Painting Boulevard

Original Oil Paintings in the Tradition of Dutch and French Old Master Painters.

I am Jolanda van Belzen. I work at still life and flower paintings, aiming to follow in the style of the French masters Jean Simeon Chardin and Henri Fantin-Latour. Another main inspiration is Vincent van Gogh, not so much his paintings but the seven hundred or so letters he wrote to his brother Theo.

Working on a still life with
the first edition of Van Gogh's Letters

It matters how a jug or a jar looks. A jug is not merely a container made to hold liquid, it is also a form, a shape which has every reason to be beautiful in addition to being functional. In my paintings I want to express my appreciation for beautiful shapes and for the colours and textures of traditional materials such as clay and glass and copper and wood and stone.

Often, when studying the form and colour of beautiful objects, I am awed by the craftsmanship of the artisans who made them. They add to the rich variety of shape and colour and usefulness in this world. I also thank God for having given us eyes and hands and brains so we can appreciate all the beauty He has made.

Still Life

Original Still Life Oil Paintings

Cast Bronze Mortar and Pestle

One of my earlier works, this heavy cast bronze mortar and pestle was a great challenge to get right. The top is expressively moulded with a gentle slope on the inside and a marked angle outside. The slate slab I painted from memory: these were the slabs in the wine cellar of our house in Scotland.

Studies after...

Oil Paintings after Chardin and Helmantel

After a painting by Chardin

Learning from others, from their mistakes but much more importantly, from their triumphs, is an inspiring and fulfilling activity. The painters I especially admire are the French masters Jean-Siméon Chardin and Henri Fantin-Latour, and from my native country Vincent van Gogh and the contemporary Henk Helmantel.

© 2008 Jolanda van Belzen