Biography:

Yvonne Tennebroek was born in the Netherlands in 1964. She studied art at the Akademie Voor Kunst en Vormgeving in 's-Hertogenbosch from 1982 to 1986. She took special interest in the techniques of the “Old European Masters.” During the first few years of her career, she worked mainly with oil paints. After discovering the special quality and flexibility of egg tempera, however, she decided to work predominantly with this very old technique. She prepares her own paints with natural pigments.

She has traveled and lived in the U.S.A. and various countries in Western Europe, seeking to deepen her understanding and experience of art. Currently, she lives in Canada. She works in a variety of techniques, particularly egg tempera, oil paints, etching and block printing. Her work has been exhibited in one-person and group shows in Canada and the Netherlands.

Technique:

The way in which I work with the materials is a very important part of my work. I prefer egg tempera, which is the most basic, natural paint invented. Egg yolk is a natural medium of oils and water. I primarily use natural pigments, made from minerals, stones, sand or iron oxides ground up into a very fine powder. These pigments are mixed with the egg yolk and then used as paint. The luminosity and opacity of egg tempera suit my work better than any other paints or media. The fact that egg tempera dries first into a soft surface allows me to manipulate the opaque colours. A unique atmosphere is created by carving into the paint. The underlying layers begin to emerge and start to shimmer through, which results in a blending and separation of colours.

About the Landscapes:

This technique creates a play of light and darkness, reminding the viewer of the different elements, of light, air, water and earth. The process whereby water and air carve and shape the earth brings me to the essence of a landscape. The earth, a solid and passive force, is moved by the active forces of water and air. This constant flow of forces can create a feeling of the present moment. At the same time, one can become aware of the history in the landscape, this flow seemingly existing outside of time, leaving layer upon layer of these present moments, which in turn create a continuously changing image. Through my work, I hope to bring the awareness of this constant process of change and renewal to the viewer.

About Abstract Art:

The works of Paul Klee and W. Kandinsky, and what they represent, caused a deep change in art. Their creation of abstract art devoid from the associations of the phenomenal world around us largely corresponds to my own focus in art. Creativity itself has no cultural background. It is never a result or contingent and can never be initiated by memory. It is the artist who lives in time and space, yet it is the artist who has the potential to perceive a truly creative world outside of time and space—to make the connection with what is and what was not before. The symbols or images used by artists are culturally bound and interpreted, but this is not the primary means of art and they remain only a material artifact. The action and process of art takes place when the attention of the viewer is connected with creativity through focus on an object of art.

Images are largely created and perceived through our feelings, which can bypass our intellect and penetrate into our sense of being. The meaning of the images is not really found by association and comparison with what we know, but is found by the process by which the viewer focuses on the art object. It is there that the viewer can find inspiration and a genuine contact with the meaning that comes from the creative world, and not from what the painter has been thinking. At that moment, the viewer can find the same state of inspiration as the artist, an inspiration that goes beyond his or her own experience. An opportunity is given to the viewer to use this creative moment, and in so doing, to make contact with deeper aspects of our human nature.