Painting is not separate from life. It is one. It is like asking – do I want to live? My answer is yes, and I paint‘
Lee Krasner, 1960
My work consists of oil paintings and metalwork, two completely different disciplines demanding craftsmanship and understanding of materials. Both practices are rooted in the same desire: to honor the process as much as the product.
In painting I am captivated by the play of dark and light and the human form. A light-dark composition acts as a vessel for color. I am working on the project Repainting History in which I claim back the female body as female artist.
The way the body is depicted in art shapes the way we see and treat each other and ourselves. Most art in galleries and musea has been and still is made by men, often showing an objectified view of the female body. This normalizes objectifying women. We are portrayed as muses instead of makers.
With my series Repainting History I seek for ways to change the way we see, and I invite you to think critically of imagery we are used to. I am currently working on the painting My body is not a battleground, Susanna and the elders and a new version of Timoclea. I literally repaint history, by painting narratives that have been painted for centuries. I paint them differently. Think about Marat: the only man who was historically painted in his bathtub several times. We never get to see his nudity, whereas female bathers are often overexposed. I decided to paint Marat from the top, in a round bath. This shape opposes the phallic shaped bathtubs women are usually portrayed in.
Sometimes I flip the narrative, sometimes I flip the imagery, sometimes I paint something new, like My body is not a battleground.
In metalworking I am fascinated by the contrast of the material, process and product. With a lot of force, heat and noise the cold hard material is turned into something subtle and refined, like a flower. My botanical metalart is available through Galerie Bonnard in Nuenen.
In a world that is about efficiency I like to take my time to research the materials I work with extensively to make my work durable. I don’t want to participate in a society that excepts us to run much faster than we can, with devastating results for nature and humanity. I believe taking your time to invest in skills is important to create durable art.
2020 Graduated Classical Academy of Fine Arts Groningen
2023 Graduated Art Academy Minerva Groningen
New: Cape Wrath Trail 2026! Walking brings me back to a more natural pace of living and gives me peace of mind. So, in April I solo-hiked the Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland. Check out my adventures and the watercolors I made along the way.
Interested in an artwork? Feel free to arrange a studio visit: info@theartofrachelclimo.com
For metalartwork visit Galerie Bonnard in Nuenen
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