ELLEN-CLAIR BOOMSMA, ARTIST

“All my portraits consist of acrylic paint on canvas and go through life without titles. This affects the viewer's imagination and I don't want that. This portrait is the lady with the blue eyes, orange eye shadow and her sultry look. Measuring 100 by 150 cm, this was one of the first really large works I made. Faces have always fascinated me. I paint these freely and on commission and am always looking for the core: the soul of a person. In commissioned portraits, in addition to the resemblance, I also look for an extra depth in the eyes, in the appearance. This painting is now hanging in the home of a very satisfied customer. She confided that the painting felt like an extra family member; a girl she would take good care of.”

“The blue lady with her eyes closed reflects the feeling people feel about art. Sometimes it is not about whether you find something beautiful or ugly, but about the emotion that is provoked in the viewer. Painting is an intensive and intuitive process of supreme concentration. I have a plan and a vision that is gradually adjusted during the process to arrive at painting in my own language. It is my interpretation of reality in which I express my feelings and it is wonderful to see what emotion the viewer later attributes to it. This painting was later used as a photo in a lecture on euthanasia. I thought that was quite intense, but also very beautiful. The doctor who bought 'her' wanted to use a catchy image and this painting brought the right charge it needed. Something like that is worth a lot to me as an artist.”

“This painting tells a completely different story because this was an enormous challenge for me. I had been a big fan of the program for years Stars on the Canvas. High-level portrait artists participated in this. When I was asked to participate in the new season, I shouted 'YES' before I had arranged the babysitter for my children. From the moment I met the person in question – actress Caroline de Bruijn – I was given 2,5 weeks to complete the portrait. After a number of sleepless nights, I was ultimately very satisfied with the end result. Caroline herself described it as one powerfull and energetic portrait.”