Portal Gallery

Monika ten Bruggencate

Statement from the Artist:

“I love to paint the form and the light which flows over it. Whether it is the human form, a still life, or part of a landscape is secondary to me. Deciding which details to capture in a painting and which ones to leave out, while playing with shapes, light and rhythm, is a challenging and rewarding process with endless opportunities and varied results.

As I have gotten confident in painting the human form in its many variations, I have started to invent larger parts of each painting. I sometimes incorporate recent events or a model’s interests into a painting, or simply create a specific mood. Other times I pay homage to old and contemporary masters alike.

Recently I have been exploring landscape painting in my studio and outside. Initially, my paintings were detailed and representational. Now I am playing more with composition and color, and am inventing a larger part of each painting.

My favorite media are pastel sticks and oil paint, even though they are quite different. Using pastel is quick and immediate: I pick up a stick and apply pigment to paper. Pastel is a very soft and sensual medium, and is very satisfying to use. However, it lacks the ability to be deeply layered on the paper. With oil paint, on the other hand, I can add many layers of paint, which allows me to experiment, and it is simply fun to build up the paint. I love the feeling of letting a brush which is loaded with paint glide over a canvas.”

Click here for Monika’s Website.