‘Even with precise observations the personality and preferences of the artist will sneak in by itself. Most of the time it adds value to the work.’
Piet Sebens (Groningen, 1961) studied at the Minerva Academy in Groningen from 1979 to 1984. Balanced compositions, bright colors and a thought through process are characteristic for the still life of the artist. Sebens lets himself being led by his observations, but eventually every painting gets a personal completion. According to the artist this adds value to the work. The personal influence of the artist is for example shown in the solutions for problems that occur while working on the painting. It is a slow process so he doesn’t have a major production.
The objects in Sebens still life are often very usual and everyday, according to the artist his work doesn’t have a symbolic message behind it. It’s the wonderment about things and the visual information that the artist tries to strengthen in his still life. The formal aspects are being emphasized.
The artist paints wet in wet. This means that every part that’s being painted has to be thought through. He works with small pencils and a palet knife and this asks for a lot of time. He looks at everything around him with the eyes of an artist, in terms of composition, light, color and beauty. To vary his painting he also paints subjects with a faster process like portraits and landscapes. Usually painted on location and in a small size. But eventually he always returns to his atelier.