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A painting her mother made for her inspired by Blue Horse of Franz Marc: the first reminiscence of a work of art held in the memory of Dutch artist Eva Hendriks was when she was only seven years old, as she recounts.
“I grew up with a mother who integrated art as a part of our upbringing. She wrote poetry, and she was always drawing and painting. [...] As I was younger I had two dreams, traveling the world and going to arts school to become an artist or a fashion designer. I was always very creative and wanted to find a way to make a living doing that”.
And so it was. For over a decade, Hendriks lived traveling around the world, from Antigua and Barcelona to Bangkok and Shanghai. She explored the culture of these places, and learned the language, through frequenting the workshops of local artisans. Then, the return home.
“When I came back to the Netherlands, I focused on real estate transformations, which intrigued me to explore working with steel, sand, wood and resin. While pregnant with my fifth child, I realized that art had become an essential part of my life”. So, three years ago, Eva left her employment in real estate to open her own studio and devote herself completely to art.
Eva Hendriks' artworks tell about her world and her stories: "My art is a reflection of my personal experiences and my imagination", she says. "My work is a journey of expression and exploring all waves of life".
She creates large, monochrome and tactile wall pieces with raw materials, such as plaster, wood, steel and sand. “Everything is in motion. That is what I want to make tangible with my work and constantly remind us of”.
Interacting with their surroundings and changing with natural light, her minimalist artworks play with strength and fragility. She is particularly inspired by materials that have a hard, rough, strong character and a tactile appeal: “I like to create artworks that give these materials a sense of elegance, softness and being approachable”.
Eva Hendriks' studio is located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in a creative breeding ground for many crafts and businesses. The space used to be two large sheds: her studio is on the second floor, “overlooking the alley between the sheds, lit with light pendulums overlooking the roof towards the moonlight above the neighborhood. A little bakery and restaurant is located across the alley”.
The roof gives a lot of natural light. There is a kitchen area next to the entrance to start the day with a cup of coffee. Several tables allow the artist to work on different pieces at the same time. A corner hosting a clean area is where she works on her ideas and draws. Between that area and the work area there is a sofa when she has visitors or just reads.
Her creative process is a fine balance between preparation and letting the materials be free. Hendriks starts off with sketching and drawing to work out on her ideas. Then there is a material research phase, which involves also the work of local artisanal suppliers. “In the end, there is a part I cannot control, which often leads to the most beautiful art”, she says.
>>> Discover also the work of Danish designer Maria Bruun
Artworks by Eva Hendriks
Photography by Jeroen Noordzij, courtesy of Eva Hendriks
