Interview with Christel Van Hemelrijck – Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us how you started in the arts? and your first experience in art-making?

I am a self-taught artist, born in Belgium in 1966. I have had a career as an executive producer in television before I discovered art as a way of expressing myself. Almost 3 years ago I started on my first series of paintings. At first there was something very cathartic about making art and it slowly evolved into a passion.

How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

All my paintings are stories about people I met and places I visited. The emotions I feel when I reminisce are translated onto the canvas. In my first series I used a lot of colours and I worked only with palette knifes. Later on my work became more minimalistic. I still use bright colours, mostly red or blue. Always balancing between passion and serenity, who are equally important to me.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

The island of Crete remains my major source of inspiration, along with my travel experiences. I have lived in Crete during the 90s and I still spend a lot of time in the southwest part of the island. It always feels like coming home, every moment I spend over there invigorates me. Life in general inspires me to make art but I did notice that new experiences always entice me to make art.

Read the full Interview here