I am a landscape painter who explores the elusive territory between the familiar and the mysterious, and who seeks drama in the ordinary. I am drawn to the effects of light, mostly dawn, dusk, mist and moonlight. Reflections of this light will often be in water, showing nature in her quiet mood.
Although I enjoy my plein air work, I consider my large compositions to be the landmarks of my career. They are fueled by memory, painting experiences, and explorations that have taken me along the Eastern seaboard of the United States and to Europe.
I am a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in the Netherlands and worked for several years as a free lance illustrator in Amsterdam. I have taken studio courses at the Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia and at American University, Washington, D.C. In 2002 I was selected to be a participating artist at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria and in 2004 I was offered a permanent studio there.
I am a member of the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association, the Washington Society of Landscape Painters, the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters’ Association, and the American Impressionist Society.
I was chosen to paint the front cover of the White House Calendar of 2001, and have been awarded several years in a row with inclusion in the competitive plein air competition at Easton, Maryland. In 2007 I traveled to Dinan, France for a month long artist-in-residency program. I continue to have solo exhibitions every two years and join my painting colleagues in many group shows.
I have a studio at my home in Washington, D.C. and in Alexandria, Virginia.
Website
http://www.marietje.com
