PHILINE VAN DER VEGTE

All my life, I have had a soft spot for small-scale farming. As a child, I dreamed of living in a little house on the prairie, and nowadays I actually keep a vegetable garden, chickens, and sheep.  My paintings are increasingly focused on farmyard animals, especially the old breeds. They have a long-standing cultural connection with humans, and are usually kept in an extensive and natural way - the way it should be. There is something about the warm, grounded presence of cattle, horses and sheep that makes me feel safe and stop worrying.

I paint animals, landscapes and people in oils, and paint and draw from life as much as possible. I do this close to home; the Dutch polder landscape. The best place for me to be is in a sunny field, surrounded by cows trying to eat my sketchbook. But the light on a field changes, and animals move around when you draw them, so speed is essential. I enjoy the thrill of occasionally getting it right in one go, though the visible search for the right shapes is also part of the work. The brushstroke is essential in my paintings and my ongoing aim is to bring the freshness of my quick life drawings into the larger studio works.