January 2013 kick-off
At above moment, I had resided permanently for 16 years in The Netherlands, with its rich artistic heritage and a tradition of exchange with other countries (trade). I figured I couldn’t be in a better place to begin with as I harbour the rather preposterous ambition of having Europe as my local “fan” base. I’m Danish and my husband is French, and I have a solid friend base in the Netherlands and friends scattered over Europe, -just to give you an idea of my “basic parameters.”
Being an artist means making art and as I had only recently decided to dedicate myself fully to being an artist, I had by then only made a handful of art objects. And because my chosen materials are work intensive I’m not producing more than 3-4 pieces/year, this hasn’t changed much. Besides, having been living in between houses for the last 1,5 year (2020-21) and covid delaying everything, I have done exactly nothing in the last 2 years.
That is bound to change soon, as we will finally settle into our new home in the autumn of 2021
I hope you’ll enjoy reading the following paragraphs over my motivations and way of working.
Media, materials & work process
Fundamentally I’m a 3D artist, but when I find it suitable in an artwork I’ll mix any media. I definitely like to mix both media and materials because of the enormous amount of options open to me
I’m quite “earthbound,” both in choice of material and in life “philosophy”. I mainly work in “natural” materials such as metal (mostly steel), stoneware, natural fibers, wood and glass. I’m very “material driven” in the sense that I let the material speak whilst exploring and stretching the limits of its “vocabulary.” I really enjoy to get my “hands in the dirt” and my art is as much a product of the work process as of intellectual considerations.
The intellectual comes into play when the idea is born and when choices are made during the work process and often the end result is quite far from the seeding idea. I’ve retained an engineers instincts so my heart beats faster when I’m “constructing” and learning techniques is a joy. Well, simply learning anything is a joy.
What’s it all about?
– “Hybridization” and “expansionism” I tell you
My bagage of different European cultures makes my art hybrid in a certain way. Artist friends claim that my art has a Scandinavian touch or expression, but it is not Scandinavian as such if I’m to believe Danish friends and family. It’s definitely influenced by the various countries I’ve been living in.
I’m much too curious to be satisfied with only one material, technique or medium so I happily mix, -hybridize-, when I find it appropriate to the artwork I’m making. Likewise I have a multitude of ideas and directions overwhelming me when working on a piece of art. The challenge to me is to avoid weakening my artwork with my “expansionism” both in material and in idea. This involves pruning down in order to obtain a stronger image. Certainly, I have to apply “less is more” because I often have too much of “more.”
Fascinations & educational background
I’ve got a degree in fine arts, specifically visual arts, from the Amsterdam Academy of Arts which doubles as a teacher academy, thus also making me a teacher in fine arts. On a side note: I’ve never understood the qualification of “fine.” As opposed to what? Coarse art? Poor art?
I held a teachers job for 1.5 years before dedicating myself fully to my own art (I could not do both despite enjoying the teaching enormously). I’m offering a selection of workshops thereby still being able to enjoy the teaching of this wonderful subject of making art.
Way back in my young years (previous life!) I took a degree in Electrical Engineering with specialization in computer technology and software engineering. I’ve had some marvelous years traveling the world as a software engineer, I’ve lived in three countries and visited even more. It’s a time I’ll never forget nor regret, because it has given me an open mind, stimulating work, exciting encounters and enduring friendships. It has proved to be a fruitful background for my new live as an artist.
I’m an artist equipped with an engineering viewpoint, which means that I’m very interested in the way manmade constructions influence humans. That’s why I’m fascinated of the impact of our manmade surroundings upon our lives. How liveable is our habitat actually? And how do we react thereupon? What does it do to us?
The engineering background also shows when I have to construct tools or support structures specific to an artwork in making. It is a welcome challenge solving a technical problem to achieve an artistic result.
Another fascination is travel, or rather exploration, of places, cultures and nature. I feel like a sponge sucking up all these impressions as a kind of fuel that keeps me warm and up and going. Basically, I’m overwhelmed and completely in love with our world and its inhabitants. Actually, in my next life, I’ll be an anthropologist or sociologist
Thanks for having read this far
– Lisbeth Jørgensen Veillat