Beijing, Red Gate Gallery Residency - Open Studio Exhibition - 2009

Ilona van WeerenWoodcut Printing

Forword

When I came to Beijing’s Red Gate studio I did not know I was going to print

woodcuts. Because I could not find the materials I wanted, I had to

change my plans. So, for the first time, I was

into woodcut printing. As I am a fine arts person,

I do a lot of etching but this has been a new experience. However, I am glad I did it,

as I have discovered a totally new way of expressing myself.

It has been a journey of learning, making mistakes

and being glad with the results.

I am grateful to all the Chinese artists who came by

and looked at my work. I am grateful too, to have

had this opportunity to be in Beijing and I can tell you I have fallen in love with

both, the technique and my residency studio.

So please, come with me on my journey of discovering.

Ilona van Weeren

Before I came to Beijing I travelled for 3 month through Southeast Asia. In Thailand I bought the wonderful fabrics which I used so much

with my new techinque.

Of course I didn’t bring a press to print, so I had to do all the printing by hand and body power.

Woodcut knives were bought and paper and ink and someone gave me

some old clothes to wear while I was working.

My first woodcut had of course to be simple. You don’t start with

the most difficult image. I had to learn the technique,

how to use the knives and feel how much pressure you have to

give for the best results.This symbolic icon I found in

Thailand.

My inspiration for this flower motif came from Vietnam where I saw a big woodcarved

wallpainting. I restyled it so I could use it in many different forms

All over Southeast Asia you see the most beautiful buildings, old and new. The old ones, especially, have so many architectural elements. You don’t know which one to pick. I went for the dragon. I used the forms and made a woodcut which I printed in different colors and on differtent materials.

In the Beijing Conservatory are some big wooden statues. I took a picture and used

it to see what I could do with solid forms. In combination with fabric

printing it gives an amazing image.

For this one I used magazines and newspapers to print on.

Inspired by my friend Fu Ren Sheng, who likes to paint the most fantastic imperial lions

in all sorts of combinations I took the image from a lion near our gate, Fei jia cun.

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In Hue, Vietnam I had a nice hotel. Inside the

room were two wooden chairs. The chairs were decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay and made from the finest wood. They inspired me to make this woodcut.

With all the soft tones it really feels like being

back in Hue.

Personal Information I was born in Amsterdam and after several trips to the United States I wanted more space to live in and moved to the countryside. I found a home and studio in Nieuwkoop, a little village known for his painters since the beginning of the 20th century. In the summertime I move to le Rialet (France). Every day my studio is open to the public. Since 2007 I also work at my studio in Mazamet (France). I have different ways of expressing myself: Painting : My paintings are lively and the bright colors will cheer you up. Etching : A more technical way of expressing, but it fascinates me. In the beginning the world around me inspired me but now I have lost myself in a more experimental way of working with traditional materials (zinc) and more modern materials (perspex). Watercolor : A technique for working outside, especially when travelling. It gives you also the possibility to make contact with people while travelling. You can find my works in collections in France, the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, Germany, U.S.A.

A selection of my exhibitions from recent years: 2008: etchings in 't Reghthuys, Nieuwkoop Maison de Sidobre, Vialavert: paintings and watercolors Galerie de Verleiding, Oudewater: paintings and watercolors from Algonquin Park, Canada 2007: 't Reghthuys, Nieuwkoop, theme: China James Cohan Gallery, New York ( Visual AIDS Postcards From the Edge Benefit exhibition) Chateau de la Falgalarie, Aussillon; theme: portrait or silhouette Galerie de Pomp, Warmond, etching 2006: St. Gezondheidscentrum Merenwijk, Leiden, etching 't Reghthuys, Nieuwkoop, etching 2005: Office de Tourisme, la Bruguière, France Koster verzekeringen, Alphen aan den Rijn, paintings 2nd international collage exhibition, Vilnius, Litouwen 2004: Galerie Art Present, Paris, paintings Exposition Artistique "Coulours et Soleil ", Vabre**, France de Brugspin, ter Aar, the Netherlands 2003: Town Hall, Nieuwkoop, the Netherlands Galerie des trente, Mazamet, France 2002: Library de Aarlezer, Ter Aar, the Netherlands 3ème Salon d'automne de Sorèze, France 2001: Salon des artistes independants du Tarn in Venes*, France * 1st prize for best painting **grand prix paintings

Curious to see my work? Visit my website or better, come and visit me in one of my studios! Please contact me by phone or e-mail. atelier la Remise 81240 le Rialet, France tel: 00 33 5 63 98 45 87 atelier la Remise 14 Rue Victor Hugo 81200 Mazamet, France tel: 00 33 5 63 98 45 87 atelier la Remise Stortenbekerstraat 49 2421ET Nieuwkoop, the Netherlands tel: 00 31 1 72 57 52 96 Ilona van Weeren e-mail: ilona@vanweeren.com site: www.ilona.vanweeren.com mobile phone: 00 31 6 13 83 87 93

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