‘Traditional monkish work, forgetting about time and the space around you and to create something, is what I love the most about painting.’
Before Ellen de Groot (Groningen, 1959) decided to become a painter, she pursued fashion school and worked in haute couture. Only after her 25th she started to work with oil paint. She describes this moment as a revelation, love at first sight. Painting was a perfect fit for her and in order to learn the trade she started with painting after the works of masters such as Rubens, Velasquez and Rafael.
Women shape a main theme in the works of Ellen de Groot. They are often depicted in beautiful and precious fabrics, in rooms that are indefinable. Because of this, she creates a vibe of infinity. Every painting is an expression of calmness and contemplation. Hard lines are softened and strong emotions are toned down. The painter has a preference for the image of a woman, because she can relate herself to it the most. Her love for nice fabrics derives from her experience with haute couture. The works of the Flemish Primitives such as Memling and Rogier van der Weijden are fascinating to her. Like these famous painters, she strives to perfect the painting of fabrics. Painting the details, that’s what she loves.
De Groot paints her work on Masonite boards. Afterwards she paints the image in a very detailed manner. Next she applies color, which she sometimes applies in very thin layers to create more intensity. She often works on more than one painting at the same time in order to keep an open mind about the work at hand.