My name is Tessel and I’m a painting artist, curious about finding ways to connect deeper with the natural world, especially the water, around us. I wasn’t always a full-time artist. I studied International Law and Human Rights, and World Politics, and I did extensive research into Indigenous Land Rights and the impacts of climate change on small island nations. I always dreamt about working in the humanitarian and conservation field (which I did!).

Yet already from a young age, making art has always come natural to me: it's the thing I love doing most, that gets me in a state of "flow". Over the years, I started to experience the powerful stories we can tell through art and I learned that our creative expression is not separate from re-imaging better worlds, it’s an intricate part of it.

Now I interweave themes of human rights, boundaries of the body, and our relationship to the changing water -and landscapes around us, in my art. I paint about belonging and finding this among other women. I also paint about my love for water, and the importance of protecting it.

In my art practice, I’m constantly looking for ways in which I can connect those two worlds I'm part of, those different ways of thinking. ⚖️🌀 Merging body and space on my canvasses, the boundaries of dream-like, androgynous and feminine figures interweave like flooding rivers with each other. As such, each painting aims to reveal the beauty of vulnerability and relatability - and reminds us of the natural world that lives both around and within us.

If this resonates with you, consider following more of my work on my Instagram, where I’ll be sharing photos of new art pieces, the process in my atelier located next to Haagsche Bos and updates of upcoming exhibitions.

Thanks for your interest!  

Warmly,
Tessel van der Putte