Engelina Zandstra - composition 2145

Title: Composition 2145
Author: Engelina Zandstra (Netherlands)
Technique: Acrylic on canvas, with the sides of the frame painted. Original work, unique piece. Certificate of authenticity included.
Series: Landscapes of the Mind
Status: Original work, unique piece

Engelina Zandstra — Biography
Engelina Zandstra is a contemporary Dutch painter, active internationally and appreciated for her unmistakable expressive abstract-coloristic language.

Education and life
Zandstra lives and works in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. She earned a Master’s degree in physical chemistry at the University of Amsterdam, then pursued a teaching career at Hogeschool Alkmaar. A scientific academic path, however, that did not stifle a deep artistic vocation, destined to emerge strongly in maturity.
Around 1992 she began painting after taking several courses in Amsterdam, including printmaking, modeling and serigraphy (silkscreen). In recent years she has focused on painting with acrylic colors.

Poetics and style
Her painterly style is inspired by Abstract Expressionism, of which she admires the sense of expressive freedom. She is also fascinated by the alchemy of color. Her images are born in the mind and imagination of the artist.
Her works are part of a cycle called "Landscapes of the Mind" — landscapes of the mind — a programmatic title that reveals how external reality is never the starting point, but rather the inner flow of imagination. She regards her paintings as music: words are not necessary for interpretation. Each work tells its own story, and the viewer can experience it in his or her own way, attributing personal meaning. She usually works in multiple thin, overlapping layers.
Her statement perfectly summarizes her vision: "In the labyrinth of my thoughts there are many ways that lead to the unknown — at every corner a surprise — fata morgana, unseen views — paintings designed according to their own laws."

Exhibitions
Throughout her career she has exhibited in numerous national and international venues, including: Art Circle BeeKk of Bilthoven (2019); Artists Haven Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (2011); Het Kunstbedrijf in Heemstede; De Lange Litanie in Roeselare, Belgium; Diaconessenhuis in Meppel; Galerie De Kleine Hoogstraat in Leeuwarden; Marziart International Gallery (2009); Galerie de Opsteker, Amsterdam (2003).