We recently connected with Michele Van Maurik and have shared our conversation below.
Michele, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I aquired my resilience from my mother who growing up as a young girl in the Netherlands experienced many hardships, starvation and the atrocities of the 2nd world war. Armed with a positive attitude and belief that the difficulties and challenges we all face will always improve over time, she left behind all that was familiar to her and courageously embarked on a journey to Canada in hopes of a better life. Newly married with a small child and not speaking English was very challenging for her in a new country. She faced many unexpected twists and turns, difficult times and through it all she always maintained a positive outlook. My mother always said to me that “things have a way of always working out” and I believe this to be true.
As an artist and creative person, it is definitely a chosen field that requires not only a passion for art and painting, but also a belief in ones self that is needed to sustain a career can have many peaks and valleys. The past two years in particular have truly tested my resilience. It was during an Artist residency in sunny Key West that I endured an unexpected accident which turned my world upside down. On New Year’s Day of 2022 I had planned on going to the beach on my bike, but things went horribly awry when I suddenly lost my balance and came crashing down on the unforgiving hardness of the pavement. I shattered all the bones in my elbow and would need to return home and have extensive surgery and a radial head implant. I was a bit relived that it was my left and not my dominant painting arm. The operation and months of rehabilitation were excruciating. The pain medications were not providing any sort of relief and the side effects were intolerable. I became overwhelmed with depression and had many dark intrusive thoughts. If things couldn’t get any worse, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and given 6 to 8 weeks to live. I realized I had a choice: I could let this break me and completely fall apart, or I could somehow muster up the strength to assist in her care and spend as much precious time with her as I could. It was incredibly heartbreaking to watch her deteriorate during the last few weeks of her life. Even in her darkest moments full of pain, my mother remained loving, kind and grateful for all the care she received. I am thankful that I was by her side, holding her hand when she died at her home.
It had been several months since I had picked up a brush and felt like doing any painting. I decided to try something a little different: I wondered if it would be good therapy for my arm to try and paint with my non dominant hand? I had never thought of trying this even before my accident, so I figured I would give it a try. The level of concentration needed to hold the brush and attempt to paint left no room in my mind for anything else. My shaking hand would stop when the brush met the canvas and something resembling an orange day lily slowly began to take shape. Those bright orange flowers grow in ditches on the side of the road and somehow manage thrive and blossom in the worst conditions. When I am painting, the brush acts as a compass; one brushstroke at a time, I am finding my way back after my life had been thrown off course. I am evolving in a woman much like my mother, a woman who is resilient .
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Born into an artistic family, I have been a creative person my whole life. Starting off hand lettering signs and outdoor advertising murals, I eventually evolved into a fine artist and studio painter. I am primarily self taught and love experimenting with different techniques, mediums and subject matter. I simply could not afford Art School earlier in my career and so with sheer will and determination I somehow managed to build a successful art career. It is the lusciousness of oil that has me the most artistically challenged and captivated. Bold, light filled florals painted on a larger than life canvas is my signature style and what I am recognized for. Capturing intimate details that people see but rarely notice invites the viewer to pause and take a closer look. I never anticipated the one day I would be part of the Canadian Delegation and showing my work in Paris at the Society Nationale des Beaux Artes which is one of the most oldest and prestigious shows and held annually at the Louvre. I believe that when you create from the heart it evident in your work; The emotional response I receive from a collector when I present them with a finished painting is priceless. Flowers are nature’s eye candy; it’s difficult to walk by a beautiful garden and not take notice. They command attention and refuse to be ignored. We tend to receive flowers for various reasons and to celebrate them in a lasting work of art is what fuels my passion and creativity. I was truly humbled at the number of people who reached out to me during Covid and let me know how much my paintings made them feel positive and uplifted during such a challenging and uncertain time.
I truly believe in the healing power of art; The act of creating brings a sense of purpose and accomplishment. The mental health benefits are undeniable. I particularly enjoy conducting painting workshops. It is very rewarding for me to see the transformation from the beginning of the class, not just in the participants ability to improve their skills but also the confidence, sense of wellbeing and the enjoyment they receive from completing their artwork. I often use humour while teaching to help ease the initial anxiety I feel from some of my students. I encourage them to relax and enjoy the process as it can become a bit of a competitive atmosphere at times and the goal for me is to not only share my knowledge and painting techniques, but for them to thoroughly enjoy the process and not become preoccupied with the end result.
In order to make my art more accessible, I have come up with a number of fine art signed prints as well as signed greeting cards which are blank inside and can be used for many different occasions. In an age where people are texting or emailing as primary form of communication, it is a pleasant surprise to receive something special in the mail, other than a bill. A beautiful hand-written card will always be treasured. I have received so many cherished cards over the years and can’t bring myself to part with. My website has a number of cards and prints available as well as regular updates regarding future workshops. It is my goal to launch an online painting course later in the year so I can share my skills and become accessible on a much larger scale.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say in terms of what was the most helpful along my journey was the perserverance to see things thru and not giving up when it seems too difficult or out of reach. There were many paintings that kept me up at night wondering if I was ever able to complete it to the standard of which I had placed upon myself. Each painting is an adventure in paint, sort of like figuring out a recipe. Sometimes all it takes is the wrong ingredient and it doesn’t quite turn out the way you were hoping for. It’s very tempting to discard something that isn’t quite “working” and start over or abandon it entirely, but with the determination to stick with it, I am usually very pleased with the end result. This undoubtedly teaches me some valuable lessons as well that I can utilize in my next painting. Spending hours at the easel painting and making mistakes, or “happy accidents” is the only way to improve and take your paintings to the next level.
Finding a mentor or participating in workshops from various Artist’s who’s paintings and style you admire can be quite inspirational in your development to becoming the artist you envision yourself be. The skills that you will acquire doing so, can be adapted and applied to your own unique approach to painting.
Lastly I would say that the internet is here to stay and as an artist, you definitely need to have web presence and be active and engaging on social media. The tide has turned from many collectors buying from traditional galleries to purchasing directly from an Artist whom they discover online. These platforms are very useful in getting your art viewed by thousands of online art lovers who can access your paintings globally. Due to this shift, I believe there has never been a better time to be an artist.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing that my parents did for me was teaching me to think outside the box, listen to myself and follow my own path. I’ve heard the adage of “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” and it certainly rings true. For me, envisioning a painting in my mind, translating it onto canvas and having someone see and understand what I cannot put into words, is the ultimate validation. Being in the creative field can be quite challenging: it is feast or famine at times in terms of financial success, facing rejection from a potential gallery, or perhaps having a painting that you put your heart and soul into not sell. It takes a certain amount of belief in yourself to show your paintings and literally expose yourself for everyone to judge. Not everyone is going to gush over your work and think it’s a masterpiece. Someone once said to me: ” Don’t be an artist, unless you cannot be artist.” When you paint for yourself and what you are inspired by, it is then that you truly have a successful painting. Even though my mother is no longer with me, I will forever have her words permanently etched in my mind; “Things always seem to have a way of working out” . This is the mantra that has kept me going throughout my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.michelevanmaurik.com
- Instagram: @daisypainter
- Facebook: Michele Van Maurik – Fine Artist
- Youtube: Michele Van Maurik
Image Credits
Profile Picture by Debbie Cato
