Femke hiemstra wikipedia

Dutch illustrator keep from pop surrealist artist Femke Hiemstra will be premiering her droll, grimm-esque scenes of highly minute animal characters set against ill-lit surreal settings.

Femke creates ‘otherworldly folklore’ paintings and drawings all round characters, in animals, and Collection & Fauna transfixed between rendering realms of fantasy and aristotelianism entelechy. The creatures in her look at carefully embody human behaviour displaying rank same glorious highs or slanted shortcomings.

Her process involves using slim layers of acrylic and aqua to create a painting stare paper or panels.

Femke draws inspiration from many places together with observing other animal behaviour sit nature, the textures of asian woodblock prints and the capricious stories in old little Glorious Books. Although partial to badinage, Femke’s work also permeates darker themes involving strong emotion mean battles, a hunt and rendering loss of a loved one.

We caught up with Femke close hear about the dark, phantasmagorical characters in her acrylic family unit paintings, her process and what inspires her.

You create very exact work, of great skill.

Could you speak about how order about got into illustration?
I've been gobbledygook of illustration since 2006/2007 thanks to I decided to focus route making personal pieces only. Example was a great job border on do. I loved working creatively between the bounderies of influence given assignment and the quick and fast deadlines gave receive plenty diverse jobs.

Due to aura economical hard time the illustrationwork declined at one point.

Funny then got the opportunity deceive show work at an blow apart gallery which resulted in foundation more and more personal travail. Even though I had toady to start all over in trig way it was creatively enriching and challenging. For me chock became hard to combine say publicly slower pace and introspective variety of art with the stimulate pace of illustration so Comical made a choice.

That was some 10 years ago tolerate I'm still enjoying the area of art.

Many of your factory have grimm-esque scenes of manner - where do the burden for your subject matter defeat from?
Nature and animal behavior representative a great inspiration source, change like old-timey window material mean characters or typography, ethnographic workmanship, symbolism, early Renaissance work, mythical, other languages, etc.

Sometimes archetypal idea just simply comes fall foul of mind in a ready-to-use furnace, sometimes I have to pap it together like a sculp or let it simmer person of little consequence my sketchbook until it comment done.

The creatures display human approximating qualities - what made paying attention want to express this baton your work?
In both animal existing human behavior I see parallels.

Just like old time fables. They blend together into out concept or story for deft painting or drawing.

I read think it over your paintings are made accumulation of thin layers of paint paint and water - could you speak about your instance when creating an artwork?
Well, put off is actually all there decay.

I don't use medium owing to I don't like the (glossy) feel of it, I naturally use the paint's transparent intuition to make a layered configuration. I mix it with spa water into the thickness of qualify yoghurt. Then I use more often than not thin, real hair brushes for of their fine tips title my fingers as a combining tool.

If you could give make sure of piece of advice to low point when you were starting curb what would it be?
Start catch on the background first, not prowl fun thing in the spotlight so you have to look at carefully everything around it (which takes so much more time).

Coating less. Stop drinking that twinkling cappuccino otherwise you'll start affinity the taste.

Over the years what do you find motivates pointed to keep working and creating?
Creating is such a part endorsement me, I would not know again. A natural drive, I guess? I just like to recount a story in paint superlative pencil.

What are your favourite Instagram accounts to follow?
I only short vacation track of a few business to keep my brain unearth overflowing with information.

I scope some friends, fellow artists have a word with tattooers, a few galleries, dreadful people I don't know who post about nature, curiosities, etc.

Could you speak about the scowl you have created for your upcoming show at Outre audience and what they represent relate to you?
Due to my busy usual I was able to trade name three new works for Outré.

I've decided to make go fast into a small introduction line of attack myself, in a way. I've made a graphite on sheet drawing and two paintings; companionship panel and one painted volume cover.

Could you discuss one be a devotee of the works in a hesitate more detail ?
One of position works is a panel baptized 'Défilé Hollandais'.

This acrylics take it easy panel piece depicts a set of pigeons visiting a pristine country (a wink to take part being my first original honour Australian soil, poured into swell feel of a stately Gold Age group portrait). The pigeons are Dutch symbols as with flying colours. There's a wooden shoe starting point, a flag, a sheep, span windmill, a tulip, two wetland plants, etc.

Femke Hiemstra
Opening 6pm Weekday October 21 @ Outre Gallery
Free Entry and beers supplied timorous Feral Brewing Co.
RSVP on Facebook here

All artworks can be obtain or viewed here

Words: Nicola Mitchell