Emily Pals
"Looking back, I think it was here, in that Dutch attic room, that my awe for oil painting was born. It always seemed to me a difficult medium to work with, destined only for the very great masters. That, for me, mystical oil paint never left my mind."
How it started
My grandparents' old house had lots of rooms. It was perfect for playing hide-and-seek with my cousins. However, one room was off limits and that was the attic room, my grandfather's painting studio. And that was exactly why that mysterious room was naturally very interesting and why we sneaked into it. The room was quiet and dark, with lots of brown. I remember the squeezed-out tubes of paint on the tables, the rags with paint strokes, painter's easels with canvases that were being worked on. And above all: the smell of oil paint. My grandfather was a house painter by profession, a quiet man who never talked about his great hobby. All we knew was that new paintings regularly hung in the living room.
Looking back, I think it was here, in that Dutch attic room, that my awe for oil painting was born. It always seemed to me a difficult medium to work with, destined only for the very great masters. That, for me, mystical oil paint never left my mind. It attracted and repelled me. After all kinds of workshops with acrylic paint, I dared to buy my first tubes of oil paint a few years ago. My awe of oil paint was replaced by great enthusiasm. I had found my medium.
Painting of my grandfather, oil on canvas, 1942
Lockdownflower, oil on paper and wood, 20x16cm, 2020
My artist's path
From 2018, I have been expanding my craft through courses and workshops. Inspiring lessons from artists helped me develop my own style. This development never stands still. I have discovered that I like a bold, smooth painting touch and am not afraid to use a lot of paint. From a distance, my work looks realistic and precise, but up close the brush's stroke is clearly visible. Painters who inspire me are the Hague school painters Isaac Israëls and Breitner, as well as impressionists such as Monet, Liebermann and Lucian Freud. Looking at contemporary Dutch painters, it is particularly Rogier Willems and Mitzy Renooy with whom I feel a connection: their painterly touch attracts me.
As my four children grow up and leave home one by one, there is more peace and space to paint. In my studio in Breda in the Netherlands, I continue my way on the artist's path. In my work, I try to show the beauty of the everyday, from a flower among the paving stones in my street to the golden hour at the beach, from children playing in a city park to a portrait of my own dog Jip.