Three Women at a table

2023 | Oil on linnen | 150 x 120

This piece was nominated for the Dutch Portrait Prize 2023.

This work depicts three women at a table: my mother and two sisters. The reason I enjoy painting the people around me is because they hold depth and meaning for me. They carry a certain weight. This doesn't necessarily mean that capturing their character or specific features is always my goal in the painting. In this piece, they are part of a scene, a captured moment. What exactly is happening, or has happened, is left to the viewer.

I painted this work "live," behind glass, at Rotterdam Central Station. (see video below) For several months, travelers could witness the painting process day by day. From the imprimatura (underlayer) to the various transparent top layers. This approach, reminiscent of the 'old masters,' is evident in certain shadow areas and my mother's bracelet, where the underlying surface is still visible.