The Artist

Who Is David

Biography: David Christian Johannes de Jong.

My passport lists Bucaramanga, Colombia as my place of birth. I was adopted at a very young age, 1.5 years old, and was then taken to Guadalajara Mexico by my new Dutch father and English mother were we lived for 5 years after which we arrived in Austria for a few years, then finally we settled in The Netherlands. 

I was raised in a free way and that made it possible for me to develop myself into an artist. I went to school in Schoonhoven to become a goldsmith, and from the start I knew I wanted to create my own designs and sell them myself.

After a period of trainee posts and short term jobs, I decided to start working for myself. I designed and sold jewelry of all kinds and, because of my passion for chess, I started to develop my own chess set. This has become my life’s work, which is now, after several years, ready to be realised.

My mysterious origins + nomadic family life have left clear traces. On the one hand, it has led to a strong sense of the present and the future. On the other hand, a search for the past, the unknown.

My turbulent existence has not only served as inspiration for my work, but also for my company name. The many journeys have given me so many ‘strange’ impressions, that the word ‘normal’ got another meaning. The choice for Motley Design, where Motley means ‘crazy’ or ‘different’, has become my trademark, and forms a whole with my motto: 

“That what nature creates, can be sculptured by mankind”