My art
Why am I painting?
I discovered my passion for painting when I was studying art. Back then, when I was 22, I wanted to become a photographer, video artist or filmmaker. But then everything turned out differently. I discovered the magical world of painting in my sophomore year. It was like being in kindergarten as a kid. I had an incredible thirst for discovery in all directions: abstract, realistic, expressionist, impressionist, surrealist. My urge to paint was indestructible and insatiable. Through the past years I developed me from abstracht- to realistic painter.
Even though I've been painting for over 30 years, my curiosity and passion is still the same as it was then.
Love and passion: With fine brushstrokes my pictures come alive. I lovingly express the details. I passionately paint my reality with oil paint.
Beauty: For me, beauty can be found in the everyday; I see people laughing and hugging and having serious conversations with each other. I capture these moments with the camera of my iPhone. In my studio, I convert the captured moment into an oil painting with great attention to detail.
Reality: I paint reality as I see it. My pictures are a representation of my reality.
Attention to detail: I find it absolutely fascinating to paint details. Small reflections on a wave or the small blades of grass in a mountain landscape.
Portrait: When I paint a portrait, I don't see the forms that make up the face, I see the soul that shapes the face and gives it expression.
The relentless deep soul explorer
St. Galler Tagblatt, 2010
Techniques:
There are two different techniques that I use in my oeuvre; oil on canvas and
Oil on sawn wooden or aluminum panels.
Oil on canvas:
The classic form of painting: a piece of linen is stretched over a wooden frame. At the beginning of my career as a painter, I used old floorboards from demolished houses. Because there was little money during my studies and I had to go cheape look for opportunities. I made my frames with simple wood joints and nails. I prepared the lines themselves with bone glue (which stunk like crazy because you had to heat it up).
Now I buy my frames from an art supply store that just snap together and prime my canvases with a dedicated water-soluble primer. I make my own frames right from the start. During the manufacturing process I have time to think about the upcoming image.
3D Wall Sculptures:
In 2009 I painted a series of pictures about toys. I painted large pictures with toys that my children used to play with. For us adults, the dimensions of the barbies, the kens, are toy cars or ridesThe castles are proportionally small, but for small children the toy is very large and almost lifelike. I wanted to reflect this size from the perspective of the children. The subjects were best emphasized against a neutral background. So I thought if there was a way to just paint the subject without the background which can be distracting. So I started sawing the toy out of a wooden board as a silhouette and then painting it with oil paint. The first picture was a
2CV tin car and many other subjects followed.
For a few years I have also been painting on Dibond panels: these are specially prepared aluminum panels that are thin, stable and light.
Video by Iris Mueller,fokusclip.ch
biografie
Rik Beemsterboer's artistic career began when he/she entered the Amsterdam art scene in 1992. Since then he has participated in a number of collaborative projects and exhibited his work worldwide.
Rik Beemsterboer received his bachelor's degree from the art academy AKI ArtEZ University of the Arts in Enschede, NL in 1992 and Art Academy in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in painting, drawing and as monumental designer.
After living and working as a painter in Amsterdam, he moved to Switzerland in 2000 .​ At first he devoted himself to abstract painting and then to realistic painting.
