Peggy Kuiper

Peggy Kuiper: It’s rather that, ever since I was young, I sensed and swiftly learned that I could trust my intuition. And the more I leaned into this, the more things would just come to me naturally. The same goes for painting, I work very intuitively. Now, I did acquire a feel for the business side of things because of my background, also working for a design agency, realizing the importance of constantly repositioning myself as an artist. In doing so, I need to be very clear about which people and projects to work with or not, daring to say “No” and feeling confident in my choices. Having a clear focus, and making clear decisions, allows me to not stay stuck in this insecure in-between, but just move forward. In the end, there is never a right or wrong decision but just goes as it goes. If I make a bad call—if there ever really was one—so be it! Yet no matter what, it will allow me to grow. I trust myself and I'm very go-with-the-flow in that sense.

 

He’s meant a lot to me. When I was still studying at the academy, I was sure about my pursuits, but I was also working silently in the background. I witnessed Anthon Beeke being the autonomous artist that he was, operating on his own terms and directing his own career path. Instead of taking on plain commissions where a client offers feedback, people came to him for an “Anthon Beeke.” He taught me, among other things, how important it is to show yourself and be true to your vision. I was very fond of him. 

 

If you’re speaking of my art, I don’t think there is really a good or bad way to go about the practice.

I graduated in 2010 and have been fully developing myself visually for the past 13 years through different mediums. It’s not that relevant to me as to what types of medium they were or are. I find them all just a means of expressing myself.

 

When it comes to painting, all the creative freedom lies with me. That’s also key for me, as it is how I’m able to evaluate and develop myself as an artist.

 

I’m an introvert by nature, and over the years I found that I work best on my own. To withdraw into my own inner world—that's where I flourish—independent of time, location, or the opinions and interests of other parties. It allows me to experience true freedom when the time comes to create, and when I'm struck with a burst of inspiration. That being said, I do really believe in discipline, honing my craft by putting in the hours and working every day to keep improving. 

I wouldn’t say I felt constrained then or now as it’s all part of the journey.

 

I actually drew a lot as a child, but I quit somewhere down the line in my teenage years. I did take drawing classes at art academy, but for some reason, it didn’t quite pique my interest. Then around my thirties, I picked up the paintbrush again. I guess that also represents a phase in life when you have acquired more of a sense of self. I knew who I was, I allowed myself to do what really energized me and I once again got curious about my younger self. Then I found this map with old drawings that I’d made and that’s when I felt called to draw again. When Covid lockdown came there were no more photography jobs, so I had all the time and space to paint and paint and paint. 

 

It must have been a figure, something that kind of resembles the style I had as a child, an imaginary figure not a portrait because it was not necessarily about a person, but more about the emotion it invokes. It was just experimenting and being very playful about it. I had no intention of taking it to a professional level. That also gave me even more of a sense of freedom without any constraints. 

I think it was already there when I was very young and drawing. Then, as I started painting more in adulthood, I just refined my style. Personally, I don’t like to overanalyze these things because I feel my paintings should be something to be experienced, though one thing I can say that I think is quite interesting is that I have always wanted to keep the shapes of the figures quite simplistic because, in my opinion, they then elicit more emotion. If the faces are too defined if they are recognized as actual people, it would become a distraction and that is why the faces are quite abstract. 

 

Both options are actually false. I don’t photograph or have someone sit for me before I start drawing or painting. It all comes from my mind, a collection of memories, emotions, and dreams. My figures, not people or portraits, stem from my inner world and I would characterize it as an embodiment of my emotional landscape.

 

I, too, experience “writer's block,” aka “artists’ block” sometimes, but I don’t let it keep me from doing the work. If I don’t love something, I swiftly paint over it. That’s why my work is very layered; there might be two paintings hidden below the top one. I find it all the more appealing that in the struggle we often go through as artists, it is therefore part of the final piece. All in all, it makes it multi-dimensional. I don’t delete, I just add on. I indeed paint quickly because I always feel a sense of urgency. There’s a constant stream of imagination, so I want to capture whatever I can, to keep the emotion I feel in a certain moment because that, to me, is the source.

Both dancing and painting are ways of expressing myself. If I want to get out of my head, let loose, and feel free, that’s when I dance. The dancing doesn’t literally translate onto the canvas, but it does help me find more freedom of movement.

 

I wouldn’t say that swimming or swimmers are a massive topic for me, but what is an important recurring theme throughout are my self-portraits. I’m at this age, 36, where as a woman you start being confronted with your fertility and your aging body. We change all the time, our moods change all the time, and I believe there’s tremendous beauty in all of this. I try somehow to capture the many identities that I hold within me through times passing, and that way, try to make sense of my innermost self and the world around me.

 

I’m very much inspired by nature and the seasons. In nature, I always come across color combinations that seem a bit off but somehow work. Color is also very sentimental to me. It’s like music, instantly setting and enhancing the mood. I think in colors rather than in shapes, and it really depends on how long it takes to finish a painting.

 

I thrive in the morning, so I stick to a very specific morning routine. I very much enjoy my personal routines and rituals, also because at the end of the day that allows me more time for exploration. I’m very much a daydreamer, but the routine gives me much-needed structure. When I wake up, I first go for a swim in a nearby lake, then take my dog Balloon for a stroll and a little coffee run before I start work. I need to do at least some work—paint or else do something else creative—for five hours a day. That’s what works best for me. 

I used to have a studio separate from my home. I always thought I needed that divide between work and personal life. Yet recently I moved to this beautiful place in Amsterdam, an old garage converted into a loft with lots of daylight and space, where I also have my studio. I just make sure I take enough breaks in between, get out the door, and into nature. Other than that, the paintings are great company and comfort, so I like to surround myself with them. Having them around also helps me start a new painting, a new story. Then, while I paint, I always play music, mostly music in a language I don’t understand so that I can focus more on the feelings that the song brings up rather than the lyrics. Musicians I currently listen to are Robbie Basho, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, and Naseer Shamma. I would say my studio is an organized mess, and I like it that way. 

 

I never had this pressing desire to have kids, but I always knew I wanted a dog. Balou is a rescue dog from Greece, and yes, he does bring me a lot of peace. He’s a grounding presence for sure because he really keeps me in the moment, and we go for many long walks in nature which keeps me sane and happy.

 

When it comes to my art, I don’t identify that strongly with the heritage or place where I grew up and live. I would say I’m surrounded by people who are very much in touch with their emotions. It’s more about mindset than place for me,

 

Not necessarily. I’m very happy with where I am in life and I don't like to look too far into the future. I just aim to be present in the here and now. And excited to work on my first book and solo show in collaboration with Alex Daniëls of Reflex Gallery in Amsterdam, which will take place in 2024.