Mieke Siemons

Since 2004  Mieke Siemons paints abstract and expressive works. She feels one with the paint. She prefers, in fact, to paint with her hands. Smearing, smoothing, caressing, scratching, hitting. The canvas is the arena and that'€™s where it happens. Mieke Siemons loves to paint with her hands... Her hands themselves are often just like paintings. Feeling is important to her, emotion as much as the senses. 'Art does not reproduce what is visible, it creates it.' Paul Klee  

 About the artist 

1983 - 1985: Artibus Utrecht - drawing nude model
1982 - 1986: Nimeto Utrecht - windowdressing, 2D design, public relations
1991 - 1993: Royal Academy of Visual Arts - The Hague
1993 - 1997: ArtWZ Academy of Visual Arts - Arnhem
2005 - 2006: Roswitha Robijn - Erik Lemmens
2006 - 2006: Grafittinetwork (workshop grafitti)
2005 - 2007: Cultural History - Open University Utrecht

In 1991 Mieke Siemons quit her job in order to go to the academy of art. She began on a roller coaster ride of emotions which she represented in expressive drawings of shadowy heads. She also photographed abstract self-portraits. Christmas tree lights in her hair, a darkened room and the raw music of Tom Waits. By moving she painted with light, a very direct manner to express her emotions. At a certain point she put art to one side to pursue a career in business. In 2003 Mieke started again and so she was looking for a new subject. In an angry mood she made a series of expressive scratched drawings. The first one was sharp and aggressive, but the last in the series looked like music. This fascinated her so much that she contined working in this way. Dozens of sheets of paper were scratched full of drawings. The handwriting developed from the gesture, from the movement of drawing and each time it was different. Through the addition of other materials and colour the images became more and more like paintings. So she decided to get my paints out of the cupboard and to begin painting again. 

Social art project: Art at the neighbours

In 2005 Mieke began the project 'Art at the neighbours'. Once a year in Vianen, the town where she lives, a Horse Market is held which attracts a lot of people. Mieke Siemons lives in the center of the town on the Varkensmarkt, and received permission from a number of her neighbours to show some of her paintings for four days in the windows of their homes. This resulted in a number of very pleasant meetings with people and - stimulating conversations about art. 
- The man across the street (60) during his daily walk with his dog: 'Well, if I'm really honest, I don't care much for this kind of art. But I think it's very good that something is being organized in the street.' 
- The next-door neighbour, woman (70): 'I don't know anything about art, but I see that big painting all the time, and every day I see something new in it. I like it more and more.'
- A 'Gothic' girl (15): 'I love depressing paintings with a lot of black in them. Do you make these too?'
- Two children, (5 and 6): He: 'Yeah, but what is it really?' She, breathless: 'I think it's so pretty'
Bringing art closer to people, out on the street. Art at the Neighbours' 2005 and 2006 was a first step in that direction. And it was a success. Some othes projects followed.