Her inspiration comes from life itself and the people around her. Death and love are recurring themes, but also old age, sadness, the consumer society and the environment are sources of inspiration. The paintings often have their own story. The process that proceeds always originates in an experience or event from her personal life that transforms into a painting that stands on its own. Ilse makes the choice to listen to her heart. When the landlady, where she lived as a student, fell dangerously and ended up in the hospital, she made a painting of the old woman instead of working on an assignment for a customer who did not give her a lot of personal freedom. She listened to her need to make something of lasting and universal value, a painting in which the beauty of old age is the central theme.