Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marie Reintjes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

In 2020, I quit my day job because I was granted an artist residency in Den Helder. I moved into a renovated water pumping station on the edge of a dune park for two months. Quitting my job was a leap, as it was in the middle of the pandemic. It was hardly possible to exhibit, and because of that, the ‘stage’ moved to the digital realm. So, Instagram became where I could display and sell my works to private and company art collections. Four years later I can still manage without side job, luckily!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In everyday life, I often come across situations and things that evoke ideas for paintings. I capture these moments with my smartphone, so my work is based on an extensive collection of photos. For me, no subject is too significant or insignificant to paint. I’m looking for interesting combinations of colors, shapes, lights, lines, directions, movements, and textures. My work ranges from icy landscapes and stormy skies to mundane subjects like a tangerine peel and traffic signs. What I see in front of me is less important than the possibilities it offers in painting and how I can translate that into paint. The source image may be personal or emotional, but the approach is formal when I paint. Each subject calls for a specific approach and has its painterly requirements. My work is figurative, but I often leave out a lot of detail, so it can also lean towards the abstract. Then, as a viewer, you have to work a little bit to fill in the blanks. One moment, the representation of a scene stands out, and the next, the painting breaks down into the paint, color fields, and brush strokes. Hearing when people tell me that my work makes them view their surroundings differently is such a compliment. They suddenly see a Reintjes painting at their kitchen table or on their way to work, finding paintings in reality.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Participating in exhibitions and art fairs. Next to sales, I also notice a lot of new followers on both social media and my mailing list around these events.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Over the past 11 years, since my graduation from art school, my journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. I’ve had to deal with a lot of challenges in my personal life and still do. After graduation my work got some attention but that was only briefly. Of course that didn’t feel great, but I believe it created a strong base for my practice. There were no external factors (exhibitions, sales) motivating me to paint. Pursuing a career as an artist even seemed like a bad choice: I had no money for renting a studio and hardly any money for materials. Painting is very important to me and this feeling is what motivated me to keep going. I could’ve quit many times, that was an easy option, but I didn’t. My career trajectory, though gradual, has been marked by steady progress, which is a testament to my persistence and dedication to painting. Driven by my resilience I have made a place for myself in the art world and I cherish the success I have thus far been able to achieve.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mariereintjes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariereintjes

Image Credits
Portrait: Leslie King Images of works: Robin Speijer Museum exhibition overview: Robin Meyer