Geometric abstraction is at the core of your painting practice. How did this graphical language evolve and how does it reflect you as an artist?
I’ve always loved geometric shapes, especially in architecture and design. I was never a fan of squiggles. The straightforwardness and clarity of geometry, its repetition – there has always been something very balanced, harmonious and neutral about it. It has a calming effect on me.
You use a limited colour palette of black, white and earth tones. Why? Is this an aesthetic or conceptual choice?
It’s difficult to describe in words. It’s neither aesthetic nor conceptual. Although I personally find earth tones and neutral colours like white and black aesthetically pleasing, it’s more of an emotional choice. These colours have a calming effect on me; just like geometric shapes, they evoke a sense of permanence. In life, everything is constantly changing, but there are things that you want to hold on to, that are beautiful just as they are, for example a friendship that has lasted for decades, a place that you always like to return to or the love of your life.
Colours, on the other hand, have a different energy for me. They are dynamic, alive. That’s nice, but it’s not something I want to achieve with my art. This is something I realised early on, although, admittedly, I did experiment with colour a little at the beginning – one of my first paintings is actually pink and blue. It’s now in the basement of my studio. One day I will paint over it.