Artist Tessa de Rijk

She sees her studio as an art lab, paints with homemade organic tools and she creates 3D paintings where simplicity gives room for light and shadow play. Tessa de Rijk is "exhibiting" this Thursday at MASTERS Gallery, where three of her harmonious and serene works will be highlighted.Text: Larissa Schaule Jullens
Image: Tessa de Rijk

Symbiosis #2665

"These are three works from the family/collection Symbiosis. This collection revolves around an exploration of relief, texture and the tactile properties of man-made surfaces, and landscapes created by nature. I fuse and express these in different ways. I present the works from light to dark, just like how the day begins and ends. An eternal shadow play. I stretch the Japanese linen untreated. Every touch that is set must hit at once because the canvas is unforgiving. If you look from afar it is mainly about the composition which consists of minimal addition and without embellishment. As you get closer, you discover texture and layering in the brushwork made up of fine lines and shades of black. The shapes have a gradient from light to dark and are connected by a line lying on the canvas. This work is the blueprint for the 3D paintings #2665 and #2654."

Symbiosis #2654

"Even though this work is ostensibly completely black, the pigment causes the work to color differently each part of the day. Just like the sun transforms from cool to warm. From a blue glow in the morning, to orange in the evening. Without sunlight, it is intensely black. I see this work as a self-contained world, as everything seems to be absorbed by the black pigment. Together, the frame, canvas and 3D elements are a harmonious whole."

Symbiosis #2663

"Here it's clear that I like to bring textures to my work. By looking at it, you can almost feel at your fingertips what it is like to rub a rough wall. This artwork has different characters because of the shadow play. When the light shines 'gently' on it, the work has a kind of blur, while the cast shadow brings out a much 'harder' and monumental appearance. The 3D shapes are based on different pebbles I found. #2663 is a fusion between nature and architecture."

Take a look at Tessa de Rijk's website here.