'Alvestêdetocht fan Tsjam' (1998).
Luuk Klazenga was a Dutch comic artist and illustrator, whose work was widely known in the province of Frisia. After creating two comic books with the character 'Tsjam' during the 1990s, he spent 27 years drawing the character of 'Tomke' for the educational publisher Afûk and the regional broadcasting corporation Omrop Fryslân.
Early life and work
Born in 1964, the Frisian artist Luuk Klazenga hailed from the town of Aldeboarn. Attending primary school in the nearby city of Drachten, Klazenga showed an early ambition for making comics and cartoons. However, he started his working life as a cook at an institution for disabled people. In 1990, he gradually began making illustrations for the MSU, a Frisian educational advisory service, nowadays part of Cedin. A couple of years later, he illustrated a language promotion book for Afûk, a cultural institution dedicated to the Frisian language and culture. In the decades that followed, Klazenga remained associated with Afûk as an illustrator.
'Alvestêdetocht fan Tsjam'.
Comics
Together with writer Willem Tjerkstra, Klazenga produced two comic books in the Frisian language. The first was 'De Reizen fan Tsjam' (Afûk, 1996), a naval adventure story released on the occasion of the "Sutelaksje" book promotion project. Two years later, the character reappeared in the comic book 'Alvestêdetocht fan Tsjam' (Frysk en Frij, 1998), dealing with the Elfstedentocht ("Eleven Cities Tour"), the famous ice-skating tour leading past all eleven historical cities of Frisia. For the educational advisory service GCO Fryslân, Klazenga worked with writer Jelle Bangma on two volumes of 'De Aventoeren fan Josje' (2002), another comic in the regional language.
'Josje'.
Tomke
Generations of Frisians will however remember Luuk Klazenga for his work on the Tomke character. Mascot of a reading promotion project for toddlers initiated by Afûk and the Fryslân Library services, the boy character has appeared in picture books, coloring pictures and brochures, but also on T-shirts, magnets, bicycle flags, clogs and furniture. Starting with the first picture book in 1996, distributed among kindergartens throughout the province, Tomke has experienced all kinds of adventures with his dog Romke and the kangaroo Kornelia. By 2006, the circulation of 'Tomke' books reached 18,000 copies. Besides Frisian, editions of the books have been released in local Biltske and Stellingwerfske variants. The main writers of the 'Tomke' stories have been Auck Peanstra and Riemkje Pitstra, between 1996 and 2023 with Klazenga as lead illustrator. In 2019, the trio's children's book 'Tomkes Voarlêsfeest' was awarded the Simke Kloosterman Prize.
Since 2007, the Tomke character has also appeared in short narrated picture stories on Omrop Fryslân, the regional broadcasting service. Working on these programs with director Feije van der Meer, Klazenga generally had to make fifteen drawings per episode. Over time, Tomke has become such a cultural phenomenon that he has appeared on floats and a gondola. On 30 September 2006, the toddler celebrated his tenth birthday with a show in the city theater De Harmonie in Leeuwarden.
'Tomke en it Kado'.
Other activities
In addition to his artistic activities, Luuk Klazenga was restoring and reselling motorcycles. Together with his brother, he also built a barrel organ, with which he also performed.
Death and legacy
On 13 August 2024, Luuk Klazenga died in the town of Irnsum, at the age of only 60. As the lead artist of 'Tomke', he was one of the most recognizable Frisian illustrators of his generation. With his 'Tsjam' and 'Josje' books, he was also instrumental in the promotion of the Frisian culture through comics. Among the other cartoonists who created Frisian-language comics have been Skelte Braaksma, Aart Cornelissen, L.E.O. Faes, Nico Oeloff and Henk Tol.
'Tomke'.