Kitty
van
de
Rijt
T
he tantalizing works of Dutch artist Kitty van de Rijt feature sinuous curves found in the female form and brushwork that recalls the worn stucco exterior of an ageing Italian villa. It is the textural quality of her work that immediately draws one in for a closer look. Colors blend together in misty reverie as faceless figures come forth and recede. In van de Rijt's work, "Feel the Rhythm," a lone female figure stands resolutely, a snake coiled round her torso, both forms ushering forth from a melodic haze of oranges and reds, blues and violets. The striking symbols of woman and snake create a sense of mystery, yet their meaning is not absolute, but open to a variety of interpretations. It is this dialogue between the art and the viewer in combination with a tactile approach that makes van de Rijt's work so enchanting.
Born in 1960 and raised in the town of Veldhoven, it was only about fifteen years ago that van de Rijt began taking art lessons. Not long after this time, while developing her unique style, the instructor recommended that she exhibit her art. Van de Rijt developed a preference for painting with acrylics on linen, as well as sculpting in bronze, wood and stone.
Though rarely delineating the human face, van de Rijt nonetheless speaks volumes through her art. "In my work," she explains, "I am communicating with the viewer and the world at large." It is in fact the remote and detached nature of her figures and absence of details in their environment that make the work so compelling, and in turn timeless. Van de Rjt's work has generated extensive interest while being exhibited in the Netherlands and abroad.
Veronica Leiton
L
ike an impression of the sea and sky at dawn, where horizons do not exist and all is misty, the fluid, impressionistic abstracts of Veronica Leiton seep into the viewer's subconscious to leave their message of profundity and tranquility.
Leiton's art is a pictorial transliteration of poetry to image. Often, the inspiration for these evocative works is a poem or a fragment of written text. She is affected by her love of the sea and she travels through the world of color with an aqueous palette of watery hues, intertwining shades of blues and greens in lyrical combinations to communicate her vision, which has the mystery of deep, quiet oceans. She mixes different materials, textures, rhythms and veils to her oils on canvas or paper to introduce a note of unpredictability to the fantasy worlds she creates in free-flowing brushstrokes. Leiton's paintings have to be viewed at leisure—the viewer taking the time so necessary to understand the message—because each piece is a world composed of micro-worlds, spaces that are transformed into different spaces, creating a new reality of serenity and infinity.The artist lives and works in Mexico, a country surrounded on either side by the sea.