Shells - Limited Edition 4 of 12 Print

Véronique Driedonks is a graphic artist who lives and works in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. She makes etchings, relief prints and drawings on paper and textile. After printing or drawing she adds another step to her creative process by cutting, weaving and folding the materials into three-dimensional reliefs and sculptures. WOVEN For her ‘Woven’ series Véronique uses only two zinc plates. They depict abstract ranges of linear waves and can be printed over and over again in different colors or tones. The Woven pieces are made of strips cut from these etchings. Spread across the tables of Véronique’s studio is a whole palette of strips. Choosing and weaving strip by strip, the images emerge. Since the original etchings were composed of bend lines, now hundreds of fragmented curves are rearranged in completely different ensembles. PRINT & FOLD Véronique’s fascination for spatial work originated at ArtEZ University of the Arts Arnhem, where she graduated in 2005 with large installations of all kinds of materials. Later the focus shifted to graphic art, that is traditionally two-dimensional. With her ‘Print & Fold’ series, Véronique Driedonks now escapes the flat surface by folding the paper into 3D creations. To give the foldings their shape she designs a pattern of fold lines on the front and back of the paper. Those grids introduce geometry, rhythm, and abstraction to the work. The spaciousness brings a beautiful movement of lines, light, and shadows. Finally, form and content merge. ARTIST STATEMENT & THEMES Véronique comments on her work: ’Life is a journey and so is a work of art. Each artwork is a little world, a landscape in which strange components and figures are searching to find their way. There is an interaction between things that seem to happen accidentally and natural laws. Recurring themes in my work are the landscape, water and wetlands that I see around me when I go walking throughout the seasons. I love to use elements from nature. Wetlands are constantly changing and regenerating. The growth, being, and decay of trees, plants, leaves and animals are based both on chance and fixed patterns. In order not to ‘get lost’ in whimsical organic shapes or details, the whole of the artwork needs direction. Not only the most abundant piece, but also the sober parts that appear to be simple. That is why often a kind of framework looms up, connecting everything. It can be a repetition of shapes, or just the horizon that divides the landscape in two.