Fine Art by Kristine Vander Velde
"Serenity" 2012
To me, creating art is more than just a hobby. It is the driving force inside me. I look at the world in terms of color, shape, and form. It's become a natural compulsion to wonder how I could
paint everything I see.
I've participated in ArtPrize every year since 2011. My goal is not to win but to participate. I have enjoyed my experience every year. I try to challenge myself artistically while thinking of a
way to capture a viewer's interest.
ArtPrize 2016
The Path Ahead and the Path Behind
ArtPrize 8 is almost over. I had a great experience at the Harris Building this year. I really enjoyed hanging out at my venue talking to ArtPrize goers. I was impressed with how respectful
peoplewere about my paintings, there has not been any damage. I was very pleased to watch people enjoy my paintings and talk to them about why I did them. It was a great way to engage with the
public. I was also asked to bring in more of my paintings to show and hopefully sell. They will stay at the Harris after ArtPrize as a part of their growing art gallery. I would like to thank the
owner, Bob Dykstra, for giving me that opportunity! On Saturday, October 8, the Harris Building will host an end of ArtPrize party with live music starting at 6pm. Select artwork (including mine)will
be 25% off.There will also be an ArtReprize event at the Harris the first weekend of November. Check http://www.theharrisbuilding.com forfurther details.
Follow me on facebook at Kris is in ArtPrize
Visit me at fineartamerica.com for prints & other products of my paintings.
My artist statement for ArtPrize 2016:
The Path Ahead and the Path Behind
Kristine Vander Velde 2016
Why would I let people touch my paintings? I've wandered around ArtPrize the last several years and I see that viewers have a strong desire to touch the artwork. I've seen you sneaking quick
pokes and stroking parts you find interesting. It's a compulsion I understand. The idea was to create a surface with varied textures that would hold up to gentle touching. The materials I
used are highly personal and relate to the theme of the paintings. My daughter lived with Rett Syndrome, a neurological disorder that robbed her of the ability to use her muscles
purposefully, but not of the ability to think. She had minimal hand function and loved to touch and scratch different textures. She had quite a collection of buckets and tubs of varied
textured objects which I used for these paintings. The paths are made from rice, beans and beads. Twine, ribbon and strips from an old towel make up the tree trunks and bush branches, I used
a gesso/pouring medium mixture to fill in some of the tree branches. The grass is from a knitted piece of cloth and fake feather duster, the bushes from a bath sponge. The tree leaves I cut
up from the inner fluff of a worn out blanket my daughter used to lay on for her breathing treatments or watching TV with her faithful dog. I used mainly glue to adhere the textures to the
canvas and used gouache, colored ink and acrylic paint to create the image. These paintings are my smallest entry of the past six years, but have been the most difficult and challenging.
We all go through points of reflection in or lives. These often coincide with life changing events. The past seems to become much clearer through our memories, while the future always remains
murky and full of shadows. We can gain wisdom by learning from our past, using that to navigate the future. When my daughter passed away suddenly over three years ago, my life completely
changed. I reflect often on my past, while living through the present. My future seems very uncertain. I know I must keep moving forward, day by day. But I'll never forget my life with her
and the person I have become because of her. I want to share that with everybody. I created these paintings from things my daughter used to touch and now invite you to satisfy your compulsion
to touch a painting:)
ArtPrize 2015
This is my fifth year participating in ArtPrize. Each year has been a different and interesting experience. My ideas for my entries usually come as epiphanies, a thought that hits me and I think,
"hey, I just might be able to pull that off". My ideas tend to evolve as I begin to work out how I'm going to approach the project. This year, I made quite a few changes as I went along. I always
try to think of a way to challenge myself and try to stand out in a crowd. I chose a multimedia approach to challenge my skills by using media I am not used to and not comfortable with. Graphite
and working in pencil has never been my strong suit, and I haven't dabbled with watercolor in a couple decades. I have always preferred acrylic paint because it dries fast and is easy to layer.
If I make a mistake or don't like something, I can easily paint over it. Watercolor is not so forgiving. I did have difficulties with the paper, glue and watercolor and started over on two of
them. I was frustrated at quite a few points and wasn't sure they were going to turn out how I pictured them. They did not, but my work rarely does, but that is the interesting part of the
process.
I chose the subject of butterflies for a few reasons. My work is about the transience of nature, how it can change in the blink of an eye. Butterflies float on the wind and drift from flower to
flower. Most species have incredibly short life spans. They are delicate and their wings get tattered & worn. Butterflies represent change and metamorphosis. My life has changed drastically
in the past few years and all I've gone through makes me feel stronger and more able to adapt to the challenges that blow through my life. I also wanted to pick a subject recognizable to people
of all ages would be able to relate to and draw their own perception from.
Every artist puts highly personal meanings into their artwork. I have always done the same. With many of my recent works, I've chosen titles based on songs that I have an emotional
connection to at that point in my life. While I have my own perception of what they mean to me, I intend that viewers of my art will draw their own perceptions. What an artist struggles with is
to get the inner to the outer and make it universal to mankind.
I'm hoping to take the time to write more about my individual pieces here during ArtPrize.
Artist Statement:
Butterflies represent different concepts to different people. To most, they represent metamorphosis from something lowly into something beautiful. To some they are nothing more than another icky
bug, the pretty wings and fluttering flight path causing the same panic as an angry bee. They are the subject of study and fascination, motifs in human mythology, and symbols of change, feminity,
and serenity. To me, they are tiny, everyday miracles. It amazes me that a tiny, vulnerable caterpillar can perform this incredible change; to form a protective shell around itself, completely
break down into a liquid, and then change, cell by cell into a different creature with different capabilities and a different purpose.
I have found the journey through grief a similar experience. I gave birth to a daughter with Tett Syndrome. I cared for her for 16 years, 2 months and 19 days. She became my world, her smile was
all that mattered. I gave up art for nearly a decade to care for her but found my way back. A little over two years ago, she died suddenly in her sleep. The shock was a nightmare, my life changed
instantly. That year, for ArtPrize 2013, I'd planned a large portrait of my daughter to show the world how bright and beautiful she was. Instead, I showed the world I'd lost what mattered most.
Over the past two years my life has changed drastically, from being a full time single parent with a part time job to having a career and only myself to care for. The one constant has been
continuing my artwork. I have found catharsis at the easel, an avenue to vent my emotions. Grief is a process, a journey. There is shock and disbelief. When that wears off, the real pain sets in,
the realization that every day I wake up is one day farther from my daughter and the life we built together. I chose to keep going, one day at a time, to put myself and my life back together
piece by piece. I feel I have come a long way in two years, I am stronger, stepping up to challenges a part of every day life. I keep pushing forward and I know the journey ahead is unknown.
Every day I wake up is another day to start over.
I chose to paint butterflies from photos I've taken at the Butterfly Rxhibit at the Frederick Meijer Gardens held every year March through April. It was my favorite place to take my daughter
after a long, hard winter of chronic illness and infections. It meant spring was finally here. It is a very peaceful and ethereal place to me.
Music has always had a huge influence in my life and it is always the background to my creative process. I often choose titles based off song titles or phrases. Music can be the universal unifier
of the human experience. We can all find our own meaning in the lyrics of music, even if it wasn't what the artist meant. Many songwriters write with this intent. I attach highly personal
meanings behind my paintings, but also intend the viewer to draw their own perception.
Rett syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that affects mainly girls. Most develop typically for 6 to 18 months and then skill development arrests and breaks down. Rett Sundrome is often
described as Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson's Disease and epilepsy all in one person. For more information, visit www.rettsyndrome.org
The three butterfly paintings are for sale. I also have other paintings for sale. If you are interested, you can contact me through my ArtPrize profile or email me at samestaleshoes@gmail.com
Rearranged...
I changed the arrangement of my paintings in ArtPrize yesterday afternoon. I think it has quite a different impact vertically rather than horizontal. At home, the horizontal arrangement had more
impact on a smaller wall, but I feel the vertical set up has more impact on a higher wall. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think:)
Rearrageble Thoughts, my entry for ArtPrize 2014
I'm not good at expressing myself verbally. I often feel that what comes out of my mouth isn't exactly what I thought in my head. Writing can also cause a lot of anxiety. I know what I want to
express, but it comes out with too many words and descriptions. I always seem to put my artist statement off to the last minute, and what I end up with seems so simple that I wonder why it wasn't
easier. Maybe because I am more of a visual artist...
Music also has a huge influence on my artwork. I always have music on when I'm drawing or painting. It's part of the fuel that drives my creativity. I am very particular about what I like and
have named my paintings after songs or phrases from them. This song I felt captured my theme fairly well. I remember hearing it as a kid and always liking it, but I seem to understand
something more from it all these years later.
Kansas "Dust in the Wind"
Here is my artist statement posted with my ArtPrize entry at 80 Ottawa Ave, downtown Grand Rapids. ArtPrize runs from September 24 through October 12:
Memories are a very important part of our lives. They are a connection to the past and memories color our future. As we grow older and relationships change, memories can shift and distort, become
faded and ambiguous. Massive life changes such as loss, grief and heartbreak greatly affect our memories. They become precious or painful. We seek to hold onto them, or to obliterate them with a
new experience.
I've lived in this area all my life and have watched the seasons come and go for some time now. Year after year, the beauty of nature never ceases to amaze me. There are things I crave to
experience every year; the smell of spring and the green of summer. I do find beauty in the bleakness of winter, but it was a season I've never painted before this year. Standing on frozen Lake
Michigan was like seeing an old friend in a new way. It's a memory that stands alone among all the many times I've been there during other seasons.
My daughter's smile is the light of my life. Living beyond her has been the biggest challenge I've faced. The fact that she found a reason to smile every day gives me inspiration to create
something beautiful from the memories I have.
My paintings were created with the idea that they could be rearranged. I will be doing so during ArtPrize and you can check my facebook fan page, Kris is in ArtPrize, for details. I will also
post here to my blog:)
Painting titles:
"Luna" Portrait of my daughter
"Send Me On My Way" sunflower & butterfly
"Soma" summer Lake Michigan panorama
"Circle" winter Lake Michigan panorama
"Animal Bar" bee & flower
"Learning to Fly" tree
