Margo van Erkelens

Margo's work is instantly recognizable. The powerful textures and beautiful, warm colors are striking. In the layering, you can almost sense her mood at that moment.

Margo van Erkelens builds her mostly monochrome works layer by layer. The warm, earthy colors meander across her canvas, betraying her mood at the moment. Powerful, inquisitive, sometimes a touch impulsive. Yet at the same time, her paintings appear subdued and vulnerable, almost tender. That feeling, that atmosphere, is important to Margo; it comes almost naturally when she paints.

The smell of salt water, the warm sand beneath your feet, and the wind brushing your face. The sea and the coast are inextricably linked to artist Margo van Erkelens's childhood. She has embraced that island atmosphere, the seasons, and the colors. This is reflected in her work.

While applying those many layers of paint, all sorts of things happen; the painting process seems to have taken over. She glues, smooths, heats, tears, breaks, and rebuilds. Often without a predetermined goal, Margo works intuitively. For her, it's the ultimate letting go, letting things happen and no longer directing; a pure experience of color and form. Only in the final, lighter layers does the canvas take on a definitive form.