɸ Form
Over het werk – verdiepende toelichting
Wat zie jij, als je kijkt? En wat ziet een ander, als die exact naar hetzelfde kijkt?
Fragment ɸ Form is een installatie over perspectief — en over hoe bijzonder het is wanneer twee mensen dezelfde werkelijkheid op een andere manier beleven, zonder elkaar te willen corrigeren. Bezoekers worden uitgenodigd om een fragment uit de omgeving vast te leggen. Een detail dat raakt, opvalt, blijft hangen. Die foto sturen ze naar mij — per mail, per app, per postduif — waarna ik er een ronde transparante dia van maak.
In de kamer staat een groot sculpturaal oog. Daar kunnen telkens twee dia’s in worden geplaatst: één gekozen door jou, en één door een ander. Zodra ze samenkomen, ontstaat er een nieuw beeld — een tijdelijke gedeelde visie.
Het oog ziet alles, maar oordeelt nergens over. Alles is wat het is en alles is precies zoals het moet zijn.
Bij elke dia kan de maker een korte tekst, gedachte of beschrijving toevoegen, voor in het archief, als begeleiding naast de foto. Wat raakt jou aan dit fragment? Wat zag jij wat een ander misschien niet zou zien? Al deze bijdrages worden verzameld in een archiefkast, waar bezoekers in mogen bladeren, zoeken, combineren.
Want daar zit de essentie van dit werk:
Inzicht ontstaat niet door gelijk te zien, maar door naast elkaar te kijken.
Wanneer je de wereld bekijkt door de lens van een ander, verandert niet alleen wat je ziet — maar ook wat je begrijpt. In een tijd waarin zoveel draait om meningen en zichtbaarheid, nodigt deze installatie uit tot iets simpelers: delen wat je ziet. En het even laten bestaan naast dat van een ander.
Niet om te winnen, maar om te bouwen.
Bezoekers sturen hun beeldfragment naar het opgegeven nummer of e-mailadres
Ik maakt hier ter plekke een transparante, ronde dia van
Bij het fragment sturen ze een korte tekst of gedachte mee (optioneel)
Deze worden gearchiveerd en beschikbaar gemaakt in een compacte lade, doos of display
Bezoekers kunnen combinaties maken en plaatsen in het oog, en eventueel hun indruk opschrijven
