Holly Zandbergen describes her new paintings as signifying a closer examination of an’ interior life’ and all the ebbs and flows of energy that life brings.  ‘My emotions and sensations have become the subject.  This is why each painting has a different colour palette and paint treatment.   When I look at these works, I feel different types of energy; some surge immediately to the surface while others are soft and reveal themselves slowly.  I have always understood the world through emotional and physical sensations. There have always been moments of abstraction in my work but now I feel compelled to bring a subjective response to the forefront.’

‘Ultimately, what I am trying to do is harness the paint in a way that is a direct transfer of my energy. Some paintings have happened purely in the moment while others are the result of me trying to understand what it is that I am resisting.  Painting for me is really 'painting' when I am fully present and making decisions beyond what I think is possible.’

‘Although my practice remains figurative, it must be stressed that the majority of my inspiration stems from an internal source, something that is not driven by the literal subject. This has resulted in an impasto application of oil paint where variables, activate endless possibilities within each mark.  Painting has come to be about capturing what occurs within the present moment. Whether this is from within the time to mentally prepare and “enter into” the painting, to the physical contact made of brush onto canvas.   The artwork itself is a result of a conducted spiritual process, where varying brushwork reflects the subtle layers of an authentic human response.’  

As an artist, I use oil paint as a medium to explore this kindred connection that exists between the mark and intent.’

DETAILS

Holly Zandbergen, An Interior Life Examined

NZArtbroker

2 Kingsley Street, Sydenham

3 - 17 December

IMAGE

1. Holly Zandergen, Sunrise, (detail), 2022, oil on canvas