Shireen van Nieuwenhuyse

Biography
British-American artist. Grew up in Britain, studied fine arts at the Byam Shaw School of Art, and Ravensbourne College of Art and Design. After graduating, as well as bringing up her two daughters, she continued working in the arts, mainly ceramics and sculpture, until 1997 when she moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Once there she continued to work on ceramics, and taught art at a local school. In 2004 she moved again, this time to the USA, where she now lives and works. Currently her work consists mainly of paintings and drawings
Shireen has exhibited in galleries in Europe and North America, and her work belongs to various private and public collections in the UK, Argentina, the USA and Canada. 

Artist statement
My paintings and drawings are made using a wide range of techniques. I often use and mix different mediums with applied fabrics and sand, to create richly textured paintings. At art school I had the opportunity, and really enjoyed, to experiment with various techniques and material. I tend to go through phases, and each of these phases leaves a mark. So, after I left art school I began to work in three dimensional technique such as ceramic and sculpture, but after a few years I felt the the urge to dabble with colour, and that is what eventually drove me back into painting. But I couldn’t quite leave aside completely the three dimensional aspect of the previous work, that is why I continue now to use mixed media when I paint. I find texture very important, but it is really with colour that I express my emotions. 
A lot of my inspiration, or ideas, comes from traveling, particularly aerial views and landscapes, but also day to day life, and the hidden attraction of unassuming everyday objects. 
My work could be described as abstract expressionism, and although not associated directly with particular places, the paintings relate in colour, form, and texture to the sky, sea, land and patterns in nature. 
Rothko and Tapies have had an enormous influence in my work, but the bold use of colour and general approach of artists like Rick Wouters, Cesanne, the studies and drawings of John Singer Sargent, and other impressionist artists continue to fascinate me.