VR

Yvonne van Rijswijk has been painting since 2008. Between 2008 and 2014, her first series of works—abstract landscapes—were frequently exhibited and sold by Galerie De Kei in Nuenen. These abstract landscapes, in mixed media, are large and rugged.

Since 2018, Yvonne has focused on the more refined oil painting technique, featuring nostalgic, romantic, as well as retro-seventies scenes, primarily featuring the female figure. VR's work distinguishes itself in both styles, including its use of color. Never primary colors, never bright. VR's works are recognizable by a natural palette, slightly muted colors, pale pastels, and warm earth tones.

Yvonne creates the desired scene from start to finish in her studio. She then photographs the model. VR also works with AI, creating scenes using artificial intelligence. This is purely the starting point. The final work is not predetermined. VR is guided by intuition and paints scenes as she envisions them.

Yvonne is self-taught. Artists who inspire her and whose work she admires include Alex Russel Flint, Jeremy Lipking, Louis Treserras, and Serge Marshennikov. The monogram VR is the signature on all her works. It is derived from Yvonne's surname, Van Rijswijk.

Yvonne van Rijswijk was born in Eindhoven, where her parents ran an electronics store in the city center. Her paternal grandfather came from the The Hague area and was a hairdresser and pianist. After 1945, the van Rijswijk family moved to Eindhoven. Since 2018, Yvonne has lived with her partner, Maarten de Kok, in the former chaplaincy of Buggenum, where she runs a B&B and a small art gallery featuring her own work: Galerie-to-B. Maarten is also an artist and paints cityscapes and landscapes in watercolor.

She completed her education at Sint Lucas, after which she built a career in advertising and marketing. She enjoys combining her creative side with entrepreneurship. From 2014 to 2016, she passionately organized three successful editions of the international drawing festival The Big Draw Eindhoven. After this hectic period, Yvonne and her partner decided to change course and seek out peace and nature. And they found exactly that in Buggenum – the idyllic little village on the Meuse River near Roermond.