Joke Frima was born on 29 May 1952 in The Hague, Netherlands , Joke Frima grew up in Zoetermeer and did her art education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam (1969-70) and t the Academy of Fine Arts in Tilburg (1970-74 )
She then left for Florence, Italy, to refine her skills in the studio of the Grande Dame of figurative painting, Signorina Simi (Studio Simi) from 1976- 84.
Joke Frima remained in Italy until 1985, consecrating herself to studying and teaching art. She then returned to the Netherlands, where she continued to develop as a notable painter of still life and landscape.
In 1999 she moved to France seeking more space and freedom to allow her work to grow. She currently resides in Vissingy in the Morvan , Burgundy, France .
In 2020 Joke Frima has taken the initiative to establish the non-profit organisation AdA that is committed to promoting skill-based art education. Due to covid it was not possible to start, but the apprenticeship program will really start in September 2022.
Joke Frima finds her subject matter in everyday beauty in nature. Leaves fascinate her more than flowers. In her vegetal still lifes she shows us nature not yet picked clean or manicured by man. She looks for common things like a meadow with butterbur, a cluster of strawberries or dandelions. The low viewpoint she chooses, –Frima appears to be lying in the grass, –makes you want to creep deep into her paintings to find your own way through the leaves. In an abstracted play of texture, rhythm, light and colour, Frima manages to evoke a sense of calm and harmony in a rather modest subject and also grab the viewers full attention.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.