Erna Reiken

In 1989, aged 17, I began studying fine arts. Two years later I quit, realising I was still too young and insecure to take on the challenge of being an artist. In the years that followed I had several jobs in IT and education. However, I often found myself frustrated and dispirited by my inability to truly express myself. And I was becoming more and more aware of a need to discover new and other ways of communicating with the world around me.

And so, 15 years after I my first foray into fine arts, I decided to explore what more the creative process could offer me. In 2006, aged 34, I enrolled at the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Enschede, The Netherlands. There, I discovered a world in which there was no right or wrong. In communicating through art the intention was just as important as the interpretation and I experienced a freedom and abundance of energy that had been missing from my previous work. I was now in a position to dedicate all my available time to my creative development as a professional artist.

My paintings are about people, often women, and the way they take or are given space. They are about presence and absence. About seeing and being seen. These subjects are closely related to my personal development and how I relate to my own environment. They are about insecurities, victories, shame and pride.

View Erna Reiken on www.escapeintolife.com