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TWPT: Tell us a little about Johanna Pieterman.
JP: First of all a big thank you to Serge
and Boudica, for their support and kindness.... and then on to the
first question :-) Who is Johanna Pieterman? Born in the Netherlands
on April 22, 1966, as the oldest child of nomadic parents who own a
cargo ship in which they tour northern Europe. I have often thought
that the exposure to a changing scenery every day as a small child
added to my imagination and ability to adjust. Also, my love of the
country and water is esp. important to me. Although I now live in the
city of Antwerp, Belgium, both myself and my husband want to move to
the country and live in nature to once again experience the changing
seasons and grow our own food.
As it stands we have to make do with living
in a city. We share the house with our 2 cats whom we adore. I have
my studio at home, so my work and our domestic life blends into one.
I studied graphic design and apart from creating my mystical art,
teaching art workshops and classes, I am very busy creating portraits
for all kinds of customers from all over the world, which I greatly
enjoy. To create someone's portrait is always a challenge, and to
capture a person's essence is incredible. Especially if I can portray
a person in their inner sanctum, and visualize their symbols for
them. For instance, in the form of their totem animals. I recently
completed a commission portrait of Marcella, whom I portrayed
together with her totem animals, and I regard my ability to create
this for someone as a real blessing!
TWPT: Our readers see alot of art that is
computer generated. It is wonderful when we find an artist who uses
some of the "old fashioned" mediums. You work with colored
pencils. Could you tell us why you prefer that medium? Have you ever
tried working with computers to generate your art? Has your art
transferred over to computer and Internet format as well as you like?
JP: I love computer generated art, but have
never tried my hand at it myself, mainly due to a lack of time as
well as seeing the computer more as a supplement to traditional
techniques. I create photo composites on a small scale to use on my
website, and I have also started to get into designing and
maintaining websites in response to several requests from friends and
business associates.
I love the commercial possibilities of the
web, and embrace the opportunities it has given me as an artist. To
be able to present my work to a worldwide audience and attract
customers from all over is a wonderful thing. It may sound
materialistic but with commercial art galleries struggling to attract
customers the web is a real life saver for artists!
To create my art I prefer the traditional
tools. Having worked with all kinds of media, like acrylics,
watercolours, oils, pastels, and so on, I found colour pencils! That
was a revelation to me, because of their flexibility and subtlety. I
love the control it gives me, and the effect it generates. Even
though I have been working with them for about 15 years I find out
new things about colour pencils every day. I love how colour pencils
are taken more seriously as a medium in the USA with talented people
like Bet Borgeson and Ann Kullberg. Bravo for that, and I hope I can
work more on promoting the medium here in Europe through my workshops.
TWPT: You have shown at alot of galleries in
the Netherlands, which has given you alot of exposure. Do you find
you get the same amount/kind of exposure on the web?
JP: The exposure I have gained through my
site on the web is vastly greater than I could every have in an
"ordinary" gallery! You have to remember that most people
still have "threshold fear" when it comes to entering an
art gallery. Somehow art is regarded as something that rich people
buy, at least here in Europe, and people who just want to look at art
are stopped by the fear of feeling out of place in a gallery and that
is especially the case when a gallery proprietor stands behind you to
try and sell you something :-)
The Internet is something that gives you the
opportunity to view the art that you enjoy in your own time and home,
without feeling crowded by people who expect a sale, which is much
more relaxed and of course means that many more people see the art,
which is a good thing. I started out exhibiting in many art galleries
every year, but since my site has taken off on the Internet I have
all but given up on the normal gallery exhibitions. Best of all, not
having travel costs, extortionate exhibition fees and commissions of
up to 70% to pay the gallery means that I can make my work
affordable. Art should be for everyone - not just an elite few!
TWPT: I notice some of your art has been
used commercially. Would you tell us a bit about where your art has
been featured?
JP: I have designed the cover art for a CD
called "Shadow of the Moon" by Blackmore's Night, a new
band project by Ritchie Blackmore who played in Deep Purple for many
years. No doubt you are all familiar with songs like "Smoke on
the Water" and "Child in Time". The wonderful guitar
riffs are all Ritchie's! He is a very talented guitarist and a
special friend.... I have also created illustrations for books about
Stevie Nicks, and have been asked by publishers to illustrate several
books, but due to lack of time have had to decline these opportunities.
TWPT: Your work shows may influences. Where
do you draw your main inspirations from?
JP: I have always seen the many influences
in my art as a whole, as something that still boils down to the same
universal feelings that everyone has inside... Perhaps the best way
to explain this is to point to Jung's theories of collective
consciousness, and the archetypes. We have a collective memory, if
you like. How myths have originated, and how those same myths return
in another version in different corners of the world. I derive much
inspiration from "The White Goddess" by Robert Graves and
see how all things connect in his wonderful search for the origin of
poetry. We are all connected, and all our spiritual experiences are,
and all our gods and goddesses are. So in my art I connect people to
animals, the Celts to Egypt and so on...... I am a composer, I take
sounds and put them into one symphony....and my main inspiration
comes from nature...as that is where all wonder and beauty is stored.
TWPT: Do you have any pet projects, or
gallery showings, or new events coming up that you would like to tell
us about?
JP: My work is an ongoing project
really, but I concentrate on portraiture in many forms, sometimes a
bit more commercial than other times, but always in my own style and
with my own inspiration. So that is where I would like to continue,
creating portraits of people for people and give them something more,
a pair of hands to create their fantasy, their dream or vision.....
TWPT: Thank you Ms. Pieterman! |
