Arlette Steenmans
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The work of Arlette Steenmans covers the period from 1978 to the present, most of the paintings being produced during the nineties, as the outcome of spontaneous inspiration prompted by feelings aroused by accidental events. Although she did long time refuse commercial initiatives to sell her paintings, they are now to be found in private collections all over Europe and beyond.
Like all painters Arlette Steenmans tries to make use of the best quality painting tools, although during frequent hard times it wasn't always possible to afford quality brushes and other painting tools. However, with cheap 'toy-painting' and poor materials she managed to produce excellent work, a fact that emphasises her talent and technical skills. Over a period of years she has experimented with a number of techniques and many different materials- her favourite techniques being mixed media, water colour and oil painting. She has a skilful hand and manages to depict images with photographic accuracy, having mastered the colour palette perfectly. Portrait painting is not her area of first choice, but she is also outstanding in this speciality. Her deep love of nature explains why animals and often insects, occur in many of her paintings, sometimes as a way of catching the eye, sometimes as an enigmatic detail. We often see strange worlds in the paintings-such as frogs presented as observers-with lifelike animals in unreal scenery. Sometimes the spectator's eye is deceived by a masterly trompe-l'oeil. Some pictures are constructed to include their environment in unexpected ways, for example, the picture involving a shirt and a clothes hanger. Due to the pinpoint-sharp detail of the painting, combined with its ingenuity, its originality and the whimsical nature of the imagination, the artwork of Arlette Steenmans is highly distinctive. |
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