Atol II Painting

Water, colour and energy - those are the things that define van den Brandeler. Balwina is self taught. She comes from a long line of diplomats, and from an early age has traveled to many countries in several continents. This has not only formed her, but it also meant she lived with and within many different cultures. Lately she has developed a very special technique in her paintings. The use of bitumen (an industrial painting material) and colourful acrylics makes an exciting combination with two elements that basically do not commingle. “Only when it dries can I see the depth and the interplay of the materials” says van den Brandeler. In her studio in Tigre, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and surrounded by water, she works on her paintings in which water and islands play a central role. Although she has lived outside Holland for decades, her roots are definitely in the Netherlands where water abounds!