the website of 

Matty Westra Hoekzema

I am a self-made artist. By following lessons and workshops with various painters, I have reached the 'state of my art', which you can view here and which is still in development. 

For me, working with a brush, paper, cardboard or other materials is a search. With form, color and material I am on my way to the representation of an atmosphere or a moment. It is an adventure every time because there are so many different ways to shape your image. It is about man, in all his manifestations and guises. 

That search is my greatest pleasure, an exciting process in which I don't have everything under control. Sometimes I just let it happen and surprises appear. Suddenly a pair of eyes look at you, some ask for a loving frame, others want a raw finish. I use materials and techniques that suit me best at that time. Nothing is too crazy, from floor varnish and industrial glue to chalk. But certainly also the traditional oil and acrylic paint are in my brush and want to get out. Just look in the gallery in my various folders. 

The search is actually just as important as the ultimate goal. That is why the work is not easy to describe, not in terms of style and also not in terms of material. Once I have found how to achieve my goal, the tension is gone and I take a new assignment for myself and the next fight begins. I give my image to the viewer and the viewer determines how it lives on. So I am always busy in a pleasant tension. If that doesn't work anymore, I'm done and my creativity and painting will slowly fade out.