We are pleased to present our fourth Artist Spotlight Series interview with Dutch-Canadian artist Jeroen Witvliet. Jeroen spoke to me about his path to contemporary art making and the curiosity that continues to drive his work. Witvliet’s art practice is a response to contemporary times; to be aware and to find a sense of the poetic while questioning current events, historical accuracy and memory. Read full interview…
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My country of birth is the Netherlands. I would like to be objective and without irony when describing myself but that is an impossibility. Therefore what I can say is that I see myself as a person who tries to make sense of the world by being inquisitive, sensitive and creative. I screw up many things and occasionally do something that makes me take a step back. It then makes me realize that the complexity of being in the world for me means that I should accept the mystery and wonder but also the anguish and solitude.
How does one become an artist?
I have not the faintest idea. You most likely stumble into it.
What is the first thing you do when you start a painting?
Spending some time just looking at the canvas. It might take me a while to determine the dimensions of the painting. I tend to work on canvas before it goes onto stretcher bars, this give me some freedom to find the right measurements for the images I intend to set up.
