Christa Rijneveld

I grew up on a Dutch dairy farm drawing at the kitchen table. From early on, I loved spending most of my time creating new realities. At the age of eighteen I applied to art school, and didn't get in. Young as I was, I felt defeated and gave up on the idea of becoming an artist. I wouldn't touch any art supplies for years after that. I studied literature and started travelling because of my modelling job. In 2015 I decided to leave my life in Europe behind and move to a small town in British Columbia, Canada. The hustle and bustle was replaced by the beauty and stillness of the scenery: the Rocky Mountains. It was something I had never experienced before.

Not long after the move I started drawing again. Only after I started I realized how much I had missed it. Doodling was something I could do to get out of my own head. A meditative hobby soon turned into something I wanted to do all the time.

I never considered myself to be creatively gifted, but I’m meticulous and patient, so I work with that. I trust that discipline can be just as an important tool as talent, and over time, with consisted work, I’ll acquire the skills to get better and better at what I do. For me, creating art is as much about the process as the end result. I don’t care about the quickest way to make something; I put in the work, and lose myself in it, until I get to the desired, but imperfect, end result.

I’m greatly inspired by the mountains I see around me. They have soft curves and sharp edges. The layers and shapes intrigue me. On the one hand a mountain can take me to the most beautiful place imaginable, while on the other hand possibly causing danger. I like the metaphor of the mountain; how hard it is to get up it, and how rewarding the journey can be. In a simplistic way I try to convey how I see mountains. With lines and dots I create movement and intricacy in these contemporary landscapes.

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