Ellen van der Schaaf
Peripheral ARTeries
Before starting to elaborate about your production, would you like to tell to our readers something about your process and set up for making your artworks? In particular, what technical aspects do you mainly focus on your work? And how much preparation and time do you put in before and during the process of creating a piece?
Currently I draw with ink, but also use paint and collaging. I suddenly felt the need to work with colour, which transformed my studio in a mess of paper scraps and colours that might be of use one day. Sometimes I start my composition by pasting scraps. Sometimes I start with a drawing. I don't think it really matters for the end result. I start intuitively until I notice elements that I connect to. I then begin to see connections between the elements on the paper. It's then that the work moves into a more coherent direction which elicits thoughts, feelings, memories and dreams. I continue from there. That's usually the half-way point. It usually takes about four weeks before I achieve the right balance between contents and atmosphere. I often discover a paradox in the resulting work. I see how the different and often conflicting meanings that grew from the theme now work hand in hand. The result is often busy and detailed, and I have put in everything I possibly could. Now let's focus on your art production: I would like to start with Stilleven * and Ten Prooi that our readers can admire in these pages and that I would suggest them to visit directly your website www.tekeningenkijken.nl in order to get a wider idea of your art: in the meanwhile, would you tell us something about the genesis of these pieces? They seems quite different form each other: what was your initial inspiration?
Central in her work is the impossibility of relationships. She toys with the ideal that many pursue but most people never attain. She searches for tension between beauty and the ever-present decay.
Stilleven (still life) is an experiment to let go of all those complicated relationships. Sometimes I wish I could make peaceful drawings without all that tension. Creating a still life seemed a good idea, but can I draw a scene that shows things as they are? So far, my still lives are either on the brink of explosion or about to collapse. So I am not really succeeding in expressing peace. Perhaps I will succeed when I'm old, grey and wise.
An important aspect in her work is extreme attention to detail, which draws the viewer into the picture. Once inside, these details can invoke a sense of unease. e-mail: ellen@tekeningenkijken.nl website: www.tekeningenkijken.nl 85