18 june 2024, Wouter van den Eijkel
The studio of... Coen Vunderink
For painter Coen Vunderink, the landscapes of the three northern provinces serve as a source of inspiration. His painting process starts as he drives to his studio in Haren. In a mere 30 minutes, Vunderink traverses a beautiful natural landscape. Near his studio, located in a former laboratory of the University of Groningen, there is also stunning nature to be found, where he often goes on walks.
The impressions Vunderink gathers during such walks return in his paintings, albeit not literally. Walking is not necessary for him to find inspiration, but rather to enter a certain painting mindset, a mindset in which, through obsessively painting specific groups of trees and compositions, his painterly hand increasingly takes over and the mental work fades into the background. “I see landscapes as frameworks on which to hang various painterly solutions.”
Noordertrots is Coen Vunderink's first solo exhibition at Roger Katwijk and is open until 13 July.
Where is your studio and what does it look like?
Since 2013, I have been working in Haren, a village near Groningen. I have a studio in the Biotoop, the former biological centre of the University of Groningen. The complex is situated in a beautiful location with lots of greenery next to the Hortus. The space I work in is a former laboratory that I stripped down to create a nice studio with tall ceilings. I also have an office and storage room adjacent to the studio. Large windows offer views of greenery and when I open the window, I hear a concert of birds. In short, it’s a wonderful studio. The Biotoop houses over 100 different creative enterprises, including artists, photographers, woodworkers, interior designers and landscape architects. During the annual open day in May, we attract around 3,000 visitors.
Biotopendag 2024
Is the location important for your work?
The location is definitely important. I love the fact that the studio has views of lots of greenery. There is beautiful nature nearby and I often take walks there. The impressions I gather during such walks are reflected in my paintings.
Studio complex de Biotoop, 2024
Take us through a typical day in your studio. Are you an early riser? Do you receive visitors or prefer not to? Is it quiet or do you work best with music playing in the background?
A day in my studio usually starts around nine o'clock. I first take my daughter to school and then drive from Roden to Haren, which takes around half an hour. During this drive, the painting process already begins. The route goes through a beautiful area and I often stop to take pictures of, for example, a beautiful sun shining through the trees or a group of deer standing by the edge of the forest.
If I have a ‘full’ head and am still busy thinking about other things, I sometimes choose to go on a walk first. One of my favourite places to walk is the Sassenhein pond in Haren, a fishing pond with beautiful nature around it. I take pictures and look at birds. Once in the studio, I set up all the materials and decide which work I want to start with. I work on several canvases in the course of a day. When I start painting, I play music, depending on the mood of the day. Lately, I've been listening a lot to The Black Keys, MGMT and Pola & Bryson. The studio door is locked and my phone is on silent. My painting sessions are not very long and are highly focused. During these sessions, I do not want to be disturbed. The first painting session usually lasts about an hour and a half. The session ends when I am no longer sure what I want or need to do. I then stop, tidy up a bit or flip through a book. I like looking at books with work by Cezanne, Sigmar Polke, Van Gogh, Munch and Matisse. I have something to eat, another cup of coffee and usually after half an hour, start the second session. This one often lasts shorter than the first and after an hour, I stop. I take pictures of everything I have done. I photograph the individual canvases, details that catch my eye in the canvases and the studio walls as a whole. Then I close the door behind me and leave.
Studio 2024
Congratulations on Noordertrots, your first show at Roger Katwijk! Memories of walks through the three northern provinces are clearly reflected in Noordertrots. Do you plan a walk in advance or is it more spontaneous?
I moved from Groningen to Roden in 2017. In the village, I experience much more nature than in the city. The seasons are more visible and in my garden, I am gifted with various colours in different blooming sequences. When I drive to the studio or to my job in Leeuwarden (I am a visual arts teacher for the Art Therapy programme at NHL-Stenden), I see various birds of prey, such as buzzards, falcons and sometimes even an osprey. The light in the early morning is sometimes so beautiful that I take pictures from the car. Probably not the best idea, but it produces beautiful images.
I am also an avid angler and love being by the water. When fishing, I also take lots of pictures of the water, nature, clouds and yes, sometimes of beautiful fish. For several years, I have had a small boat and we go out on the water often. During these trips, I also take many pictures of the light, reeds, water and skies.
All this information goes back with me to the studio and forms the ingredients for my landscapes. I use a lot of photography but do not paint the pictures directly; instead, I use them as a framework for applying paint. Some compositions of specific groups of trees I find so good that I use them in multiple paintings, each time painted or drawn in a different way.
By thoroughly and somewhat obsessively exploring a certain theme or composition, it becomes second nature to you. This also means that as a painter, you can increasingly rely on that and thinking moves more into the background. Walking in nature before a painting session is not necessary for me to get landscape inspiration, but rather a way to get into the right painting mindset. I see landscapes as frameworks on which to hang various painterly solutions.
Optimistic, 180/140 cm, acrylic, oil, charcoal and ink on polyester, 2024. (Inspired by, among other things, a picture taken on the way to Leeuwarden) Photo: Robert van der Molen
What do you find so special about the northern landscape?
I grew up in Dalfsen on the Vecht river. As a child, I loved being outside: in the woods, by the water or in the meadows. Our family had a sailboat and we would go on holiday with it. The images I remember from this return in my current work. Characteristic is the light, which obviously comes from the sun, but is reflected by the abundant water towards the clouds. This typical ‘Dutch’ light, which also characterises the landscapes of the Old Masters, remains impressive.
Rows of trees in the distance on the horizon appear light blue and frequently return in my work. Trees through which you look at water and meadows act as stage curtains, providing a theatrical glimpse into the landscape. Paintings become windows into an artistic reality in which the different layers become visible like the rings of a tree. The paintings express a longing for clarity and safety, which are currently hard to find in the world. A return to oneself and one's roots without frills.
In Your Place, 55/75 cm, egg tempera, acrylic and charcoal on linen, 2022. (An example of water, reflection, order and stage curtain effect, with a hint of Bob Ross in the upper right corner) Photo: Robert van der Molen
Many of the canvases also have underlying grid and other patterns. Where do these come from?
At the end of my work period at De Ateliers in Amsterdam in 2010/2011, I made a large abstract painting with narrow horizontal bands that resembled a large window with blinds in front of it. Looking back, this painting was the start of a whole series of ‘window’ paintings with various forms of window coverings. Blinds, curtains, etc.
In 2019, I was cleaning my studio and faced a choice: either rent additional storage or reuse canvases/stretcher frames. Because my studio time is very valuable, I found it a shame to spend my time stretching and re-stretching canvases. With a large canvas, you're easily busy for a few hours. I also didn't feel like renting more storage. I didn't start painting to end up with an enormous load of production trailing behind me in my life. So, out of a sort of ‘annoyance’, I thought, "You know what? I'll just paint over it. This canvas has been seen a few times already and it's not a ‘key’ work, so let’s do it!" This painting became the first landscape over an abstract work and was the beginning of a new series and direction. The choice of a landscape motif stemmed from a desire to make my paintings more personal again. The abstraction in my work had become increasingly formal and gradually, I began to miss the urgency and connection. By choosing ‘fishing spots’ from my immediate surroundings as subjects, the urgency, connection and passion immediately returned.
The first landscape over an abstract canvas: Perfect Spot, 2019. Melklokaal Heerenveen, Photo: Linus Harms
A landscape with light, lots of colour, and plenty of grey. I love it! 120/90 cm, egg tempera, acrylic and charcoal on linen, 2023
You used to make completely different work, using lots of stencils, spray cans and even lace curtains. When did you start focusing on landscapes?
Landscape is not new to my work. At the academy in Groningen (2002-2007), I also painted and drew lots of landscapes with charcoal. In these works, the birch tree was often a central theme. After the academy, my works became increasingly abstract and now the landscape has returned in a different form.
What are you currently working on?
I am fully immersed in the method and series described above. The ‘problem’ I am now solving is that the ‘old’ abstract canvases to paint over are running out. So, I am looking for ways to create quasi-random backgrounds to paint landscape elements over. To avoid overthinking and underdoing, I use different methods to steer chance and reduce automatism. A recent strategy I find highly effective is working in the dark, where I can barely see what I am doing, which forces me to rely on my hand and body. The resulting lines and brushstrokes are often much stronger than lines coordinated with your eyes. After more than 20 years of painting, it is nice to be surprised!
Roger Katwijk and Coen Vunderink in the studio, 2024
