Hesther van Doornum

By: Nicole Relics

What influenced her work?• Hesther has been passionate

about drawing and painting since she was a child. Her first work, however, was inspired by the many drawings she had to do from models at college. In the course of the years Hesther's work has developed from a figurative style to a more abstract approach of her subjects. Emotions, experiences and life stories can be clearly recognized in her imagery; Identities, a portrait of the inner being. There is a philosophy behind all her work.

"Particularly the search prior to making the work is extremely fascinating. I hear, think, feel, dream, see and create; I find that very challenging, inspiring and enriching." People, particularly women, are a key element in her paintings. The choice of subject, expressive use of colour, composition and clearly visible strokes make her work a symbiosis of reason, feeling and symbolism . Her work fascinates the observer, it is gripping and stays in your thoughts.

Techniques, tools, inspiration?During my study at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten I discovered what for me was the most ideal way to express my creativity; and painting became my discipline. Since then I have developed my own combination of techniques and materials making my work highly recognizable. They have a distinctive straight, jagged and tangible horizontal and vertical structure in their backgrounds. The brush stroke is tangible and visible due to the accumulation of paint through the use of palette knives in combination with thickened paint (sometimes using fine sand). This, and the application of sometimes ten layers of paint, creates deeper colours and an extra dimension.

By scratching with a palette knife or the back of a brush in the wet or half-dry paint layers, I give my work a dynamic effect. The works show various hues of the colours used: from bright red to brown, from ochre to gold, from oxide black to moon silver. The colours are mixed both on the canvas and on the palette. The combination of structure and the use of metallic colours (various shades of gold, silver and bronze) give the paintings a depth and a different look at various times of the day or with different light.

Throughout the years my work has developed from figurative to a more abstract approach to my subjects. People, particularly women and their portraits, are central in my paintings. Their open stance exudes their vulnerability as well as their strength. This is reinforced by their transparency; the figures more or less flow into the background. In this way the backgrounds in my work play an equally important role; this way of working with space emphasizes my search for the identity of my subjects. The compositions, colours and poses personify conscious and subconscious archetypes; they symbolize the search for the inner self and thereby serve as metaphors for the various aspects of life, such as love, sadness, silence and tranquillity. Emotions, experiences and life stories can be clearly recognized in this imagery.

Why do I like her?

Hesther: “Powerful, sensual women who are not frightened to show their vulnerability. These are the women on my canvases. ‘This is me’ they seem to proclaim. A woman who dares to be herself is wonderful to behold, balanced in body and spirit. The open attitude of my models radiates vulnerability as well as strength. This is enhanced by their transparency. The characters flow as it were, into the background.”

I really like how she portrays and sees women. Also, I like her style, color use and how she manages to get a reaction from the viewer.