I wanted to be a poet but became a painter.
In my work, I am looking for what I describe as the breath of a painting. Through open spaces, brushstrokes and materiality. The breath that exists in the in-between spaces where the image resides, and observation begins. It is there that meaning shifts without becoming fixed.
Like poetry, my paintings move through fragments, pauses and rhythm. What remains unknown activates, and what stays open continues to circulate.
Driven by a fascination with materiality, I prepare my own oils and grounds, allowing the painting's surface to become an active part of the image.
For my graduation work, I used images from online church services. Having the exhibition take place inside a church feels significant to me, as I grew up attending church and, for a long time, it was the primary place where I encountered art, visiting historical churches in the Netherlands. Looking back, the church and its visual approach influenced me a great deal, so it would be logical to reflect on this in my graduation.
