Margo van Erkelens
Works & Biography
ABSTRACT LANDSCAPES
Margo van Erkelens's abstract landscapes are very unique. All inspired by her deep love for color and nature. Her main challenge is to leave out the most recognizable , only having pure experience of shape and color to remain. She wants her landscape paintings to become a story without words; an invitation to travel through the landscapes; a reminder to footsteps , so that the viewer will use imagination and feeling.
Artist Statement
I spent my youth in Goedereede, a little town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A major source of inspiration for my landscapes (of dunes) and seascapes. The scents, memories, colors of the seasons, briny and sweet…; it forms the source for my land- and/or seascapes. In my other figurative or abstract work, these memories do not play such a role, but rather my great love for color.
I grew up with love for color and atmosphere. The warmth of a color, the tones and shades, and combinations between each other ravish me and give me the drive each day to shape my creativity. Each time my work is very different in the end. The main challenge is to leave out the most recognizable. Only having the pure experience of shape and color to remain is what I try to achieve, allowing imagination and fantasy to have no bounds: this puts more importance on ‘feeling’ rather than ‘recognizing’. This makes a painting a story without words; an invitation to travel through landscapes; a reminder to footsteps; fantasizing about an image; to imagine and to feel.
I am not trying to control my work: the process can take its course! I combine the numerous layers of paint with everything that is available: sand, soil, fabric, pigments, gypsum, etc. The paint is scraped away to allow other layers to surface. My best paintings come into existence through mistakes underneath the top layer. The ‘accidents’ that originate from previous layers are used gratefully by me and help me to let go of a clearly defined image; to let it ‘happen’ rather than to ‘steer’. This remains a challenge until the end, because when is a canvas ‘finished’? Leonardo da Vinci put it very aptly with his famous quote:
“Art is never finished; only abandoned!”
Margo van Erkelens (1969)
I grew up with love for color and atmosphere. The warmth of a color, the tones and shades, and combinations between each other ravish me and give me the drive each day to shape my creativity. Each time my work is very different in the end. The main challenge is to leave out the most recognizable. Only having the pure experience of shape and color to remain is what I try to achieve, allowing imagination and fantasy to have no bounds: this puts more importance on ‘feeling’ rather than ‘recognizing’. This makes a painting a story without words; an invitation to travel through landscapes; a reminder to footsteps; fantasizing about an image; to imagine and to feel.
I am not trying to control my work: the process can take its course! I combine the numerous layers of paint with everything that is available: sand, soil, fabric, pigments, gypsum, etc. The paint is scraped away to allow other layers to surface. My best paintings come into existence through mistakes underneath the top layer. The ‘accidents’ that originate from previous layers are used gratefully by me and help me to let go of a clearly defined image; to let it ‘happen’ rather than to ‘steer’. This remains a challenge until the end, because when is a canvas ‘finished’? Leonardo da Vinci put it very aptly with his famous quote:
“Art is never finished; only abandoned!”
Margo van Erkelens (1969)