Mystery 12-02 Painting

Wil Lof – About Me and My Education Wil Lof joined a major Dutch textile printer as an apprentice designer. She continued her background in industrial applied art for about twenty years as leading designer and colourist of fashion motives, which were produced by several textile printing companies in eastern Netherlands and cross border in western Germany. Her designs found their way to Europe, Africa, Middle East and South America in the form of printed fabric for clothing. Her first exhibition of paintings attracted a lot of attention and she received rave reviews from the regional press. In addition she found in the 70’s time to study at the Academy of Art and Industry (Enschede, the Netherlands), specializing in graphic and textile design. Now. Wil Lof is a well-known Dutch painter active in both her home country as well as throughout the Mediterranean, and creating her paintings both in her own ateliers in the Netherlands as well as France. Apart from one-off original paintings, selected works are reproduced as limited edition giclée’s or even individually upgraded as mixed media canvasses. Wil Lof – Style of her Artworks Wil Lof emphasizes on decorative, abstract-styled paintings with dynamic, powerful colours, realized in mixed techniques. Applying a special bonding technique, she covers the canvas with carefully selected rag paper, which – while drying – tends to wrinkle. The resulted pattern is observed, and if possible, used to accentuate the motive to be painted. For the mainstream of her work she uses top brand acrylics, with a favour for strong and intense pigments. Wil applies the paint in very thin layers, using her hands, brushes, sponges, and palette knifes. The result is a dynamic painting of which the colour balance changes under the available light, warm in the morning light; bright under full sunshine, warm and tender at sunset. Artificial light of variable strength can be used for highlighting. The 'colour coded' compositions of her works carry the spectator away into speculative or interpretative imaginations of the painting. Many observers characterize her paintings as being esoteric, anthroposophical, or even ‘elysian’. Apart from her series of pure abstract and figurative paintings, emphasis is now in combining both styles into mysterious scenes.