Edwin, how do you create art?
“That’s a very interesting question. As I am a multidisciplinary artist, I love to share how I create art in paintings and photography.
The most important to know is that all my works are telling stories. The technique is therefore subordonné to what I want to tell with my works. In other words, the technique should add value to the story, the artistic objects and goals. Otherwise, it is just creating using a technique without a plan and thus without the higher goal which tells the story.
This approach makes me unique, because this flows out of my DNA. Like anyones DNA is unique, my art is unique and becomes an expression of who I really am. As result from this, I am creating more than just something beautiful. Instead, I create art that next to beauty tells a story!
Because all of this, I can therefore share a lot with you. Tell me, what would you like to know?”
Let's start with painting to start with. Can you tell more about how you create a painting?
“Of course, I love to share more about the way I make paintings. Basically, I have two collections of paintings. One of these collections is painted on high quality Belgian linen and one of them is painted on specially manually prepared panel. As a result of this differences in the support, both collections have a different irradiation.
The first collection, on linen, is called my ‘Home Exclusive Collection‘. In this ‘Home Exclusive Collection’, I purchase the finest quality Belgian portrait linen to paint on. As every support has advantages and disadvantage, also painting on linen has those. The advantages of linen are that is relatively light and easy to ship. It is, for example, possible to remove it from the stretcher frame and to ship it rolled over the entire globe.
The disadvantage of linen is that on fluctuating humidity, the linen and the paint layer work in the opposite direction. The result of that is, over time, a craquelé will develop. This is unavoidable, unfortunately.”
And do these disadvantages not apply to paintings on panel?
“Exactly! If you look to artworks on panel, they all have in common that these are in best condition. Of course, there are exceptions. The best example I have ever seen is a painting attributed to Jean Malouel’s (in Dutch: Jan Maelwael) Butterfly Madonna from ca. 1410. I was astonished about the exceptional condition of this oil painting. I could hardly discover any craquelé in this painting. However, to be honest, this is to my best of my knowledge
Inspired by the knowledge that panels result in the most enduring art, I started to endeavour this. It took me a lot of research and development work to find out the technique. Fortunately, as a chemist, I am able to understand the old masters’ tractates. I re-discovered the technique how to build up such a painting.
I use traditional gesso that I make myself from an organic glue and special grades of chalk that match already the skin texture. Obviously, this is a secret that I keep strictly for myself.
After sketching the underdrawing, I continue to paint with egg tempera. Starting with oil paint has no chance at all as the gesso is so absorbent that the oil binder is fully absorbed by the underground and the pigments drop off. After the egg-tempera layer is finished, I use a special – again secret – way to chance to oil paint.
Because of the special composition of the underground, this results in convincing skin expression. This is so special, and unbeatable by painting on canvas.
Another advantage of painting on panel is the ability to paint in high detail. A canvas moves by the pressure of your brush. This disadvantage panel doesn’t have.
ln case you are so enthusiastic about painting on panel, why do you still create on canvas?
“All is about consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of both supports. As rigid a panel is, so flexible is a canvas. Canvas allows to paint more roughly. Next to that, as large panels become quite heavy, canvas allows larger work. This lightness of canvas compared to wooden panels, makes it also very suitable for collections that are expected to travel, such as my Sensual in the City project”
And what can you share about how you create photography art?
“Of course, I can share how I create my photography art. For that, I think it is good to share my development in photography. The love for photography started when my grandfather gave me my first camera when I had the age of around 10 years. Of course, this was an analogue camera with a flash-shoe where you could put disposable flash cubes.
I remember that my first photos I made, my younger brother was my first model. And, it was even on location. We were on holidays at the see-side in Flushing in The Netherlands. My brother and me loved to go to the beach to play and swim. On one day the weather was raining and of course we were very disappointed.
He was showing his emotion and that I wanted to capture. However, that was on another day when the sun was shining. The sun entered via the B&B window in the room in a Rembrandt light way. At that moment I did not know Rembrandt’s work, but now I know. I decided to do an experiment without flash inside. And I asked him to evoke the feelings he had at that day we couldn’t go to the beach. The resulting photo was wonderful”.
You were thus already showing talent in the early years of your life. What happened all these years?
“In my early years, I photographed mainly during holidays. After the moment my parents advised me not to go to the art academy, I fully focussed on chemistry and my chemistry career. Later, I started to paint and soon after I rediscovered photography”.
Can you tell more about this? For example, how did you develop to model photography?
“Of course I can. I started to paint Provencal landscapes. The Provence is famous for its light and attracted a lot of famous artists because of that. To create structure in these landscape paintings, I used all kind of organic materials as a kind of impasto. For tree leafs I used for instance rice. However, no Aziatic rice but Riz de Camargue, rice from the Camargue. This beautiful region is located in the gorgeous Rhone delta in the south of France. Near Arles, the city where Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin spent a lot of their time.
My art teacher noticed my talent rather swift and encouraged me to go for more difficult subjects, like model and portrait painting. I was fascinated by the dramatic lighting of Rembrandt and Caravaggio. I felt because of this the urgent need to study light. And because ‘photography’ means ‘writing with light’. I got interested in photography again.
I started to take the camera in my hand, followed masterclasses from the renowned photographer Frank Doorhof. From him I learned a lot about lighting and the effect of light on the model.”
By observing your work I see that you use many different techniques. Can you explain why?
“That you’ve noticed well! Indeed, I use different techniques. These techniques have all in common that they are made with the best quality fine art paper and durable printing techniques. For example, my prints are printed with pigmented inks on mostly Ilford paper. Therefore, these images last for at least 75 years.
At the moment, I am experimenting with printing techniques that are even more unique. I embark techniques where I make the paper photo-active by hand. By this, I mix chemicals that I apply manually on the paper. Because of this process, the chemicals are never applied exactly the same. As a result of this, no single print is exactly the same.”
This sounds very interesting, as I know you are a chemist too. What does this bring to you?
“Having a background in chemistry helps enormously as I know what I do. This makes me able to create without too much mistakes. Especially, when using expensive chemicals, such as salts of palladium and platina, this saves a lot of frustration and money.
Next to that, with this background in chemistry I know the best regarding safety. I see quite often that photographers presenting tutorials do not use protective gloves, for instance. As I know the chemicals, protective gloves are my best friends during creation. Next to that, chemical hygiene is extremely important. If you don’t know what you are doing, without noticing, the chemicals are everywhere, even in your eyes and hair.”
I see the advantages of being a chemist and artist. Can you tell more about these techniques?
“Sure, but I want to emphasise that every technique has to serve the artistic objectives and goals. As I am an artist with a mission (and vision), you can read over here, the technique has to add value to the final artwork.
Let me give an example. At a certain moment I got inspired to mirror the society with inequality. At that moment I was looking for a technique that was hiding the skin colour. That I found in cyanotype photography. I worked with models with different skin colours and made my “Shades of Blue collection“, where I share my dream of a world without skin colour discrimination.
Another example is my Palladio Collection. Palladiotype is a rare technique, because of its complexity and the costly materials. More often you see the Palladio-Platinotype technique where two noble metals are combined. The artistic goal is to honour the value of women and the soft sensuality of their skin and shapes. With this, palladiotype fits the best as the single noble metal symbolises the purity and value of women. And, moreover, Palladiotype results are much softer and more sensual than platinotype or palladio-platinotype photography.”
What were the most challenging hurdles that you needed to overtake to make the palladiotype work?
“This is a very good question. The most important is the final look and feel. In palladiotype there are many variables that determine the final result. The way you print your negative, the kind of paper, the structure of the paper. And even many more…
For example, I want to have a certain crispiness in my work, and next to that also a nice representation of the softness of the silkiness of the female skin. You can imagine that this is quite a challenge. However, thanks to my background in chemistry, it took me less than two weeks to figure this out. In my chemistry career I worked a lot with palladium in catalysis, I can assure you that this experience helped me a lot to develop this technique to my advantage.”