Featured Artist Veerle Coucke

Belgian artist Veerle Coucke presents a collection of boldly colorful and energetic portraits that reveal the emotions and moods of her subjects. Enjoy more of her work by visiting her website.

 

 

I present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke a variety of moods, among which are anxiety, joy, sadness, shyness and aging.

 

 

For me, the emotional experience is more important than the physical reality.

 

 

My interest in creating art started at a very early age. I consider every satisfactory piece of art to be a triumph over restlessness.

 

 

The woman in the above painting is both glorious and framed within her boundaries. She is radiant with colour, yet framed by her surroundings. I strive to achieve a sense of contrast, which is quite often only obvious after more thorough analysis.

 

 

I like to use plenty of bright colours to evoke liveliness and depth. Leaving parts of the painting blank is a deliberate choice, to prevent the painting from being too elaborate and to make the painting more intriguing.

 

 

I constantly strive and struggle when painting, in order to achieve the most effect with the least effort. In this way, the freshness and directness of the picture doesn’t evaporate. One stunning stroke is often more compelling than multiple reworked strokes.

 

 

“Hiding” displays a young guy who is hiding behind the flap of his cap. The painting is straightforward, without hidden meaning, aiming to present in an aesthetically uncomplicated way a youth with an abundance of colour. The strokes are energetic and expressive.

 

 

Colour and deep-felt emotion take centre stage in “Subdued.” The male or female, gender-neutral face tries to reflect the subdued mood of an individual. Again, a striking contrast is displayed between the downcast features in the face and its evocative colours. The dark surroundings mirror the mood of the person portrayed.

 

 

This face consists of organic and poignant curves,  depicting an affectionate mood, comforted by the warm colours in the back. The character feels supported or perhaps even restricted by the tight and sleek clothing, which functions  both as a pillar and as a corset. It is my belief that you can become aware of your body through tension or a particular physical condition.

 

 

It is a rewarding experience to be invited both for publications and for shows. A solo show is going on now, a group show and two more solo shows are upcoming.

 

Artist Veerle Coucke invites you to follow her on Instagram.

 

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