The limits of painting have been explored and questioned for centuries, and still every day artists find new ways to stretch and blur the boundaries and definitions of the medium. Anne-Will Lufting (Emmen, 1992) is one of the artists still trying to stretch and bend these definitions further every day at her studio in Stadskanaal. We spoke to her at the studio.
"Drawing and painting have always been the common thread in my life. After HAVO, I first studied Specialist Painting at the Cibap in Zwolle. This is still a real vocational school where you learn a lot of technique and craftsmanship and this is where my love for paint started. After this course, I studied Fine Art and Design at Minerva Academy, where I also graduated cum laude.
The end result determines the meaning of the work
Looking back, I am very happy with the professional knowledge I gained at the Cibap because it ultimately laid the foundation for my current art practice and gave my practice an edge. At art school, the emphasis is on developing your autonomous art practice and there is little opportunity to gain much material knowledge. Despite this, I still benefit every day from the professional knowledge I gained from my earlier education.
As an artist, it is good to know how thick paint should be before you use it, or how drying times affect the final result and how to sand or prepare the material correctly. The end result determines the meaning of the work and this depends on how the work has been done.
My works can basically be categorised under painting; I use paint on canvas mounted on a stretcher and generally they are hung on the wall. The only difference is that I use tarpaulin as the basic material and shape it in a sculptural way. Then it is mounted on a stretcher and I provide the work with a colour composition using a spray gun. I sometimes feel myself a maker and less a painter because for me the work starts with shaping the material. The first phase of the making process is mainly sculptural in nature and only later does painting come around the corner. I work intuitively and do not make sketches or plans in advance. Sailcloth is difficult material to work with because it is stiff and because you can only shape the material once. Every fold you make will eventually show and I don't want any imperfections in the end result. I am very picky in choosing my materials and the canvas should not have any imperfections that are not made by me. It depends on the thickness of the canvas and the size of the work how often you can apply a fold. In fact, the material dictates the shape of the work. This unpredictability makes the process extra fascinating because you can only influence the material to a limited extent.
when you see a certain colour red and yellow you immediately think of McDonald’s
For the colours in my work, I draw inspiration from, among other things, the way marketing uses colours for branding purposes and how we unconsciously carry this knowledge with us. For example, when you see a certain colour red and yellow you immediately think of McDonald’s and if the proportions or nuances are just different then you more quickly think of Shell. Apart from that, I have a fascination with colour anyway and how two colours play a game together and what effect this has on the viewer. The nuance in the colour determines the feeling a work gives. I take that into account when determining the final colours I use because I want my work to entice a viewer to take a closer look. It can take me a very long time to choose the right colour combination. The way the paint is applied also affects how you see the work and this forms an interesting contrast within my work because in terms of form, they are often abstract and organic, but the painting is hard-edged minimalist. It always gives a great thrill to see the interaction of these two because you can never predict what the end result will be."
Text: Dinnis van Dijken
Photos: Lisa Jasperina Bommerson