Annie Veldkamp 1965
Lives and works in Sint-Oedenrode.

Annie Veldkamp has had her own studio since 2000, called AV Look. In 2011, this self-made artist completed the Filarski art academy.
Since 2005, Annie Veldkamp has been working intensively with felt every day.

Working with this natural product is soothing for her. She can also express her thoughts in her artworks. It is a form of meditation, according to Annie Veldkamp

Her felt artworks are characterized by the fact that they are often large objects with a three-dimensional appearance. Warm, original and with natural materials. The use of screen printing technique on the felt is innovative.

Website: https://avlook.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annie_veldkamp/
Photo: Maaike van Esch

Pete Greening. Born in 1954

Colourful geometric abstract paintings in an Op Art style. Started painting at the age of sixteen.

In his paintings, Pete explores the optical effects of linear distortion and arithmetic progression. The patterns and colors he uses have been carefully selected to create an optical illusion of movement and to create a sense of tension on the surface of the painting.

Self-taught artist Pete Greening has mainly drawn inspiration for his work from the work of Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely from the 1960s and 1970s. Pete has had multiple solo exhibitions and has also exhibited in many group shows including London's Brick Lane Gallery, The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and more recently at the Nicholson Art Gallery in Brussels.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petegreening/

Alfredo Titta, born in Spoleto on July 11, 1958

Professionally part of the artistic movement of abstract art.

He begins his research against the background of the great painters of French Impressionism around the second half of the 19th century, and then moves towards a more rebellious conception of art, the informal art conception of the Italian 1950s and 1960s. Names like Basaldella, Vedova and Cassinari are some of the painters he loved, studied and then began to develop his techniques, his subjects and his abstract vein.

Titta has been active in Spoleto for about 30 years and has had a permanent workshop and/or gallery in via Vincenzo Maria Rippo for 20 years.

His works have been exhibited in the Netherlands, in Ridderkerk, in the Gallery "IMSPA productions" by Wilma and Martin Impelmans, in Germany, in Bocholt and Düsseldorf, in the Gallery "Wissing Karl" and, again for the same gallery owner, in Switzerland, in Zurich , in Luxembourg, in the capital, in the "Auchan Kirchberg" gallery in the "Business Center" of the European Parliament offices, in Ukraine, in Kiev, in the National Museum of Modern Art, together with the Association "Spoleto Arte", in Italy, in Rome, in the art gallery "Mancini Arte Arredo" and in Padua, has exhibited at the "International Art Exhibition".

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alfredotitta/

Born in 1970, Hoorn The Netherlands
Now living and working in Zwolle, working as a visual artist since 1996
Education graphic high school

As an artist I am driven and stimulated by the zeitgeist, current events, daily absurdity and human shortcomings. In other words, the condition humaine. Engagement is not so much a choice but a visual outcome of what naturally goes on in my head. I look for the common ground and wrap it in a somewhat aesthetic image. I find aesthetics an important part of my work because it is the connection for the underlying idea. The term elusive is used when people want to characterize me. That elusive is not my chosen definition. For me everything falls together in a logical way and there is a clear underlying motive. The so-called artistic dogma is not for me. I think one of the most beautiful aspects of being an artist is the total freedom to be able to discover and explore boundaries. I personally can only do that if the artistry itself and the mediums may also be limitless. Of course I have struggled with the question whether I should not be more unambiguous in my expressions, before. But after those struggles I shook it off to get closer to my own freedom and thus to myself. You come across different disciplines in my work and I even change style every now and then. But basically everything is a step in my development as an artist and as a person, this shows when you look back throughout the years. If you were to follow the line into the future, you might see that there is no end, and no final conclusion. But hopefully an interesting and lively oeuvre.

I actually hold up a mirror to the viewer. At times I draw directly from reality because there is already so much surrealism, contradiction or conflict in it that I only have to highlight it in a very labor-intensive way. Being human in an increasingly complex world raises many philosophical questions. In essence, I think asking the questions is enough. I like to set something in motion, no matter how small. That may be my motivation and the bigger concept. Painting is kind of a spiritual necessity for me. It calms you down but it is also a fight, a fight with matter, patience and with myself. With painting, more than with anything else, the action is never self-evident, you can never fall back on previous successes, the solution for a good result is neither self-evident. Every new canvas I start naked and pristine and I have to prove myself all over again. That is the most intense but also the most beautiful thing about painting. It's blood, sweat and tears. But this creates a true image with a right to exist, if only for me as a maker. With this, stories can be told and new worlds are created. So every painting, every canvas is a fight but also an act of love.

“Be a master and a designer of yourself”, says Friedrich Nietzsche. This is about empowerment, about the ability to improve yourself, to be allowed to develop and grow despite (at least that's how I read it) descent, nature and nurture. By shaping yourself you also make a start on shaping finer and better circumstances and who knows, maybe a slightly better world. While we are here, better make the most of it. We don't have to wait for another to act, we can act now, at any given minute. For me this is a rule to live by. Real autonomy is and makes vulnerable. The resulting vulnerability makes modest and puts everything in a different perspective. Not being part of a group, but being a self-chosen outsider can result in seeing things more clearly. It is my personal aim to become and remain as autonomous as possible in both thinking and acting. And I hope that reflects in what I make. The origin of my artistry roots in this. I feel my best off the beaten track. I only really discovered this around my 24th birthday. My first studio in a then squatted school (De Oude Ambachtsschool) offered me the prospect of a life without security but with the feeling that anything was possible. This supplied me with so much air and space. That air and space laid the foundation for my work. No shine without friction, but no breath without air.

Basically I have this certain urgency to create. This urgency can also be 'disappearing for a while', but more often it is a compelling thought that imposes itself on me. This can be an idea, a word, an image, a sentence, a statement. By nature I have a restless soul and a head like a crowded house. Producing out of something that goes on in my head is tantamount for opening a valve to let some pressure out and create new space. So for me personally, a creative process is also very healthy for my mind. It keeps things in balance. I work with different mediums. In the choice for the medium, the idea is leading. With the painting process I go deep technically and mentally. I think it is a good procedure (especially in this time of volatility) that something intensive and slow comes about. In my perspective that gives value. The artwork grows along with you for a while, as it were. But when I create a digital work it is also intensive labor on the one hand, because it is still painting. Painting with bits and bytes, that is. But on the other hand, it is faster, smoother and a lot more contemporary. And to add an important difference, there is always the possibility to take steps back in the process. This way small errors are easy to fix.

I really enjoy looking at other artists and the art they produce. I think it is really nourishing in a sense. Food for the soul. But that goes by the grace of wonder and an open mind. The moment I become aware of the art of others in relation to myself, there is more noise and room for doubt or I become too distracted by all impulses and possibilities and all the possible ideas that I may pass up on. I unconsciously collect a lot and I am sure it will take root somewhere and over time it pops up. Conversely, it would be vain to state that I might be able or willing to influence others. I hope perhaps to inspire others. If we zoom out for a moment, you can currently see that engaged art is regaining a place within visual art. That is a great development. My first major art influencer, that I remember, was Pablo Picasso. I especially admired him for his total idiosyncrasy and bravado. Picasso coincided with everything he did. In a sense I wanted to be that way; fearless, playful, energetic and innovative. Camille Claudel and Frida Khalo where two beautiful inspirational female figureheads. In their days both female independence and female art were not common good yet. They paved the road so to speak and I am thankful.

Website: https://www.maritotto.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maoatelier007/

Born in 1956 in Arnhem
Lives and works in Middenbeemster
Working as a visual artist since 2013

Sometimes you seem to recognize something in the abstract work of Piep van Sante, but usually it remains a voyage of discovery in her color and form language. This keeps Piep's work exciting and gives it a depth that you want to keep looking at. She describes her work as spontaneous and intuitive. For Piep, painting is a quest by feeling for balance between color and shape. It arises spontaneously and usually she does not know beforehand what to paint. "Lifelong very consciously looking and photographing details and impressions that touch me probably determine my painting now."

Piep mainly works with acrylic on canvas. Each painting consists of many layers of paint from which the final image grows. The visible paint on the canvas is the skin of the painting. Piep thinks the texture is very important and a lot of time and attention is paid to it. Piep's work has a graphic approach, which stems from her employment history as a graphic designer and textile designer.

In addition to her work with paint on canvas, she photographs a lot, makes collages and is proficient in digital art. Her digital works are printed on various materials, such as aluminum, plexiglass, metal, wood and FineArtPaper.

With her abstract work she hopes to stimulate the spectator's imagination. “It is wonderful and surprising to hear what people see in my work."

Website: http://www.piepvansante.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piep_van_sante/

1960, Warsaw, Poland
Now living in The Hague, The Netherlands

Education art academy Rotterdam, graduated in 1987

Until 2000 Eliza Kopec worked as a graphic artist. Etchings, linocuts and figurative work were her field of activity.
After 2000 she took a completely different path. Kopec started working on abstract work. Paintings, drawings, assemblies and spatial objects are now her field of work.

In Eliza Kopec's paintings, reliefs or objects, simplicity, repetition and ambiguity are the result of consistent text applications, converted into numerical and color codes. Eliza Kopec searches for systems and structures, such as language and series of numbers, which are then used as a starting point in the construction of her works. Because of Kopec's approach, coincidence, more or less channeled and directed, plays a very important role in the creation of her work.

Kopec is currently affiliated with several galleries such as: Gallery40, Bos Fine Aty and Galerie Beta16 (Poland)

Website: https://www.elizakopec.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizakopec_art/

I have the privilege of belonging to a generation that has lived, thought and worked without a computer. I am fascinated by the novelties of the information society, with all the successive social and technological developments. Triggered by the hunger for growth and improvement, while nobody knows where it will end and whether this is sustainable. On the other hand, there is the always fascinating nature, with its life cycles.

My art is often based on nature. Maybe that’s a longing, a look back to the past. After all, we are increasingly distanced from naturalness. Nature brings me back to common sense and let me feel my heart again.

My generation is one of the last “real” people in body and soul. Although the ecological system is by no means a purely peaceful system in which things like hunger, despair or bloodshed are absent, it is a cycle in which everything is in balance. Seen in that light, scarcity, abundance, a fight, a winner and a loser are part of life, and therefore of equal value.

Wonder, Nature, Time and Transience are recurring themes in my work. In the images I make, aesthetics and distress often go hand in hand. I work with old and new materials and techniques, which means my art is a mix of both worlds, as I myself exist half virtual and half in real life.

My work is very diverse, because I allow myself to move along as a liquid substance.
Besides my art I’m making a living out of my graphic design works.

Website: https://vlvi.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanlieshoutvi/

Arièle Rozowy's works, entitled “Elusive Circles”, at first glance evoke a whole section of art history, from geometric abstraction to op art or kinetic art. The graphic purity of the geometric abstraction, the primary shapes such as the circle and the cross and a minimal but powerful use of bright colors. There is also something of optical and kinetic art in it, which makes the viewer's eye, in a sense, the driving force behind the work. Because, as with kinetic movement, it is the viewer's body that is the first to be invoked in both its visual capacity and its own movement.

Kinetic art, as we know, drew its influences, among other movements, from Orphism. And it is also Orphism, the art of color and light, that comes to mind when you look at Rozowy's work. Because Arièle Rozowy's 'paintings' are part of a perspective that goes beyond painting, intrinsically carries a dimension, if not sculptural, at least beyond the system of the flat surface, through the simple perspective of the 'double surface' - that of the wall and that of the painting - both of which together form a work, split surface to which it is necessary to add a third dimension that is that of light, and a fourth dimension, that of the movement of the observer.

It is therefore to an unprecedented and complete experience on a perceptual level that invites the artist. Effects of depths and playing with subtle perspectives and elusive shadows. Arièle Rozowy thus introduces a form of moving and unstable magic. Playing on our perception and in a surprising way with regard to the efficient simplicity of the process.

More complex than they seem, the "Elusive Circles" multiply the parameters of perception, opening a hypnotic field of possibilities. So we are trapped in the heart of a work that at first glance cannot be understood, never quite the same according to the time of day and the light of time, or even according to the movement caused by the spectator, in a permanent and joyful work. Spectacle, for which one passes from childlike wonder to the serene contemplation of the movement of the things of which the world is made (Source reference: http://www.arielerozowy.fr/ - Translation of parts of the biography written by art critic Marie Deparis-Yafil).

Website: http://www.arielerozowy.fr/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arielerozowy/

Luciano Cian, July 20th 1973, São Paulo.
Currently living and working in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil.

Cian started with oil painting technique at the age of 18. Today his fine art production includes painting, drawing, photography, video and urban. In 2008 he founded the art collective Fuso Coletivo (Cian + Kjá), which consists of interactions between different platforms and artistic languages.

He has worked in exhibitions in Brazil and abroad: MuBE Brazilian Sculpture Museum - SP, CCJF Centro Cultural Justiça Federal - RJ, Parque Lage - RJ, Espace L - Geneva - Switzerland, Contemporary Collector Gallery - RJ, IED Istituto Europeu di Design - SP, Pretos Novos Gallery of Contemporary Art - RJ, Museum of Images of the Unconscious - RJ, National Post Museum - Brasília, among others.

Luciano Cian's works have been purchased for private collections in Brazil, the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Peru (Source reference: https://www.lucianocian.com/)

Website: https://www.lucianocian.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucianocian/

Nina Fabunmi’s interest in art began as a child, she developed her artistic skills just as she learnt how to read and write but realized it was a gift when she noticed that her peers could not do draw like she could. At six, she would make small drawings and render them with colored pencils.

Her dad had a spot on the wall of his studio where he pinned up all her work. He is an architect and in her sheltered upbringing, his tools of creativity and artistic influence surrounded her. As a teenager, art became her means of expression, she wrote poetry, made drawings, paintings, collage, mosaic and fabric designs with tie-dye and batik. Upon her high school graduation, she received a Proficiency Certificate in Fine Art.

In 2001 she got introduced to a Gallery owner who purchased five of her watercolor paintings. She was pleasantly surprised. In that same year, she made her first oil painting. She would paint and sell one- on- one to those who were privy to seeing her work as it was like a hobby to her. The Gallery owner introduced her to Art associations in Nigeria, which she eventually became a member of. She slowly integrated herself into the Art world in Nigeria and had her first Art Exhibition in 2008. Since then she had been exhibiting and selling her work while running a regular 8-5 job.

In 2011, she was commissioned to supply artwork to an establishment in Lagos Nigeria. This was the break she had been looking for and it paid her enough to pick up her dream of an MFA Fine Art painting at the Academy Of Art University (Source reference: https://www.ninafabunmi.com/about).

Website: https://www.ninafabunmi.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninapicasso/

In the late nineties of the last century I started making expressive abstract acrylic paintings and gouaches. Later my work became stricter. By using parallel and horizontal lines intersected by vertical lines, geometric and rhythmic pen drawings have been created. Around 2006 I made my first lithographs and linocuts.

In recent years I have developed an interest in new printing techniques. Digital prints are the result of this. One of these prints was nominated for the Ilse Boon graphic award in 2012. I also make photos and artist's books.

I live and work in Amsterdam and regularly exhibit in various places in the Netherlands and Denmark. I am also a welcome exhibitor at the “Deutsch - Niederländische Grafikbörse” in Borken DE.

My work is in the Wilploo collection in Enschede and in that of the Aldegrever-Gesellschaft e.V. in Münster DE.

Website: https://www.carriemeijer.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carriemeijer/

Pita Vreugdenhil, Born in 1945 in The Hague.
Since 1975 she lives and works in Emst (municipality of Epe).

Initially Pita Vreugdenhil practiced various disciplines of art. After following the education in visual creativity at an Institute for Creative Crafts, Pita started to focus on painting and etching. In order to get to know the technical possibilities of the various materials better, she followed a number of other courses. From 1980 she started to focus entirely on the technique of oil painting. By applying the acquired knowledge in her still lifes, she has developed into a painter of realistic still lifes.

Her work shows a clear preference for still lifes, executed in oil on canvas or panel. The realistic still lifes are not only distinguished by the extreme precision with which objects are painted in a well-considered composition. By constantly striving to let the representation of the subjects rise above the exact perception, she shows her experience of reality.

Fabric expression, detailing and a subtle play of light and shadow, shape and color are characteristic of her work. It is therefore the amazement about her work that she wants to bring about in the spectator. Glass, porcelain and fruit are often the common thread in many of her paintings.

Pita’s paintings are built up from thin layers of paint, according to the time-honored painting tradition. Despite the fact that work is usually done on several canvases at the same time, the production of the realistic painter remains small.
Her work, which has received national and international acclaim, is owned both nationally and internationally by private individuals, companies and municipalities. Pita previously exhibited in many places in the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and England (Source reference: https://www.pitavreugdenhil.nl/)

Website: https://www.pitavreugdenhil.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pita.vreugdenhil/

"The special place where I work and live in the Netherlands inspires me. The nature, the silence and the space give me the opportunity to work in peace and comfort with the slightly bluish light that shines through the windows of my studio. These blue tones are reflected in the skin of my models"

As a self-taught artist, Peperkamp has developed her own unique style.
Her paintings are painstakingly created with many thin layers of acrylic paint that reveal an incredible amount of detail. Her editing -following the axiom less is more- makes Jantina’s work instantly recognizable and exposes the bare essence of her subjects.
Although her style can undoubtedly be classified as realism, Peperkamp’s work goes deeper within, and beyond that categorization. What she shows is a parallel reality, a glimpse into personal perception.
​“Sometimes I suspect that I look at the world differently than others” says Peperkamp.

Self-reflection is a recurring theme in Peperkamp’s work.
Personal thoughts, feelings and memories are important components in her life and work.
This is partly the reason why she chooses models in which she can recognize herself. The energy created between Peperkamp and her model plays a vital part in her work, where the artist takes the role of
​observer and commentator (Source reference: https://www.jantinapeperkamp.com/about-jantina.html).

Website: https://www.jantinapeperkamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jantinapeperkamp/

Jen Du is a painter, illustrator, graphic designer based in Beijing. Her artwork is focusing on geometric art.
She uses simple basic geometric shapes with her iconic luxurious colors to create an abstract view, landscape, object, figure or mysterious atmosphere.

Jen Du used to work in architecture design industry for almost a decade, not a designer but the office manager. However, she thinks architecture might deeply affect her a lot from then on and she found what she really into was design.

While working she studied fashion design in BIFT (Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology) for a year and got the basic training of sketching and drawing, color series, etc. After that, she applied to Parsons the New School for Design for Fashion Studies, successfully got enrolled but did not go to New York eventually because several unfinishe projects still needed her help . She also worked as a fashion editor for a website for a while but was not interested in it at all.

Jen Du started to paint since 2017 , totally self-learning. She tried all kinds of media and materials, watercolor, ink, acrylic, oil, mix media… and watched tons of Youtube videos to learn how and experimented and paint a lot. Meanwhile she also learned art history through documentaries, books and visiting museums and galleries frequently, got to know all the painters and their paintings, and the stories behind. She found she was so in love with art.

After years of exploring her art style she found geometric shapes is the best way to express herself. It is the most simple but complex form, everything relates to it, from the portion of human body to the composition of the universe.
Every single line or shape has their own voice and meaning, especially when they come together, there’s always a golden position and ratio for each of them, they could say thousand words, like the note in the music (Source reference: http://www.jen-du.com/about/).

Website: http://www.jen-du.com/shop/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jen.du/

Griet Cornille aka grietgriet from Ostend, Belgium enjoys playing with colours and shapes on paper from an early age. Her creative itch remains a talent that has long been hidden from the outside world. In her room and later in her own house, she paints and draws but shows it to few people. This will change when she goes to the art academy for a year in 2015, where she gains more self-confidence to show her art.

Grietgriet mainly makes portraits. Sometimes the process takes days to get from an idea to the final result, but sometimes she starts without a plan and follows her feelings, with the result that the portrait is ready on canvas in a few hours. When she starts from an existing person, she likes to bring out the beauty but also the vulnerability of the person. Their story is the story behind the portrait and is therefore very important. Those stories come from personal conversations in which about a hundred photos are taken. She uses these photos to make sketches on loose sheets, which she almost finishes completely and processes them in collages in a book or it ends up in passe-partouts. An image is selected from these sketches, which she further elaborates on canvas with acrylic paint.

Women in particular are portrayed by her hand because being a woman is a big part of her identity and she feels strongly connected to other women and the bond between women intrigues her.

Grietgriet gets inspiration mainly from her daily life. The North Sea and the city of Ostend are an important part of this. While cycling through the city, she thinks about portraits and new ideas are formed. In the summer she loves that she can observe people unabashedly, looking at their facial contours behind her sunglasses. She dreams about colours, about the right nuances. Her kitchen table is her studio, there is always paint within reach so that every small or big moment is used with painting.

Website: https://www.grietgriet.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grietgriet_/

Enno Paulusma
the Netherlands, Amersfoort, 1959.

Is a painter of realistic work. He prefers to paint portraits.
The art lies in capturing the character and / or the state of mind.

In addition to portraits, he also makes other work. He has made a series of paintings of "la Semana Santa" (the Spanish Easter). In essence, this is a portrait of how Easter is celebrated in Spain.

His main objective is that the work evokes an emotion, positive or negative, as long as it moves.
Reaching eyes, so that the work is seen, is more important than selling.
In addition to being a painter, he is also a poet.

Website: https://www.ennopaulusma.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ennopaulusma/

Josep Moncada (Maó 1967), is an artist who looks into the depth of the aquatic world to visualize and paint a reality that fades into a thousand shapes and colors, becoming an instant of charm and fascination. He is a conjurer who photographically captures a microsecond of the magic and mysteries that appear under water, with the power to capture them on canvas and with the virtue of moving even the most neophyte spectator in art. Influenced perhaps by his zodiac sign, this Pisces explores the underwater universe and, at the same time, relates to the subconscious and that hidden dimension that beats under the threshold of what is achievable and existent.

His works are moments of a situation in constant evolution. In his paintings are reflected moments that would go unnoticed if they were not collected and examined by his inquiring eyes and then stamped and immortalized on a canvas with his color palette. An identical job to a psychoanalyst when he scrutinizes the subconscious of his patient. In this sense, it is not by chance that the background tones that predominate in his creations are turquoise blue along with green in its different shades. Colors coming from the refreshing and relaxing waters of the Mediterranean that bathe wonderful corners on the island of Menorca.

The whole set with amazing and magical results, leaving a work of evident emotion and beauty that, without any doubt, leaves no one indifferent. (Source reference: https://www.virtualgallery.com/galleries/josep_moncada_a14153/sinopsis_c3891)

Website: http://www.josepmoncada.com/ & https://www.virtualgallery.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josepmoncada/

Marieke Noort
Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Graduated from the Arnhem School of the Arts in 1992.
Marieke Noort is an independent visual artist and designer from 1994 to today. Her fields of activity are visual arts, with graphics such as monotype and screen printing, drawing, photography and design for public space.

Marieke is also involved in creating exhibitions and arranging the furnishings in galleries, museums and other art spaces.

In addition, Marieke is involved in the organization, selection and development of 'green' / art / educational projects, web design and advice regarding digital media (Source reference: http://mariekenoort.nl/).

Website: http://mariekenoort.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marieke.noort/

Hein Kocken (Utrecht, 1945) is a Dutch visual artist, with the disciplines of autonomous and monumental sculpture, autonomous painting and commissioned work. He is known for both figurative and abstract work.
Kocken spent his childhood in Utrecht, where he first came into contact with art with his grandfather, the glazier Henricus Kocken. At the age of eighteen he trained as a drawing teacher at the National School for Drawing Teachers in Amsterdam. Then he studied as a student of Prof. VPS Esser sculpture at the National Academy for Visual Arts in Amsterdam.
After two years of classical training, he left the academy. Strongly inspired by Henry Moore, his career as a monumental sculptor began with the first sculptures modeled in plaster. As a sculptor he looked for materials that are cheap yet reasonably durable. For example, his first sculptures were made from sheet material, hammered into the correct shape, welded, forged, cut and patinated.

In 1969 he left for Alde Leie in Friesland, where large bronze sculptures were now being made. The cantilevered sheet metal bodywork was soon replaced by this bronze alloy technique: "brass" with an appearance that is not inferior to cast bronze. In this way, large sculptures could be realized for little money that were made entirely in our own studio.
Kocken's career as a sculptor came to an end around the 1980s, when democratization was also strictly enforced in commission policy and government contracts were only awarded through public subscription. A period with many other activities such as ship restorations, interior / design and renovations followed. The word "art" became a curse.
For example, the blood turned out to go where it actually cannot go… to do something in art again. He then made a few small sculptures, with which he was successful beyond expectations. In 2001, after forty years, he started painting again.
Besides non-figurative work, Kocken now also makes a lot of figurative work; both directions are represented in both painting and sculpture. In his series 'Masquerade' he has portrayed a number of very large-format figures on Japanese rice paper, which immediately begs the question: "Is this specifically the person?" or "Is he / she hiding behind a mask?" At present, portraying is the most important activity in the work. (Source reference: https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hein_Kocken).

Website: https://heinkocken-art.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kocken.hein/

Angela Johal grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 60s and 70s. Her smooth, pristine, geometric, hard edge paintings are reflective of the California hard edge and psychedelic artists, textile designs and music from that period. In 1985, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from San Jose State University and currently paints full time in her San Francisco Bay Area studio.
Johal calls her paintings “Chromesthetic Geometrics” because they are created in accompaniment to music where both together react directly upon the emotions, where there is a blending of the senses, a chromesthetic experience where heard sounds evoke an experience of color on the canvas. She believes that it is possible for the viewer to experience sound when they view her paintings. Many of her paintings are titled after musical terminology.
It is important to her that her paintings be truthful. “I want the flatness of the painting and color to be the subject, which is reflective of the Colorfield painters. My goal is to create illusions of 3D space with mainly flat color. I used to feel that my illusions were false when I painted in a realistic manner. My paintings also have a slight Op effect, which helps to create a movement and rhythm”.
The artistic process begins with drawing multiple sketches or cutting and arranging shapes and gluing them down on paper until she is satisfied with the composition, one that is balanced and energetic. A final plan is drawn up with dimensions and transferred to a sanded canvas using straight edges, templates or compasses. She uses heavy body acrylics while applying varying widths of tape onto the canvas to achieve a neat, hard edge. Halo effects form on the edge where two colors meet similar to the effects of the early Pointillist painters.
The painting process involves little planning as colors appear randomly. She likes to “risk all” and allow the music to influence her color choices intuitively. “It’s like a puzzle, a balancing act, and sometimes I purposely add a toxic color halfway just to challenge myself where I then have to save it from disaster. This, strangely enough, usually makes my painting better, and less predictable. The viewer keeps looking for a color pattern and keeps looking, but can’t find one”. This is most intriguing to her painting process, to keep the viewer rhythmically moving about her work which she believes, has a calming effect.
Geometric shapes appear in most of Johal’s work because she believes that these shapes are easily understood by people of all ages, races, nations and cultures and speak to everyone, can be easily understood and very complicated at the same time. “Geometric shapes are a balance between the world that is visible and the world that is invisible. They reach beyond what the eye can see.” ( Source reference: https://johalgeometrics.com/new-page-1)

Website: https://johalgeometrics.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johal_geometrics/

Portrait photography and digital image editing have become a passport to creative freedom for me. No jumble of disciplines. Not a twelve-in-a-dozen. Only one starting point applies to me: a strong portrait! In addition to photography, I started to be creative again since 2018. At the moment I make so-called collage art with the help of old magazines and books. These can be performances such as LP covers, movie posters, but also my own portraits that I have made before. In addition, I carried out several assignments where I also made the portrait photos myself to later convert them into collage art (Source reference: Vincentschiphorst.nl)

Website: https://www.vincentschiphorst.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/___vncnt___/

I have been working as a sculptor since 1984. Initially I mainly worked in clay, for over 25 years I have been making sculptures in bronze. My sculptures have their own visual language, in which form, texture and patines are in an exciting balance. The shapes are not pre-conceived, but present themselves during the creative process in my studio. They manifest themselves in my inner self and parallel to that in the material I work with. Until the moment when inside and outside coincide and the image reveals itself. This is how the inner comes into focus in my work. The invisible makes itself visible. It becomes tangible, touchable, but not cuddly. There is still movement, grace and beauty, but also tension and struggle and inescapable transience. The soul takes shape. The human figures are the carriers. They bring the soul into the world, bring it to light (Source reference: https://kietanuij.nl/bio-en-cv/).

Website: https://kietanuij.nl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kieta_nuij_sculptures/

I paint the soul

I work full-time as an artist and besides making portraits for private individuals and companies, I also have an enormous passion for free work.

Also in the free work, it is the portraits that I make with a great interest in the strength and power of women and the radiance and expressiveness of the eyes, in which I believe the soul can be found (Source reference: https://www.ellen-claire.nl/).

Website: https://www.ellen-claire.nl
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenclaireb/

Erin Hanson began painting as a young girl, voraciously learning oils, acrylics, watercolor, pen and ink, pastels, and life drawing from accomplished art instructors. She began commissioning paintings at age ten, and by age twelve, she was employed after school by a mural studio, learning the techniques of acrylics on the grand scale of forty-foot canvases. Two years later, a high school scholarship took her to Otis College of Art, where she immersed herself in figure drawing. Graduating high school at age sixteen and once again demonstrating that she was a child prodigy, Hanson next attended UC Berkeley, excelling further in her studies and creative development and attaining a degree in Bioengineering. After graduating from college, Hanson entered the art trade as a professional, inspired by landscapes and vantage points only beheld by the most adventurous. Rock climbing among the brilliantly colored cliffs of Nevada and Utah, watching the seasons and the light change daily across the desert, provided endless inspiration for her work. In these beautiful surroundings, Hanson decided firmly to dedicate herself to creating one painting every week for the rest of her life. She has stuck to that decision ever since and has for the past decade been developing a unique, minimalist technique of placing impasto paint strokes without layering, which has become known as “Open-Impressionism” (Source reference: https://www.erinhanson.com/Biography).

Website: https://www.erinhanson.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinhansonartist/

Born in Leeuwarden 1948.
Education City Academy Maastricht.
Techniques: Oil painting, Gouache, Graphics, Drawing, Photo, Spatial work.

Landscapes represent an important part of my work. Started in a realistic representation, we now only speak of landscape forms in an abstract expressionistic style. Many of these landscapes have the Northern area as a frame of reference, also called "Wadschap" (landscape with the dunes, clouds and sea of ​​Ameland) The dynamics of both the landscape and the portrait are my greatest motivation for painting and / or designing. Nowhere is the landscape more connected with water, land and air than in the Northern area. The apparent certainty of realism is contained in abstraction. The portrait has a different dimension to me. The landscape is independent of any interfaces whatsoever with people. For me, the portrait is the reflection of society. The inseparable image of engagement, in whatever form. Abstraction and reality are very close to each other in the portrait (Source reference: http://jaapknip.nl/biografie/).

Website: https://www.jaapknip.nl
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaap_knip_art/