shahnez Van De Slijke
Spain
A fascinating childhood full of love and encouragement made me what I am today: A wife, a mother and an artist.
After graduating with a Masters degree in Literary Translation from Norwich University UEA in the UK in 2002, I quickly dedicated myself to translation, writing and poetry, and my early oil works attempts at that time were insignificant in talent.
My travelling worldwide was a first opportunity to get closer to renown artists spending hours in prestigious museums and galleries. Literally feeding my soul with every single work caused an obvious impact on my performance expectations.
Eager to join both passions, painting and writing I finally completed a University Calligraphy course in 2019 in Istanbul.
There was a time dedicated for family and work. Today and for the past four years, I have finally found a peaceful home in Spain after living in more than 9 countries. In my Atelier in Andalucia, I daily try to dedicate time to play with pure pigments.
For me, the human figure is the most fascinating and difficult shape to achieve with any existing technique, and nothing can be more satisfying than reproducing something you admire.
Today as a Pastelliste, and mostly a portraitist, I strive to reflect a realistic image of my chosen muses. A face and a body do not represent an identity; a multitude of emotions lay behind every expression.
My official appearance in the Art word is humble but worth to be mentioned:
- 2019 My painting tiled Noblesse joined a shared exhibition in Zaragoza for the Agrupacion Artistica de Aragonesa. Artelibre pequeno formato 20x20.
- 2020 my work titled Pasion Andaluza has been selected for the exhibition of the Salón de Primavera de Pintura Realista in Madrid.
- 2020 my portrait Todo Ira Bien has been selected to be in the Artelibre limited edition book Your Best Painting. It can be also seen on their webpage.
To universalize and give visibility to figurative realistic art in the world, Artelibre shares the same virtual exhibition in China with the portal www.clatia.com.
Currently, in France, in Montignac, eight of my works are in the prestigious galleria of Girault, a pioneer site of artisanal fine quality dry pastel since 1780. To celebrate their 240 birthday, I felt honored when the owner invited me to expose with some other famous international artists.
To be checked on: www.shahnezvds.com
I would like to thank ARC for giving the artists this opportunity, and thank as well my masters Mr Aurelio Rodriguez Lopez, and Mr Ruben Bellosso who keep teaching me the secret of realism.
I have tried to honor their transmitted knowledge and patience with me in this first participation. And yes I am quite emotional about it!
Shahnez Vds.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
