Corien Van Der Poll

I grew up in the countryside in the northwest of the Netherlands. Now I live and work in Arnhem, a town in the east of the country. My studio is in a former primary school in Arnhem. From my studio, I can walk straight into the forest that surrounds the town. Nature is an endless source of inspiration for me.

In the summer of 2018, I visited Suriname. Our journeys through the immense jungle made a deep impression on me. I looked out over the Suriname River. On the other side, that impressive, dense, green wall. It radiated a deep tranquility. At the same time, I felt the life energy buzzing. It pulsed right through me.

I felt this silence and tranquility, which is full of life, again at the lakes of Sweden a few years later. I felt the earth breathe. Like one large living organism from which you originate, are connected your entire life, and ultimately return. This is life, I thought; the rest is just noise.

Every painting has its own reality. There are no laws that can determine what that painted reality looks like, except my own laws as an artist, with my entire being. Through painting, I learn about myself and life.

Amsterdam University of the Arts