Hanna Bordewijk
Rapid City, MB
Portrait artist, working in traditional media. Loves to work on commissioned portraits.
Message
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Bio:
People and animals are her favorite subjects to draw and paint. In the past 8 years she made over 200 portraits. Depending on her artistic view, she make works in pencil, watercolor, acrylic, oil or a combination off.
Hanna was born in a small town in the Netherlands in an entrepreneurial family with a keen eye for the arts. Looking for a secure income, she initially became a physiotherapist.
On a holiday with friends in Turkey, tragedy struck. she had been assaulted and left in a coma. She suffered permanent injuries that forever changed the world she once knew. The injuries she sustained ended her career. Hanna wasn't going to let what happened to her overtake life. She started on a new adventure, moving to Canada in 2002.
In 2004, she started her own decor and womenswear business in the town of Rapid City and later moved her store to Brandon. In 2010 Hanna made the tough decision to close to focus on family. She started working from home as a bookkeeper until in 2017, when she was diagnosed with Lupus.
Since 2017 Hanna has started to explore her artistic talents with a focus on portraits. She has taken many online courses and has had the privilege of attending a workshop with Annette Smith in Scottsdale, Arizona, who has been an inspiration to her. Additionally, she has also done portrait training with Ona Kingdon, who holds the position of president of the International Watercolor Society in Canada.
In 2019 the plan of an art cafe came about and together with her husband they moved to a former church to make this dream a reality. Because of local restrictions, plans changed and she turned ones more to womenswear. However, she has a studio in the store as well as at home to continue making art.
Hanna is an exhibiting member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and lives with her husband and 3 dogs on an acreage in rural Manitoba.
Statement
My name is Hanna Bordewijk and I am a portrait/figurative painter, I focus on painting people and pets.
My vision is to capture my subject in full color and with their character front and center. I need to feel a connection to my subject to deliver my best work, as a result I am drawn to women, children and pets.
I have been through a tremendous amount of heart ache in my life and making art is the one practice that centers me and makes me whole and happy. I love seeing the good in people and portraying people and animals allows me to safely connect.
For me making art is a process I feel my way through. After thinking about the composition and medium to use, I dig in straight away with paint without drafting or transferring an image. I go from large to small and from rough to detail all the while refining the likeness but taking artistic freedoms that make the overall painting a success in my eyes.
As an artist I am influenced by art that is not too literal, not photo realistic but rather expressionistic. I love to look at artists that use colors that are not necessarily natural but enhance the subject's character.
My hope is that the viewer of my art recognizes themselves and others emotion and character or situation and enjoys how the colors and brushwork comes together to make something that is a joy to look at.
My work has been shown at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba member shows. As well as at the federation of Canadian artists gallery in Vancouver.
Feel free to contact me with any questions, Hanna