Klaas Hart

When I look at a painting, I want it to take me somewhere. The marks on the canvas and how the paint is used all tell me something about how the artist sees. Paintings are alive. They evoke senses and memories. I want to capture that feeling of vitality in my work. Most of my work is on a large scale, with the objects represented as life-size. This helps the eye relate to what it sees. But the objects’ real role is to convey the language of paint: the way light and colour fall on the objects and how the spaces between them create a sense of rhythm.

I work in oils, using a layering technique to build up the depth in the paint, carefully constructing a surface of colour and tone that feels alive. I think of painting as a narrative that involves problem-solving and invention. Every painting begins with a space. Then, with line, shape, colour, and tone, something is created that the mind believes in. Painting involves the imagination in a way that makes it a genuine statement. Within any language, there are few limits to what can be expressed. Over the last 20 years, I’ve been continually drawn to exploring the language of paint. For me, the following quote sums up why artists continue to define themselves within the context of artistic expression:

Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music. -Sergei Rachmaninov

This is the place I want my paintings to take you.