Dutch artist Chantal van Leeuwen was immersed in the world of art from her earliest childhood. Her father was an artist, while her mother is a stylist. They often took her to art exhibitions in the Netherlands, Paris and other areas of France when she was young. She always showed an extraordinary interest in the artistic world.
She studied textile, fashion and interior design, where model drawing and compositions were a focal point. “After my creative studies, I took lessons in drawing, abstraction and mixed techniques by different artists. And I studied 17th-century painting techniques for three years.”
Chantal worked for twenty years as an interior designer, counting fashion labels, real estate companies and design studios as clients with her own company Osmosis Interior. She even worked on a Dutch Television program. Now living in the Algarve, she is focusing on her artwork, which has all been inspired by her past life experiences.
Her style, a mix of abstract and figurative, is incorporated in her 17th-century painting techniques and mixed media style. “A detail in a landscape, an antique object or patterns of interior or fashion fabrics inspires me to create my art.”
“I have had the pleasure of working with some great interior designers who have used my art within their projects. I like to work together and collaborate with interior designers, art collectors and decorators to present my work as an artist.”
In other artworks, Chantal focuses on expressions and movement in human bodies. Chantal has completed teacher training at the Body and Mind Language Institute in the Netherlands. “The body says what words cannot. It can bring us into contact with parts of ourselves that we have concealed and blocked.”
In her series of sketches and paintings called Body & Mind Language, Chantal represents the process of the expressions of the body on paper and canvas. Either by using an array of colours or by limiting her work to brown or grey lines, she manages to capture movements. Chantal seeks to find the balance between sensation and emotion, which is the challenge of her art.
“Mostly, I start my design process in interior design work with an impression of the atmosphere. The rugged coast and the colours of the mountains inspire me. I started collecting pieces of stone to create colour combinations for the design of a house in the Algarve. Warm earth, ochre and salmon tones to deep red rock became challenging colour combinations. This is how the production of pigments and the mixing of my own paint for my paintings arose.”
Chantal now processes the fine rock on her canvases by mixing the pigments with linseed oil, oil and acrylic paint and a finish of fine gold leaf. “Once on my way to one of the cliffs, I found four antique cabinet doors. I sanded them down and started to draw and paint with charcoal and white paint. It made me even more creative. It was not easy at that time to purchase painting canvases due to the lockdown. The antique structure of the wood provided a beautiful base. It became a new collection of paintings.”
Chantal’s unique blend of abstract and life drawings are a fitting tribute to her talents in many mediums and the celebration of the career of a true artist.
Chantal’s work has been exhibited in Luxembourg, and she regularly exhibits in the Netherlands and Portugal.
Did you Know
Mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed. Materials used to create mixed media art include paint, cloth, paper, wood and found objects.
Her work will be on display in the interior shop Nomad from April 2022. Address: Bairro das Fontaínhas N.125, 8365-204 Pêra.
Instagram: chantal.van.leeuwen
New exhibitions and events: cvanleeuwen@mac.com
