Antoinette Ferwerda

Antoinette Ferwerda is a renowned contemporary Australian fine artist who creates original art, prints and private commissions for both national and international markets. Born in 1971, Ferwerda has resided in remote parts of Papua New Guinea and Darwin and has travelled throughout Europe while exploring her family’s Dutch heritage, finally settling back in Melbourne for her formative years. Not surprisingly, her art is imbued with a spirit of adventure and discovery. She uses a variety of media to create abstract and metaphysical works, looking penetratingly into the interconnectivity of the world around her – specifically as it relates to the exploration of the seasonal magic contained within the Australian environment – and combining a minimalistic approach with a modern-design focus. Simply stated, Ferwerda is motivated by a preference for luxury minimalism. A vibrant celebration of the love of light, shape, reflection and nature is immediately apparent, resulting in bold collections of works that exuberantly explore the geometry of shape inspired “from the earth below to the stars above”. Her signature is defined by a richness of colour and texture and a subsequent transparent quality attributed to each and every piece. Ferwerda’s versatile use of spectra and media enables her artworks to adapt to a variety of decorative palettes, including sun soaked, muted and ethereal, metallic, vibrant or monochromatic.

Creating gives Antoinette Ferwerda a vehicle through which to connect with a deeper, more personal part of herself, a part that is instinctive, magical and unique. Her style is a playful and lighthearted style, one that blends the old with the new. A confident use of colour captures light, communicates levity and imbues natural warmth to her subject matter. Like all original artworks, Ferwerda’s paintings are genuine compositions, compositions composed of emotions conveyed via an effective use of colour and reflections upon memories of countryside landscapes, the beach and classic literature. Inspiration arrives in the form of daily life, art history, abstract expressionism, science, the natural world, architecture and her children’s drawings. These influences are very much evident throughout her paintings – see ‘Seaberry Saltbush’, ‘Sea Jellies Garden’, ‘Golden Champagne Poppies’, ‘Blue Zircon Gossamer’, ‘Green Turtle’s Garden’ and ‘Twilight Dreaming’, just to name a few. Of course, as previously mentioned, private commissions are also possibilities to which Antoinette Ferwerda is very much open. Keep in mind, however, that they are considered in a strictly limited capacity.

The tangible aspects of Ferwerda’s artistic process are founded upon the use of the highest quality materials when creating her mixed-media representations. These include, but are not limited to, acrylic-polymer paints, shellac inks, layers of hand-cut and hand-painted collage and high-grade cotton canvas. Her original paintings are finished with multiple layers of professional polymer sealer and conservation-grade UV varnish, ensuring your investment’s fortification, protection and longevity. This time and attention given to the sourcing of materials is a very personal one, as it should be. In fact, the personalisation of materials is very much a complementary aspect to the overall creative vibration. Though representative of her experience of life and the personal interpretations of her surroundings – consider primarily the natural world, like landscapes, stars, flowers, even urban structures – Ferwerda’s abstract paintings are primally familiar. They are somewhat archetypal, in fact. In other words, they are joyfully and unapologetically human. The artist declares, “Art connects people. I love what I produce. If what I paint resonates with people, then that is a powerful, human connection.” If you wish to connect with Antoinette Ferwerda and her collection of beautiful, colourful, playful and insightful artwork, visit her working studio and gallery at 659 Nepean Highway in Brighton East. For, as everyone knows, any occasion to celebrate life is an occasion well spent.